The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1914-05-14
BETTER FARMING NOTES
(By County Agent Richards)
The Care Of the Pig Crop

(By County Agent Richards)
The Care Of the Pig Crop
The spring pig crop is at hand on
most farms in the county. Some have
been more successful than others with
the pig crop. Now is the time to try
and determine what your success or
failures were due to and aim to elm
mate the failures for next year.
10 get the most out of the present
pag crop certain essentials must be OBJ
served. In my judgment all pigs far
fowed previous to May LIST should be
grown well enough this summer SO
tney will be large enough to turn into
the corn crop when it natures this fall
ana finished for market previous to
December LIST.
TO do this it will be necessary to
iced the pig we'll throughout the sum-
mer. Provide q creep for the pigs il
you have not done so, or an enclosure
wnere they can get access to q feed
trough and eat whenever they desire.
ftgs will begin to eat some feed when
from 10 to IA days old and the sooner
t.e better. Feed the young growing
Pays growing feed. Ground oats
and shorts in proportion of / part
shorts to 3 parts oats is desirable
ration for the first six weeks. Later
the proportion Of oats or the other
grains can be increased. Ground bar
Icy or hog millet will do quite well rs
. substitute for the oats. After the
pigs are past two months Of age in
addition to the ground feed fed in slop
form, sprinkle q little unground grain
on the ground for them. It is abso-
lutely essential to feed shorts or some
substitute Of the same nature in order
TO furnish the growing element (pro-
tean) which is always found in larger
quantities in shorts than most of the
farm grains. Corn, alfalfa, clover and
skim milk are also protein or growing
foods.
If you have not provided for q pas
ture sown to some forage grain into
which to turn the pigs with their dams
you should do so. If you have q piece
Of alfalfa for the purpose it would not
need sowing this spring and would
have been ready for at least a week.
In fact, it will make an all summer
pasture. Few have the alfalfa pas
ture know. Then you should have
sown piece to q mixture of barley,
oats and rape rs early as you could
get on the land. Sow now if you have
not done so. During the last part of
this month SOW q piece to Dwarf Es-
sex rape so it will be ready when the
barley and oats crop is gone about
July LIST. Wean pigs when eight weeks
old, continue to grain well even If they
hs,:, . good pasture. Castrate your
l,pies before weaving time. Space will
not permit of further explanation of
facts stated.
Change In Rules to Govern Glendale
Bankers Alfalfa Contest
1t is considered advisable to change
somewhat the rules governing the al
falfa growing contest announced re-
Gently by the Glendale bankers. One
OF the changes relates to the time of
closing the entries. It has been con-
sidered best to have all entries made
before July LIST of this year.
Everyone who intends to compete
for the prizes should bear this in mind
and not fail to send in their entries be-
fore July LIST. There is no reason why
everyone who is sowing five acres or
more OF alfalfa should not enter the
contest and make an effort to win the
prizes. Entry blanks will be furnished
on application or may be secured at
any bank IN the county.
A change has also been made in the
rules in reference to the manner of
determining the awards. The rules rs
they stand at present are as follows:
LIST. The prize money will consist
Of $50 for first and $25 for the second
best field.
End. The alfalfa field must consist
OF five acres or more in one solid field
and be located in Dickey county.
3rd. The alfalfa field must be sown
in the spring and summer of 1914, and
is to be judged between June 1st and
18th. 1916.
4th. The awards will be based upon
the thickness of stand, size Of the
plants, color of plants in the field, free
ness from foreign plants or the weeds
in the field and uniformity Of stand
over the field.
5th. The larger the field the more
allowance will be made for the lack Of
uniform stand.
9Th. The fields are to be judged by
the field agent of the Better Farming
Section and any other person or per-
sons he may select to aid him.
7th. Anyone who wishes to enter
an alfalfa field in the contest must
make their entry before July 1, 1914,
upon blanks that will be furnished
upon application to the agent Of the
Better Farming Section.
9th. The right is reserved to make
any change in the method Of making
the awards in case it is found the plan
outlined is not favorahle