The Elbert County tribune., 1915-01-15

There is great difference in opin-
nn among farmers-apd good farmers
vt that-as to the age at which sows
ihould be bred. Some men breed gifts
It ten or eleven months. while others
10 not breed until they are two years
sid,
Never select a brood SOW with a
pong. lean, narrow head, and wicked
httle eye. She is apt to be nervous
and cross and pig eater.
1t is good plan to feed little
srain to the growing pigs. even though
they are running on good pastures.
In the South many hog raisers turn
:heir young hogs out into the swamps
slong the rivers and creeks, and pay
40 attention to them during the entire
hummer. rounding them up in the fall.
snly to feed them two or three weeks
sefore shipping them to market. Some
surprisingly good results are obtained
N this way. too.
Sows with a young litter should be
watched carefully, for there are many
lows that do not give enough milk to
,tart the pigs off we'll In such cases
the youngsters should be fed a little
whole cows milk, warmed at first, and
later skim milk. with handful of
shorts in 1t.
The man who raises pigs for mar
ket. and pushes them along with some
grain, shorts and oats. even while they
are running In rich pastures. will
bring them to perfection much more
quickly than If they are allowed to run
on grass alone, until fall.
Keep the box full of charcoal. salt
and sulphur, where the pigs can get at
and out how much they will eat, but 1t
will pay to provide this food for them.
When pigs are old enough to eat
they should be fed In a separate pen
from that in which thei5 mother is
confined. A door Just large enough
to admit the pigs and keep out the
mother should be placed In the parti-
ton. SO the youngsters can come and
go at viii.
Sunshine and exercise are the iDdis
pensable rights of all farm animals.
Modern hog houses are, as rule
too close. too warm and too comfort
able.
Poor ventilation is the common fault
and the inaccessibility to sunlight ia
an equally serious one.
1t is sad mistake to imagine that
Increasing the bulk of the feed for
hogs by adding water will do them any
good.
Clean food and clean quarters will
keep the hogs healthy.
Keep the troughs clean. Never feed
any fermented food.
Among the feeds that should be
given is skim milk, which is very good
as 1t contains a large amount of pro
tein. and is bulky. Glover is an ex
ceptionally good feed in the greer
state. and even clover hay steamed
proves very nutritious. Oil meal cake
contains much nutriment of the right
kind. Where alfalfa can be had 1t IL
also good. Oats in various forms fur
nish the exact kind CT nutriment mos
seryiceable for the breeding animals
The SOW that is carrying pigs needs
large amount of protein food on ac
count of the extra bodies she Is build
ing up. But care must be taken not Il
have too much protein in the food. a.
the starchy parts are also needed. Th,
starch-forming elements should be five
or six times the protein elements
This is about the composition of GA
meal. Bran is a highly nitrogenoul
feed and should be balanced will
something else when it is fed. AL
plants that have pods are rich in pro
teiD and are thus good materials ou
of which to make food for breeding
swine.
Young boars will usually make bet
ter growth il kept separated from thu
sows. There might be conditions ol
exceptions where this would not b'
true, but they will certainly be rare
Not only should the boar be separat
ed from the sows when there ar,
young pigs around. but at all othe
lmes. The mos expensive way o
keeping boa &c let him run will
.he rest of the hero. He should b,
kept In lot by himself. but this 10
hould be large enough to furnisl
imDle gseeu feed and plenty of exer
ne.