The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1915-02-12
INTERESTING ARTICLE
ABOUT RAISING HOGS
One Man Raises US to ESQ Pound
POrkers In Six Months With Small
Outlay of Money
ARE BEST MORTGAGE LIFTERS"
Says Proper Way to Start in the Business
Is to Get Pedigreed Brood Sow and
BOar-NOne Too Good

G.. B, Peterson, Montborne, Wash
Hogs are r%ightfully named mort
age filters" in this great Northwest if
properly handled, but few realize the
importance of good care and feeding.
Some people think a hog is a hog"
and can do we'll in the deepest OF mud,
but we are thankful that the hog rails
ers of today are overcoming that idea
and are giving them the same care
they give their horses, cows and sheep
We are beginning to realize that Ii
O stunt a pig or hog he will not pay
for his feed.
Making the Proper Start
Each breed Of hogs has its particular
strong points. My advice to the man
who is starting into hog raising is for
him to select that breed which he likes.
Then get the best pedigreed brood
SOW and boar that he can afford be-
cause the best is none too good. He
will then have a good strong founda-
ton to build up a strong herd, that are
quick maturing and prolific, while 1t
would take years to build up a good
herd from inferior grades. Never use
a grade boar even if you have grade
brood sows. Never use a SOW that
has been stunted for breeding pur-
poses. Select your boar and brood
sows that come from a large litter and
the ones that make the greatest growth
providing they nearly conform to the
requirements OF the breed. Never
keep a brood sow if she does no nave
at least six strong pigs the first litter,
and do not keep a sow that eats her
pigs.
Housings
There are two kinds OF narrowing
houses, the stationary and the port
able. One needs both where there are
from fifteen to twenty brood sows lar
rowing about the same time. The
kind of farrowing house I prefer is one
with pens on each side with a iour
foot hallway through the center, with
plenty of light and no direct draughts
through the pens. The pens should
be 1Ox12 feet with a similar space on
the outside for the sowrto exercise.
Clean your pens out every day the
same as you do your dairy barn,
The portable %farrowing houses l
have are built on n The run
ners are placed one foot in on each
side and the building is 8x1O feet, 8
feet high in the rear and 6 feet in
the front with two doors, one above
the other. On the inside a railing is
placed around the walls SO the SOW
cannot lay on her pigs. This house
can be moved from place to place In
the clover or alfalfa field and by putting
up a few panels around can make a
nice lot for the brood SOW and her
pigs. I also have doors on each side
so that by placing the building end to
end with these doors open l can use
toem as sleeping houses for the pigs
after they are weaned.
Breeding
Two filters a year can be raised IN
this great northwest as We have a large
amount of succulent feed the year
around and the winters are moderate.
One can raise three filters a year but
il is not advisable. To insure the lar
gest filters possible l put brood sows
in the ~fattening pen four weeks before
I breed them. They are then putting
on flesh rapidly and will be in a better
condition for breeding. One or two
services of the sire is as good as a hall
dozen, besides where one has a large
number Of sows to breed the sire will
be overworked, if allowed to run with
the herd.
The SOW should have plenty OF exer-
else and green food during pregnancy
and kept in a thriving condition.
About two weeks before farrowing she
should be placed in her pen with a
runway where she can-sxeTcise. She
will become acquainted with her place
and not be restless at farrowing time,
and be where the other hogs can not