Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-07-29
Raise. Pork cheapIy.

rOuT luOuSdHu, OAC huholC ca CAShSS
three dollars worth Of pork-246 hogs
narrowed by 81 Duroc Jersey gifts and
reared to maturity--was produced BY
Wilzue Whitson in nine months last
year on his 240-acre farm In Potta-
wattanie county. Iowa.
When the hogs on the Whitson farm
were brought in from the cornfields
late In November. 1913, the brood soWs
for 1914 were sorted. and placed by
themselves This was done so the RAJ
ton for the sows could be regulated.
The danger of the sows being injured
by the steers in the feed lot was elm
mated by the separation.
The brood sows were fed corn, oil
meal, and alfalfa. Alfalfa hay was fed
to the sows during the winter months.
The corn and oil meal We're soaked in
water twelve hours before being fed.
The ratio Of the rations varied some.
but it ranged from 81 to 81. Sew
eral days before due to farrow, the
sows were fed a small amount OF tank
age. This prevented the sows from
eating their pigs.
Nothing but water was given the
sows the first day after narrowing. For
the first ten days after narrowing, the
sows were fed carefully. The soWs
were on full ration Of corn, oil meal,
and alfalfa. Mr.. Whitson considers
getting the sows on full feed after far
rowing the most critical time Of hog
production. Individual care was given
the sows and pigs until the pigs were
three weeks old. One man devoted all
his time to the soWs and the pigs dur
ing this time. Not much time was re-
quired after this period. Too large
increases in the amount of food fed
the sows caused them to become i'll,
and caused tho pigs to get the scours.
The sows and the pigs were turned into
a 16-acre alfalfa pasture when the pigs
were three weeks old.
A mixture Of corn and oil meal with
small amounts Of ground barley, bran.
and shorts, was fed the sows during
tho nursing period. Some dry corn
was fed too. Stop does not compose
the feeding ration at any time on the
whitson hog farm. The feeding OF
slop is considered wasted labor. MI.
whitson believes that no value Is add
ed to the protein portion Of the ration
by mixing It with q lot Of water.
/ The 246 pigs on the Whitson farm
were narrowed early In April. They
were given q separate feeding place
when they were large enough to eat
grain. While the pigs ran with their
mothers In the alfalfa pasture, they
were given a small amount Of grain.
The pigs weaned themselves before
midsummer by the system of feeding
used. The grain ration Of the pigs was
increased slowly after they were
weaned. The brood sows were sep
arated from the pigs in the alfalfa pas
ture. The brood sows were fattened.
and were sold before Aug. a. II the
sows farrow late in March or early in
april they can BE marketed usually by
the middle Of August.
The pigs were turned into a 25-acre
cornf1eld when they were on full feed"
This was October I. The pigs weighed
120 pounds each. They made a gain OF
SO pounds the head during the six
weeks they took in "hogging down.
the cornfleld.
The gifts intended for use as brood
sows for the 1915 crop Of pigs were sep
arated from the barrows. and Were
turned in lot with cattle that were
being fattened
Seventy-two head Of the hogs. at an
age OF eight months, were sold Decem :
Der 9Th for s6S5 the hundred. at an
average weight Of 255 pounds. on the
South Omaha market A month later
the remaining 1863 head--six had been
butchered-averaged 252 pounds in
weight,
A second carload OF the hogs was
sold a few days later on the South
Omaha market They sold for $500 the
hundred. the top price Of the day. The
hogs sold averaged 264 pounds.
Feeding the brood sows a ration Of
corn, oil meal, and alfalfa during the
winter months, before the sows far
rowed, produced large, vigorous pigs.
and put the sows In good physical con-