Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1916-05-21
GROWING ANIMALS ON THE
FARM
Mo. E.-Hou RAISING.
BY II. A. Sandhouse, Assistant Pro
lessor Animal Husbandry, Uni
verSity of Arkansas,

y
versity of Arkansas.
The warm climate, long season, open
winters, and the great abundance of
grass and mast in Arkansas make con.
ditions almost ideal for hog raising.
AT present statistics show that this
state is not raising enough pork for
its own use. 1t is encouraging to
note, however, that the number of
hogs has increased in the past year
and the increased demand for pure.
bred hogs would indicate that there
are not only more hogs grown, but
better hogs. To start in the hog bus
mess requires but small capital and
some experience in feeding and car
ing for live stock.
The time at which sows are bred to
farrow will depend somewhat on the
development of the animal and the
feeds available and building equip
ment for young pigs. The early far
lowing requires more attention and a
warmer house than when pigs are
narrowed in the spring or early sum-
mer. Early narrowing has it's advan-
tages as well as it's disadvantages in
that it enables the farmer to market
his hogs earlier in the fall, before the
bulk Of the hogs are marketed, and
the breeder of pure bred hogs will
have animals old enough and devel-
oped enough for breeding in the fall
The house for the sow need not nec-
essarily be an expensive one, and at
the same time be of the individual or
central type. Either type should be
dry, well ventilated and lighted by
means of a large number of windows
on the south side. The hog houses
should be sprayed and cleaned up at
least once a year with two to four
per cent solution of some we'll known
disinfectant. withdrawing a house
with mixture of one pint of crude
carbolic acid for every three gallons
of whitewash will not only disinfect
the house thoroughly, but will make
it =, look. neater and cleaner A few
days before farfowing the SOW should
be placed in her individual pen, so
she can become accustomed to her
new surroundings and not be nervous
and restless. During this period, just
before and after narrowing, the feed
should consist largely of shorts and
bran, mixed with a small amount of
grain and fed in a thin slop. Feed
ing sows too heavy before narrowing
may be the cause Of caked udder and
milk fever. After narrowing the feed
should be gradually increased until
the pigs are able to take all their
mothers milk. Too much milk at
hrst is liable to cause scours and
thuMps.
When two or three weeks old the
little pigs should be fed shelledl or
soaked corn in a creep, so that they
will be accustomed to eating grain be-
fore weaving, and not receive any set
back at that time. Corn alone is q
poor feed for hogs of any age, espe-
cially with very young pigs, as they
require more bone and muscle form
ing material, which is found in such
feeds as shorts, oats, oil meal and
the legumes. Young pigs on pasture
may be fed corn with about five to
ten per cent of tankage,, or if skim
milk or .buttermik are available they
may be fed with the grain. using two
to three pounds Of skim milk for every
pound Of grain.
A good permanent pasture will re-
duce the cost of grains, provided it is
not pastured too closely and a small
amount of grain is fed in connection
with it. Several sman patches of for
age crops planted at different dates,
so they will, mature at different Pc
riods. will furnish good pasture from
early in the spring until late in the
fall. Dwarf Essex1rape, If sown early.
will be ready to pasture in about six
weeks, provided there is sufficient
moisture, present to terminate the
seed. Amber sorghum, planted three
to Ave weeks after sowing the rape,
will be large enough to make pasture
during the extremely hot and dry
part Of the summer. Generally, the
hogs can be turned in on the sorghum
when It h about two feet high. Cow
peas planted with corn. will make
eood fall pasture, or peanuts planted
in corn at the time Of the second Gull
tivation will furnish fine feed. BY
hogsing down the corn and peas, and
peanuts, the hogs will have a free
choice system of self-feeding. and will
do better than when allowed to hog
down corn, without any protein feed,
as peanuts and peas without corn
produce soft pork.