The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1916-04-01
WHAT ONE PIG WILL DO.
Investment Of $40 Yields Handsome
Returns to Ascension. Boy.
By H. j sEIFERTH in Times -Picayune

| One thoroughbred pig has made a
well posted, successful farmer of
Bentley B. Mackay, 90 years old, of
Hope Villa, La. That one pig has not
only educated and made money for
him, but has given him chance to
travel and get into touch with the
world of better farming. His father,
with 120 acres to work with, did not
achieve as much as the boy with only
one pig as his scope. Now he has con-
vefted his parent to the new methods,
practical Investigation will be fol-
Ilowed, crops. will be raised for good
| hogs to harvest at the least expense
and the most profit, and there is go-
/ ing to be real farm under the joint
Mackay management. Also, the boy
will stay on the farm instead of hunt
ing a job as soda dispenser in some
burg where the bright lights burn late.
Bentley gave the facts of his ex-
perience after he read story in the
Times-Picayune about how Prof. w.
C. Abbott had organized the boys of
his school art Dubach into dairy
club Prof. Abbott was Mackay's
teacher at the Oak Grove school in
1911, when Director Balls organized
the pig club there, and induced the
lad to become a member. The boy
purchased a Duroc gilt for $40, and
learned the lesson of good blood from
! the start. The pig was only eight
weeks old then, and was Of the famous
Colonel strain, sired by Prince Pilot,
the Chicago fat stock show winner in
1900, which was bought by Baton
/ Rouge breeder and was already win
ming ribbons which caught the young
lster's eyes. With good material as
foundation, Mackay worked out a
balanced ration with which to do his
feeding. The animal thrived, making
steady gains, and weighed 400 pounds
at a year old. The pig took the first
prize of So at the parish fair, and
earned its owner a trip and ticket
to the state fair at Shreveport. The
three hundred miles journey proved
hard on the sow and she was out Of
condition and droopy all the time she
was at the big show. That spoiled
chances for first place in the club
competition, but the entry took sec
ond money and also secured for the
owner a free ticket to the Information
al Corn Exposition at Columbia, S. C..
Outside of the privilege being worth
about $40, the inspirational and edu-
cational value was much greater.
The following March his SOW pre-
sented him with eleven pigs, nine of
which survived to net him SO each.
In September he gathered in another
litter, this time of eight, and for these
he not only demanded but obtained
| $40 apiece. The demonstration
agents helped hino In boosting and
placing his stock, for their main aim
lis to make the farmer succeed. In
August, 1915, the sow farrowed
seven. Mackay had orders for two
females, but the entire litter turned
out males. He was not able to sell
these for breeding purposes, so six
of them are still with him and will go
to the butcher. His disappointment
made him little careless with the
unwelcome boars, and 1as conse-
quence they only weigh about lao
pounds apiece. But on March 8 the
sow more than made up for her sex
pfoQuCGloH5 error. one even over
did it in her anxiety to console. She
broke all previous records by deliver
ing fifteen pigs. The swine hus-
bandman decided that the aggrega-
ton was too large to expect to raise
successfully. So he did not take any
measures to interfere with the process
of natural selection. She smothered
four weaklings, and Mackay then
took charge, but before his plans
were carried out the sow had mashed
two more the second night.
A neighbor had a SOW which had
lost its pigs, and the youth sold one
of his babies to the bereaved farmer.
Two more deals in futures were made,
for pigs to be turned over at wean-
ing time, and he does not expect any
difficulty in disposing of the entire
lot. Several of the original sow's
daughters he saved have also gone
into the producing business, one of
them farrowfng ten a few days ago.
Eight survive, and will bring SO
each. The other gilt is five months
old, with hef achievements still ahead.
The little hog farm is already near a
mans size job, but Mackay has almost
reached manhood and is equipped to
tackle it. And then there is the ''old
man." who has the good sense to take