French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1917-05-24
KEEP EEDIN SOWS.
Preserve Good SOwS for Breeding Pur-
poses-Urgent Need for Increased
Pork Production.

A SOW is a good investment. This is
+rnn even in these strenuous times Of
nigh price of food concentrates. say
anecialists of the United States Depart
mont of Agriculture. The quotations
On these feeds are controlled to a con-
Siderable extent by the price at which
meat animals sell. Hence concen-
trates usually command a high figure
when hog on the hOof at large pack
ine centers sell at more than Is cents
ner pound. However, record prices
for swine as fell as feed concentrates
have been a great incentive to farmers
IN leash in" all the hogs available.
That many sows have been included is
evident from the fact that on April 1
the correspondents of $ha Bureau of
Crop Estimates reported approximate
" 3 per cent fewer sows on farms in
tho United States tina d year before.
Further. this is the frst year that the
simply has not incr 3aSed since 1913.
At this time the mar <eting of a sow
that can be or has been bred is fairly
comparable to killing the goose that
laid the golden egg" Although the
fecundity of swine is we'll appreciated
nv farmers. at times sOws are saCriic-
ed when a little i6rethought would
cause them to be retained. Breeding
sows multiply five Or SIX times as rap
id1v as other meat animals. Tlev have
an average litter of five or six pigs and
and may be bred twice a year. al
though three times in two years &C
cords more with current farm Drac-
tice. The filters increase III size, on
the average. until sows are 8 or 6 years
: old. However, a large proportion of
the sows are sold after producing one
o rtwo filters and before they have
reached the period ct greatest useful
ness. Occasionally SONS are ursuita-
bile for breeding because IF heir clum-
siness. high" condition. inactivity. or
b~arrenness. and these, Of course, go to
market when of proper weight. but the
total sows of this class Is a mere
bagatelle.
In these days when labor is high and
also scarce on many farms. the hCs
NAV afford "a way oUC. Hogs utilize
refuse and waste grains. damaged
grains, and garbage; garnering grain
behind cattle or shattered grain IN
harvest fields, and utilizing slaughter
house b~y-prOducts and dairy by-prO-
ducts. They are also largely SELF
feeders. The modern farm cafeteria
gives a pig a chance to make a hog ct
himself more quickly than he can %
the handled route, and it has the add
er merit of being the cheapest way Of
producing pork. A SOW when she is
not developing a litter or nursing pigs
can in summer time be placed l a pas
ture and given very little grain. In
winter, possibly the cheapest main
tenance ration is a combination Of
grain and hay. such as corn, wheat
rye, or barley, and alfalfa, clover, COW.
peas or soy-bean hay. The gra1T
should be limited to L or L pounds
per hundred pounds live weight pei
day. Sows should be given all the
hay they will clean up. Sows Wh1cI
show exceptionally rundown condI
ton from sucking their pigs should b'
separated from the herd and fed gran
until they regain breeding condition
Where pastures are very luXuriant /
is possible to carry breeding sows o
pasture alone but the most p~alatabl'
hay will not keep sows in good breed
ing condition if fed alone.
Breeding sOws are at a premium
and the demand for young stock is un
precedented. The hog buyers state IL
their reports that they are compelled
to take anything that looks like a hog
The ~fuctuation in the number of hog