The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-06-15


the winter. He did this by standing
strong poles up on slant against
the shed he was building, extended
the straw pile over SO that the hogs
could 60 back under it where 1t was
too low for horses and cattle to go.
In that way the hogs had private
room Of their own where 1t was
warm and they could lie in straw as
deep as they chose to make It, They
were warm and coy all winter and
the sows were kept in good physical
trim. He said he had travelled
around the country some looking at
the farm yards and pig pens and hog
houses of a good many Of the people
who are raising some hogs and was
surprised when he heard the report
that so many farmers were losing
the spring crop of pigs. He says 1t
is necessary to keep the sows warm
and comfortable and to give them a
balanced ration of good clean food
and plenty of water. When sows
are lean, and chilled and suffering
farmers must expect them to lose
their pigs.
Mr.. OFT does not believe that
hogs can live we'll in places that are
damp, they need a dry place as we'll
as warm place. Hogs must not be
required to live in the mud nor wet
straw. He says he does not consider
a cement floor a proper place for
hogs, but that If their pen has a
cement floor there should be plat
form built of planks in some part of
it for the hogs to make their beds
on, and it must be well drained. If
the hogs are given an opportunity
they will keep house and do 1t right.
They will have their bed in one part,
they will do their eating in another
place, and attend to their toilet in
another place. But unhappily a
good many people have the idea that
a hog is filthy thing and they do
not give him any chance to be other
wise than filthy. He says that when
a slice of pork is dropped into hot
frying pan and starts to fry it gives
off an odor that tells the story of
what kind of food the animal lived
on. If it lived in a nasty nest of
mud and filth and had to pick up its
food out of the filth, the odor of the
frying meat will tell the story of
that filth. ~
Mr.. OFT is planning to build hog
house, but does not know how soon
he will build it. He is not in any
hurry for he has not definitely set
tied on his plan. The one he is u.s.
ing is merely makeshft that was
built for a machine shed and he is
making the best of it for the present.
When he builds his hog house he
will have the machinery for chop
ping and grinding, situated in the
center and he will have the auto
matte feeder trough on both sides
and the pen next to that. He will
have it so that he can put all feed
into the troughs without chance
for the hogs to get in the way. He
will fix it so it will be difficult for
the hogs to get their feet into the
troughs, but very easy for them to
get their noses in. He has not de-
cided whether he will have the floor
made a clay or mixture of clay and
cinders or some other materials. He
is still seeking information as to
| what is the most satisfactory kind of
pen. He thinks the cement is too
hard and cold and the other ma
terials mentioned, may become soft
and cannot easily be washed off. He
wants his hog house built so that
it can be kept clean and sanitary
from year to year and so that the
hogs can have sun and light and
warmth as they may need it. He
wants it so that he may govern the
hogs to keep the different sizes
where he wants them and allow the
little pigs to scamper away. into
| quarters Of their own, where the
larger ones cannot modest them. He
wants the granary built in as a part
of the hog house so that when he
operates the choppers he can simply
open slide and let the grain con-
duct itself into the hopper of the
grinder. He wants it so that the
alfalfa can be stacked where it can
be easily fed into the the alfalfa
chopper. He wants it so that the
chopped material after passing thru
the machine will travel naturally in
the direction of the place where
they are mixed and placed in the
troughs. He wants to build barn
so that he can handle his other stock
as correctly as he does his hogs and
keep them all separated. At the
present time he has to have some
of the pigs in the barn. Mr.. OFT is
interested in raising chickens, but
has not very suitable place for
them now. He has little gasoline
engine and a bone cutter for grind
ing up bones to mix with his chicken
feed, and he thinks that when he
builds his chicken house he may
have it planned so that 1t will be as
systematic as his hog house.
Mr.. OFT had a very fine sedan in
his garage and there was also stored
in the corner a disk harrow taken
apart and cleaned and put away
bright. He says that during the
winter time he cleans up his ma
chinery, takes apart and cleans the
bearings, greases them and puts
them together again so that when
he is ready for spring work and has
the horses in the field he is not de-
tanned by squeaky bearings, but
everything works we'll and he can
push the work rapidly while the
season is right. He keeps a good
many tools in his work shop and
during the winter season and at off
times when he is not very busy he