White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1926-11-05

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economical production of pork under
the system outlined here.
After the young pigs arrive early
in March, the sows are kept confined
in their pens for month, and during
this time they receive the same daily
care usually given brood sows while
confined in pens. At the end of a
fortnight the little pigs are allowed to
run in and out of their pens into the
green rye, and at the end of the
month the pens are opened and from
that time on to weaving, the eight
sows or more, with their pigs in each
paddock. mingle together, grazing at
will on the rye, which during the
weeks the sows are confined, has
quite recovered its growth, in fact,
has made an extra abundance of
growth which will Withstand for sew
eral weeks to come the onslaught Of
the sows and their pigs now old
enough to do some grazing and root
ing for themselves.
From the time the pens are opened
and the pigs are in the rye. they are
fed their daily ration of slop on the
large platforms, and should there be
at any time a shortage of slop, grain
is introduced to take its place. The
feeding platforms, like the sheds are
built on runners to be moved to fresh
spots of ground.
After being turned together, the
young pigs suck each others dams
Unfortunately, but being all Of
practically the same age and size
there is no disadvantage suffered by
this promiscuous sucking, so the
growth of the youngsters continues
uninterrupted, terminating at wean-
ing time, in an average of better than
seven pigs raised to the litter.
The sows and pigs remain in the
paddock until weaving time, and dur
ing this interval the boar pigs are
altered, and all are marked for future
Identification. The weaving takes
place when the pigs are to 10 weeks
old at which time they are all injected
with anti-ch6lera serums. Weaving
consists in removing the sows from
the pigs to some secluded quarter
where they are dried off preparatory
to being re-bred for fall narrowing.
The pigs remain in the paddocks
where they were born, and from now
on their feed is increased and a
forcing process is gotten under way,
preparing them for that fatal day
that comes to every hog, when he is
expected to give up his life for the
profit of his owner. AS the time adj
vances larger houses are moved on
to the premises, and the narrowing
sheds are removed to pastures new
to be in readiness for the fall farrow-
ing. The pigs, as they become near
/ porkers, are doubled up into larger
herds but still remain afield. They
are never confined in smaller quarters
than the one and half acre lots
where they stay until ready for butch
ering, when they are from seven to
10 months old
The fall pigs are handled in much
the same way, kale and roots supple
menting the shorter grazing season,
and after weaving these pigs receive
a liberal quantity of roots on through
the winter. hauled daily to the pad
DOCKS.
After the land has been pigged-
down for one year the fields are
stripped of all improvements and
plowed for another crop, and the
rotation is generally corn, then beets,
and back to rye, rape, kale and pigs
the third year. Sometimes Mr.. Rich
ards pig-pastures the land two years
in succession. He prefers, however
to follow each grazing year with a
cultivated crop, as the working of the
soil keeps the land free from weeds
worms and other deleterious para
sites, as well as Kidding it of any
possible disease germs.
Touching the subject of parasites,
| 1t may not be out of place to men
ton here that during their occupancy
each paddock is provided with clay
lined disinfecting wallow, the making
of which consists in digging hole
about foot and a half deep by five
or six feet wide and perhaps twice as
long. Into this hole a small load of
clay is dumped followed by barrel
or two of water-the hogs themselves
then do the masonry work of plaster
ing this basin. The basin is kept
partly filled with water on which
floats a quantity of crude oil; and in
furnishing this contribution to their
comfort, the pigs show their appre-
citation of the bath by the almost con-
slant use they make of it, particu-
larly in hot weather. There is little
doubt that aside from keeping their
bodies free from vermin, and materi.
ally lessening the annoyance from
flies, this disinfecting bath plays an
important part in warding off infes
tations of internal parasites. :.
Hog raising has always been con-
sidered one of the most profitable
branches of the operations ON this
asylum farm, and each year the re-