EXPERIENCE DEPARTMENT
HOG RAISING.-No. 3.
Care and Feed of Sow and Pig After
Farrowing.
Also Exercise.
What Should Piga Weigh at 60 daya?
At 270 daya?
1st Premium—We have got large,
thrifty pigs to start with, and as before
farrowing, great care mnst be exercised
in feed and slopping. Water regularly
and feed and slop regularly. We aim not
to feed the sow all she will eat before
three weeks after farrowing. Commence
gradually with ship-stuff. We do not
feed any corn for a week after farrowing
at least, and not much then. Bran and
shorts are our principal feed; as we cannot find anything better. By the time
onr pigs are a week old they take exercise sufficient without forcing them, and
by the time they are two weeks old they
go ln a creep where the sow cannot get to
them, and learn to take slop and shelled
corn. By the time they are 60 days old
they are ready to wean, weighing easily a
pound for every day of their lives." They
are running on' clover or bluegrasa and
are getting their bran and shorts and a
liberal ration .of corn. We do not find
any trouble feeding corn providing it is
tea with a well-balanced ration. This
feeding is continued until they are four
months old, when the slop is left off, and
they are running on grass and eating
corn. And at seven months old they are
eating all the corn they will clean up
We sell at eight months weighing 225 to
250 pounds. Some will say tbis ought to
be reached at six months, but we are
speaking about car-load lots. Raised for
the market at 270 days they should weigh
from 280 to 300 pounds, but do not believe
it is profitable, to keep them that long, as
they consume more feed than the relative
gain. So we had rather have 300 pounds
in two hogs than one for profit. To hustle the pig is onr aim.        Lin Wilson,
Grant Co. ■
2d Premium.—I do not give any corn
for one week before or after farrowing,
but give liberally such as kitchen slop
or milk. When the little fellows are one
week old, I begin feeding corn and increase the amount of slop, using all the
milk I can get and mixing Into it shorts
and corn meal; two parts shorts to one of
meal. And by the time the pigs are 16
days old I have them drinking new milk
out of a shallow trough. At four weeks
old I give them all the slop they will eat
By the time my pigs are eight weeks old
1 begin to feed them shelled corn, but in
small quantities, and by tbe time they are
four months old I give for feed two-thirds
ear corn to one-third slops as indicated
above. I give all they will eat of this ration until marketed. I feed six rods from
sleeping quarters. They go in and out at
will. They will take all the exercise
they need. Pigs at 60 days old should
weigh 75 pounds and at 270 days should
weigh 400 pounds. C. B.
Boone Co.      	
3rd Premium.—The bow and young pigs
should have the best of attention if the
oest results are expected, they should
have some corn, but ground feed Is much
nf t tnan whole corn, cooked wheat
"Jakes an excellent food for the sow and
Pigs. In fact all hogs like that diet for a
change. But ground feed cooked or
Maided and then thinned with milk, will
make the pigs grow. I think that little
P'gs should have plenty of exercise, their
oeds should not be t6o close to their feeding. Place, this will give them exercise.
«»t l think, if pigs are given the room,
Jney will ta>_e plenty of exeroise. All
n°gs should have a free run to plenty of
charcoal and salt, and they relish lye soap
i?fe ln awhile, and I think it is good for
-.=!?• Tne ■weight of pigs at 60 days defends on the breed and also the attention
___ Z.r,eoelve. I have never experimented
anXl1?hln*5 P-B8>bnt should think they
I™ght to weigh from 45 to 60 lbs. And at
«n ?*?ys ihey <"»-** *0 weigh abont 300 or
*** l°*. I hare weighed hogs about 7 or 8
months old at different times,  and found
they gained 2J_ to 3 lbs apiece a day, but
I don't know at what age they could begin to take on flesh at this rate.
Corydon. . . Elf.
The sow and pigs shonld have very
close attention and a warm, dry bed.- To
keep the sow from lying on the pigs,tack
a Btrip across the corner of the bed, about
twelve inches from the ground and bed
with leaves, and the pigs will go under
this strip in the corner to sleep, and the
sow cannot lie on them. Milk is the best
feed for young pigs. The sow should not
have any corn for the first few days after
farrowing, but she should be fed a slop,
made of corn and oats ground together
and mixed with a little shorts, I think it
is all the better if it can be cooked. (T Ed )
The pigs should be crowded from the
start, should have all they can eat and no
more until sold. The weight of a pig at
60 days depends on the kind of stook we
are breeding A pig at 60 days should
weigh from 50 to 70 lbs and at 270 davs it
should weigh from 350 to 400 lbs. They
should have plenty of room for exercise
give them range of the woods and clover
field and they will take all the exercise
necessary without driving them around
for it. N. B.
Harrison Co.,
As soon as the pigs will eat feed them
to themselves on bran middlings, mixed
with skim-milk or buttermilk for about
two weeks or nntil they are about seven
or eight weeks old. Then gradually add
corn meal to the feed, or ground barley
or rye. Wean at about six weeks If the
sow has not mated (which they will usually do in two or three days after farrowing) mate her now.
Give the pigs such fruits and roots as
you can spare, and graea as soon as they
will e__tit if yoo have it- anclby the time
tfiey are 2J4 or~3 month s old they may be
put on clover or grass and "Whole grains,
or better still, soaked corn.-
I believe there is great economy in adding a-little stock food all along with the
food, as it will keep the pigs healthy and
give them a good appetite; and a good appetite and good digestion are essential to
profitable hog raising.
They should be fed all they will clean
up at each feed, minus a small enough
quantity to keep them ready for their
next feed.
They should be castrated at not over
fourweeks old, so that they may get well
before being weaned.
If you are raising hogs to sell by
weight they should be kept growing their
utmost from the time they are farrowed
until they are sold. Never let a hog go
back or stop while feeding, as it is double
expanse. Never feed a hog over a year
old, it costs much more to put a pound of
flesh of fat on a year old hog than it does
one six months old, and if you feed like
you mean business your hog will be lagre
enough at a year old or before, for any
market. At 60 days old it should weigh
120 poonde, and at 270 days should weigh
300 pounds, and hogs weighing over that
are as a rule, lower on the market.
Observe this rule,—feed youf hog to his
utmost capacity from birth, sell when he
gets fat regardless of the market, and you
will hit it more times than you will if you
hold and feed for a certain market or a
higher price. C. T.
Gibson Co.
Use corn principally for finishing product. About the first of May turn the
sow on clover. Clover is essential In
making cheap pork. It makes more bone
and muscle than corn and is no expense
in cultivating and harvesting. The hogs
gather it as they want it. Give the pigs
the skim milk and slop from the kitchen.
The successful hog raiser don't allow the
slop from the house to go to waste. Fall
pigs should be farrowed about September
first. Feed them ont the next summer
on clover. Allow stock hogs a good
range at all times, so they can take plenty
of exercise. Keep plenty of salt and
wood ashes before them. Usecoaloil and
carbolic acid weakened with soap suds to
keep vermin off. Hogs kept in this way
yield as great profit as any stock kept on
the farm. J.
Randolph Co.
Let pigs have a small yard in connection with the honse; and if this can be
opened, into a rye-field they may be
greatly benefitted by running in it when
the weather is favorable. It will be exercising and appetizing for the youngsters and will also furnish a tonic, stimulant and laxative for the "mother pig "
So far this applies more dlreotly to winter pigs, and they sometimes prove an expensive luxury to me at least. They require more feed and a great deal more attention and work than summer pigs.
Winter storms are all-mighty foes to little pigs. Whether it is winter or summer, I like to let them have the rnn of a
wood lot, If it is not too far from the
house to be convenient about feeding.
And there ought to be a lane from the
house to tha woods any bow. The woods
should be dense enough to cause a cool
and pleasant sensation when you enter
them on a sultry summer day, and they
will also break the force of those iierce
wintry blasts to some extent. I went into
the sty, when my sow farrowed, pioked
the pigs up one at a time, piled them in
another place to count tbem. (There
were 14 living and healthy. She saved 12
of them.) I left them till morning, when
I gave the sow two or three ears of corn
and all the pnre water she wanted. This
was her diet for three or four days when
I began to gradually strengthen her
drink; first by giving her dish-water,
then adding a handful of scalded bran,
then a little milk; and so on until she
was soon getting a good strong slop ration and plenty of grain. When the pigs
were one week old I took an old shallow
fan and a little milk fresh from the cow.
held the pan near them with a little
milk in it. They smelted around it at
first, and then began to chew the edge of
the pan. I raised the other side gently
and of course the milk flowed into their
mouths, they relished it, tried to get more
and soon learned how. And before they
were two weeks old every pig would run
to meet me and fight for a place in the
pah which had to be replaced with a
shallow trough. I left a crack in the
fence large enough for the pigs to pass.
They soon got some skim milk and then
a little scalded bran and middlings. 1
prefer to wet it with boiling water if I
can. Some feeders say cold water will do
as well; but the feed will not mix well
with cold water and when you pour it out
the water runs oft and the feed is in the
bottom of the bucket. I kept increasing
their feed, and at six weeks old I weaned
them without noting any check in their
growth. I feed three times a day till they
are four or five months old and then dyop
tbe noon feed. I want eaoh feed eaten up
clean before they leave it, even when.!
am finishing them for market. I have
grew£j_ait_t in the swill pail _..il I believe
whoever would bring his pigs up to the
highest standard should make up his
mind before he begins to do a great big
l«.t of slopping, and then some. For slop-
milk, bran and middlings are good. I
have used rye and oats mixed equally by
measure and ground together. I will
name a few of the best cheap plans for
slopping pigs. I put the slop in tbe
trough and let them in afterwards. Another good plan is to have the trough stationed along a board fence, have the
lower boards battened together and hung
to the upper board with hinges. The
lower board must be a little higher than
the trough. Swing the lower part across
to the pigs side and prop it there. Four
in the slop, knock out the prop and the
section of fence swings back to your side
of tbe trough. Tbis same sow farrowed
the 10th of May, '96, a litter of 12. Eleven
came through all right. They never had
a feed of corn till they could shell the
new corn in September. Just slop and
tbe run of a bluegrass lot of less than one
acre, with artificial shade. I sold them to
the butcher and the best two weighed 460
Irounds gross when 207 days old and the
ot averaged over 200 pounds apiece.
Three months is the youngest recorded
weight I can find in my account book at
present which is 00 pounds, and my best
recollection ls that 35 to 40 ponnds is a
good weight for pig two months old and
275 to 300 pounds ls good for pig nine
months old. They may be made heavier
but this is good. I give my pigs ashes
every few days poured down in little
heaps with salt sprinkled over them, and
the more charcoal they contain the better. A little Glauber's salts occasionally
In winter if they become constipated is
good. Don't let the pigs sleep in the
strawstack or on the manure-heap. Corn
stalks will make a clean and lasting bed.
Never allow your pigs to get lousy. You
can mix a few spoonfuls of coal oil with a
quart of milk and then mix this with a
gallon of water and put it on with a watering pot, or paint them all over with
old grease. The oil will not mix with the
water unless mixed with milk first.'
Wabash Co. J. W. E.
REVIEW.
One of the most helpful changes
wrought ln live stock management in
recent years is from all corn to a balanced
ration. "In an early day" hogs enjoyed
range and mast, and corn added made a
good ration. Hogs, even of good stock,
came fat with frame and muscle enough
to carry 350 lbs of gross weight, fifty miles
on foot. Thewlldnessof roots, mast,dead
animals, grass, etc. gradually disappeared,
range was reduced and corn became more
plentiful.
A store keeper in our town once remarked to me. that he "wished I'd go
down to the house and see if he was feeding his pigs enough." I answered that
"lt is not a question as to whether yoa are
feeding them enough, bnt whether you
are giving a balanced ration."
Some of you are acquainted with Prof.
W. A. Henry's experiments, where he fed
one bunch of pigs pure corn meal, salt
and water. The other bunch was allowed
all the wood ashes they would eat, in addition to the corn, salt and water. The
corned pigs grew well a while, then became abnormally dwarfed and very fat.
Their Jowls and beilies fairly dragged the
ground, at a weight of some°200 lbs, when
they ought to have made 400 lbs. The
thigh bones of these hogs were tested in
a breaking machine. The corn lot had
very weak bones, the lot having ashes
bore just twice the breaking power of the
other lot. The bones of the second lot,on
both being burnt, contained 50 per cent
more ash than the first.
Sinoe hogs crave ashes, may they not
be helpful in several ways?
I confess I do not believe in friend
C. Y.'s "Stook Food." I don't know muoh
about such foods. They might be made
of good material and be nourlshingg; but
why not the farmer be intelligent enough
to compound his own rations? And for
half the cost? I once had a neighbor,
(gone to Iowa now) who was eternally
"messin' aroun' " "with somethin" "to
keep his stock's appetite up." Did you
ever think that dootors don't take medicine while well? Wild animals don't,
Savages don't. Nine-tenths of the world's
people, and animal and vegetable life
don't. A vast number of people take tobacco, or some other drug, constantly
into their system, which reduces their vitality.
May I not suggest that nature in a normal condition is far better let alone. That
which stimulates or depresses injures
health.
Quacks and fakirs prey on tho credulity of the ignorant and credulous. A fakir
was selling one-ounce bottles of headache
and rheumntism cure on our streets, and
a druggist was filling his bottles for him.
They contained ammonia and rain water,
and sold at 25 cents au ounce. He sold
thorn like hot cakes. They were not
v. orth one cent.
I would not advise putting any unknown "stuff" Into rations for stock. All
nature wants is that the food contain
nourishment suited to support every part
of the body. Milk and blue grass are
samples of such a ration.
Why should my friend wean pigs at six
weeks old? Since milk is the best possible'diet for any young animal, and sinoe
a gocd big sow will give lots of rich milk
longer than six weeks why not let them
have it?
Is it a good plan to mate sows on the
third day after farrowing? I do not like
to cross the candid opinion of experienced growers, but I do not believe it is a
good plan. Not'ce how Mr. II. pushes
the sow preparatory to mating and after
mating. He makes her a perfect storehouse of vitality and food material. She
is large, mature, well developed, and "fat
enough for market" when she farrows.
Mr. H. would not breed a sow again till
pigs are eight weeks old.
They may soon be weaned and the
mother will gain all the while she carries the second litter.
I'd like to see Mr. C. Y.'a 60-day pig that
weighs 120 pounds.
Don't ever, ever forget the blue grass
and clover pasture mentioned in these
letters. That's where you get cheap
meat Our mistake has been to depend
much on pasture. A couple of ears of
good "yaller" oorn a-piece twice a day,
in clover to their backs, makes quicker
and cheaper meat than grass alone.
I think one can keep posted on markets,
supply, demand, etc., till he can often
vary his selling time a little to good advantage. '
No. 55, March 27. Hog cholera and
other fatal diseases. The sanitation of
hog raising.
No. 66, April 6. Fertilizers. Where can
commercial fertilizers be economically
used and how?
No. 57, April 10. The best fence post and
how to preserve it.
No. 58, April 17. Best material for roofing. Experience in painting roofs. Material.
No. 59, April 24. Renovating an old orchard.
No. 60, May 1. Mistakes and failures of
recent years.
In writing don't fail to note new points
not generally known; also other points
of real experience. Address all copy 10
days before publication.
Let our subscribers write their experience. The purpose of the department is
not exanstive articles but brief, pithy,
practical experiences. A sort of heart to
heart talk, suoh as you - enjoy with a
neighbor.
Read onr excellent articles on this subject. We were favored with some 30 letters. Those we are able to publish contain most of the points made. Address all
copy to E. H. Collins.
^.Carmel.