34 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Sept., 



be cleaned up. In northern Xew England, ]\Iaine, Xew 

 Hampshire and Vermont there is a weed called the "Orange 

 Hock Weed" which is pretty much of a pest, but the pigs 

 clean this out of the land. 



Hogs are adaptable to more kinds of feed and more 

 methods of feeding than any other form of live stock which 

 we carry. They can be pastured, they can eat grain and 

 dairy by-products and are also flesh consumers, therefore are 

 more adaptable to dift'erent feednig methods than other 

 classes of live stock. In New England garbage or swill is 

 an important factor. Since ^Ir. Hoover has been so active 

 the quantity of swill is probably reduced, but there is always 

 a legitimate amount of waste which the hog can use success- 

 fully. Swill feeding is something I admit I had to start at 

 the beginning and learn. I had taken it up from the theoreti- 

 cal standpoint of swill feeding, that is, that swill should be 

 fed raw. In that way the hog saved the cost of cooking, and 

 good results could be obtained. 



In garbage there is always more or less pork products 

 thrown in, these pork products often coming from hogs from 

 a cholera infected section. These infected hogs arrive at 

 market, pass inspection, and arrive at the farm where the 

 cholera germs are transmitted to the perfectly healthy hogs. 

 By sterilizing the swill you eliminate trouble, and by boiling 

 practically all is used except the bones, so that there is little 

 or no waste in this process. The question often arises as to 

 the citrus fruit rinds. These citrus rinds are supposed to be 

 poisonous to the hog, so keep them out as far as possible. 



If I were to start in the hog business, I would try and 

 locate near some city and get the contract to take their swill, 

 then sterilize and feed it to the hogs. It is the best game in 

 the farming line at the present time, as in this way you get 

 paid for doing something for yourself. 



I disagree with some breeders as to the age of weaning 

 pigs. The seasons in'northern New England are such that if 

 we do not have our pigs come so we can breed them for early 

 fall pigs, it sometimes means we get our pigs to wean in cold 

 weather. In order to wean one litter in cold weather but 

 not two, it has been our m.ethod to wean our pigs quite a 

 little earlier than the average breeder. Six weeks is the 



