600 ANNUAL, REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



be done if the herd is troubled with lice as often as once a week for 

 three or four weeks, and after this an occasional dipping will keep 

 them free from the pest. We use a dip made for the purpose by the 

 Moore Chemical Company of Kansas City, Mo., and find it the best 

 thing we have tried. Zenoleum is also a good remedy. Crude petro- 

 leum is also a sure jemedy if it can be purchased reasonable. A 

 kerosene emulsion is also very good. The dipping of the whole herd 

 will pay well if for no other reason than that it makes them thrive 

 and keeps hair and skin in fine condition. There are many little 

 pig troubles that can easily be overcome if attended to in time. 

 Many times you will hear the pigs coughing. This is often caused 

 by the little thread worms in the throat and also by the stomach 

 worms, either of which may be easily removed. We use for this 

 purpose the same Moore's Hog Remedy or crude dip and put aboul 

 a pint to a barrel of slop feed, and if this is used twice a week you 

 will hear no more of the cough, and then continue once w^eekly you 

 will never hear any more. We have not heard a pig cough on the 

 farm for several years. 



A matter of considerable importance where pigs are fed heavily 

 is the benefit derived from feeding charcoal. In our country where 

 corn is plenty we burn all cobs, and for this purpose we built a 

 pit about as you would build a cistern and walled it up with stone, 

 and by starting a fire at the bottom and filling it with cobs as they 

 come to a red glow and continue this till the pit is full, then pour- 

 ing over the whole a barrel of water with salt added and covering 

 the pit tightly with the sheet iron cover to keep out the air, the 

 whole will form as good a quality of charcoal as can be, and one 

 would be surprised to see the animals leave any kind of feed and 

 heartily eat this charcoal. We burn all the cobs from corn raised 

 each year, and you will never find any lying about the feed yards; 

 in fact, we seldom feed whole corn anyway, but grind all and mix 

 with other feeds. 



In breeding pure-bred hogs there is another matter that should 

 be atended to and that is the marking of the different litters, so 

 that no mistake can possibly be made in identifying each pig. 



We have tried all kinds of ear labels, but as yet have found none 

 that are satisfactory, and years ago commenced the system of mark- 

 ing with a harness punch by making a little half-round hole in rim 

 of the ear. We can in this way mark them so that a hundred or 

 two may be marked and without disfiguring the ear if properly done. 



When a pig is ordered he is selected and his ear mark taken and 

 entered on our book of blank pedigrees, and it is then easy to turn 

 to his dam and see what his sire was and all about him, and his pedi- 

 gree can be made and made correctly. Careful attention in the mat- 

 ter of keeping correct records of all breeding ages and number in 

 litter, that no error can be made, will have mueh to do in the futun- 

 success of the business. All letters received should be answered 

 promptly and a carbon copy of each should always be made and filed 

 with every letter received, that one may know what he has written. 

 This alone is a very important matter, and will save many misunder- 

 standings. Many men who write for a pig do not do this, and after 

 a week would not know what they had written, ^^'e have filed 

 where we can get it in ten minutes every letter received in twenty 



