582 ANNUAL. REPORT OF THE • Off. Doc. 



During the growing season such a ration can be supplied at a min- 

 imum expense by feeding about two per cent, of the sow's weight of 

 three parts corn and one part bran or middlings, tankage, soy beans 

 or cow peas, the remainder of the ration being supplied by alloAving 

 the sow to run on clover, alfalfa or some other leguminous pastures. 

 In winter cut clover or alfalfa hay mixed with the grain, together 

 with a sugar beet or two of mangels will make a good substitute for 

 the pasture. The sows as well as the boar should have abundant 

 exercise, and in placing the houses in the lot where the pigs are con- 

 fined care should be taken to plan to have the feeding place as 

 far from the sleeping quarters as conditions will allow, so as to en- 

 force exercise in cold weather. 



In order to have the pigs ready for an early market in the fall 

 they should be farrowed in March, the earlier in the month the bet- 

 ter. If the sow's next litter comes the first of September, they will 

 be in good shape to market the following April when prices are near- 

 ly always good. In this way the brood sows produce two litters a 

 year, and by a little extra care they are ready to sell when the mar- 

 ket is usually at its best. 



It requires considerable skill "to start young pigs without skim- 

 milk, and keep them going until marketed. The faster they grow 

 within reasonable limits the greater will be the profits. One of the 

 important factors in this connection is the sow herself. Unless she 

 is both a good feeder and a good milker, no matter how skillful her 

 care may be satisfactory results can not be obtained. On the other 

 hand given an ideal brood sow unless the feeder is a pig man, he will 

 not be able to feed the sow with the cheaper foods in such a way as 

 to make the sow give her maximum amount of milk and make it 

 agree in all cases with the sucking pigs. Henry has demonstrated 

 that it requires no more food to produce one hundred pounds gain in 

 the pigs when fed to the sow and pigs before weaning than when fed 

 to pigs alone after weaning. This fact would seem to indicate that 

 the more milk the sow can be induced to yield the more rapid will 

 be the economical growth of her pi^^s. If skimmed milk is available 

 at this time, the difficulties attending the feeding of the brood sow 

 while nursing her pigs is materially lessened. The milk should be 

 fed with grain enough to make a fairly thick slop. Light grains such 

 as white middlings, red dog flour, ground oats with a little corn 

 meal being preferred. Henry also found that it required 230 pounds 

 of mixed grain and 530 pounds of skimmilk to make 100 pounds of 

 gain in young pigs under these conditions at a cost of about |3.3.5. 

 If, however, skimmilk is not to be had, a mixture of two parts finely 

 ground oats with one part of wheat bran and one part white mid- 

 dlings with five to ten per cent, of tankage allowed to soak between 

 feeds is a satisfactory ration; to assist in keeping the system open 

 a few roots or access to pasture is desirable. 



At the age of about three weeks the little pigs should be encour- 

 aged to eat by scattering some shelled corn on a clean floor, or bv al 

 lowing them access to another pen, or a shallow trough of milk into 

 which has been stirred a few middlings. From now on until they 

 are weaned, their food should be inoreased and strengthened, care 

 being taken that they have plenty of exercise that they do not be- 

 come too fat. 



