Swine Growers' Association. 331 



I begin breeding my sows about the 10th of November, and 

 try to get them all settled during that month, and the closer to- 

 gether the better. Then, when the pigs begin coming in the 

 spring, I can make it my special business to take care of them 

 at the critical time. If the weather is nice there is no trouble ; the 

 alfalfa has kept the sows in fine condition and their digestive 

 organs expanded and ready to use a large amount of concentrated 

 food. I begin giving them a little slop of good shorts a week 

 before farrowing. After farrowing, leave off all feed for twenty- 

 four to forty-eight hours, then feed lightly — about a quart of slop 

 and increase gradually until when pigs are two weeks old the sow 

 IS getting about all she will eat with tankage added. 



The pigs will begin to eat a little corn when about three weeks 

 old. I provide this for them in a feeding place to themselves, and 

 in another week or two begin giving them some slop, and as I 

 increase this for the pigs, I reduce the sow's slop and increase her 

 corn, until about the middle of May it's nothing but corn and time 

 to wean and breed for fall litters. 



I put the sows up in a dry lot and feed lightly for a while 

 and the pigs don't know they are weaned. If there are any thin 

 sows I separate them at this time and build them up. I breed 

 only what sows I can catch to farrow in September, prefering to 

 have all farrow in spring, even if some are a little late, and then 

 run those over until the next November for only one litter a year. 



I know that some of my friends think I feed pretty heavily, 

 and contend that a slower method is more economical, but to 

 raise two litters a year from a majority of your sows and average 

 around eight pigs to the litter, you've got to keep 'em goin', though 

 you can't afford this intensive feeding with only three, four or five 

 pigs to the litter. 



Now, if you want to keep up to the hog limit of your farm, 

 you've got to keep them going after weaning to get them out of 

 the way of the next litters. To do this, my pigs get just about 

 all the corn they want twice a day (cutting down the slop as clover 

 comes) and half a pound of tankage to 200 pounds weight, with 

 the best pasture I can give them — clover if possible — (and I hop'^, 

 some time to have alfalfa to use) ; if there is plenty of clover I 

 cut down the tankage about half. 



I continue in this way until within about thirty days of the 

 time I expect to market. I then put the bunch into a lot and keep 

 up the corn and tankage with plenty of fresh water and salt and 

 ashes and, if cold weather, good bedding, and at this time I ex- 



