FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 129 



by-products are extremely valuable, not only from tlie flesh-forming con- 

 stituents which they contain, but also for the beneficial effect which 

 they have upon the general thrift and health of the animals consuming 

 them. We have been able to realize from 20 to 28 cents per hundred 

 pounds for creamery skim milk consumed by bacon hogs. This shows 

 that dairying and pork production can be very profitably run together. 



When the young shoats are about ten weeks old they are ready to 

 make use of clover pasture. Instead of allowing the pigs the run of the 

 whole patch, they are confined by light movable hurdles to a small por- 

 tion of it. When this is grazed off the hurdles are moved on to a fresh 

 portion of the field, light shelters are provided for the pigs, and feeding 

 troughs conveniently placed, in which supplementary meal rations are 

 fed. While it is true that pigs will live and grow upon clover alone, it 

 is neither practical nor profitable to confine them entirely to clover 

 rations. The addition of even slight supplementary grain rations not 

 only results in much more rapid and profitable growth, but in the pro- 

 duction of bacon of a much superior quality. The consumption of large 

 quantities of soiling crops results in the production of bacon which is 

 known to the trade as soft. Soft bacon is not necessarily fat bacon, but 

 is of such a nature that it never firms up or becomes solid either during 

 the chilling or subsequent curing processes. It is the greatest difiiculty 

 with which Canadian packers have had to contend during recent years. 

 Aside from the cause mentioned, immaturity of the animals is one of the 

 most important factors resulting in its production. 



Typical bacon hogs should reach the required weight mentioned in 

 from seven to eight and a half months. During the last six weeks 

 the rations should be so arranged that a larger proportion of what 

 the feeder knows as strong feeding stuffs should be fed, the object being 

 to firm up the tissues and produce hard, firm bacon. The foods chiefly 

 used for this purpose are peas, oats, shorts and corn, to the extent of not 

 more than one-half of the ration. Where animals have been fed during 

 the first three of four months of their lives as previously outlined, they 

 can be fed during this finishing period considerable quantities of corn 

 without any danger of the bacon being of the kind known in British mar- 

 kets as corn fed. 



As regards the wintering over of store animals, we have found that 

 we secured excellent results from feeding them almost entirely upon 

 mangolds and turnips. Our usual rations were from 25 to 30 pounds 

 of mangolds fed in two feeds, morning and night, with from two to three 

 pounds of dry, whole j^eas and oats, fed in the feeding troughs for the 

 noon feed. Not onl}^ has this ration the advantage of costing with us 

 from one-half to two-thirds of a straight grain ration, but we have found 

 that the animals came through in much better condition and that in the 

 springtime we had a much smaller death-rate among the little pigs. 

 Further, the root ration is easily prepared and handled, since the old pigs 

 are quite capable of handling the roots whole. 



Since young pigs will not make satisfactory gains upon raw roots, 

 if these are to form part of their ration they should be cooked and fed 

 with a meal ration thoroughly mixed. Boiled turnips mixed with ground 

 peas and oats make a very satisfactory and cheap ration. This present 

 winter, on our own farm, we are carrying through a large bunch of young 

 hogs, feeding raw pulped turnips and mangolds, mixed with finely 

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