SEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VI. 225 



as much in the care and feeding. It is true we must have the individu- 

 ality to build on. But it is equally true that that individual must have 

 proper feed and care to develop it. The term develop is very often mis- 

 used and I think in many instances misunderstood. The word develop 

 is often used synonymously for fatten. This is a mistaken idea. A hog 

 may be fat, yet not developed. In order to develop a pig he must have 

 suitable food to give him growth of bone and muscle and regular exercise 

 to give him strength and vigor. 



We in the corn belt usually make corn a part of the pig's ration, which 

 is all right if judiciously used. But in too many instances corn is made 

 the exclusive diet, which is very injurious to the pig. This may be done 

 in two ways. First, by keeping the hogs confined in pens where there is 

 no opportunity for them to obtain grass or other green food and not sup- 

 plying it, but feeding wholly a corn ration. Second, by allowing range 

 of pasture but feeding too large quantities of corn. The hog will not 

 gorge himself on corn; his appetite being satisfied, he has no inclination 

 to exercise, hunting over the pasture for more feed, but will lay down in 

 the shade. In a short time he becomes sluggish. He becomes more and 

 more corpulent. His bone and muscle become weak and exercise becomes 

 more painful to him. He can hardly walk from the shed to his feed. He 

 may be gaining in weight. He may look nice, but he is not developing. 

 He is fattening. The hog does not differ greatly in his anatomy from the 

 ether domestic animals. For an illustration, take a colt at weaning time. 

 Put it in a small pen and feed an exclusive corn diet for- a year, 

 If it withstood the treatment, how many would select that colt for a breed- 

 ing animal? 



In order to develop a pig, he must have a balanced ration and plenty 

 of exercise. For convenience and economy it is best to furnish a pasture 

 sufficiently large to furnish plenty of green feed and afford an opportunity 

 to ramble at will, gathering food fresh from the bosom of Mother Nature, 

 growing. Then a hog should be allowed to rustle some to develop stamina 

 and trait of character and learn to make the best of his opportunities. By 

 this I do not mean to starve. There are two extremes, stuff and starve. 

 One is almost as injurious as the other. There are very few pigs highly 

 fitted to be shown in the under six months class that ever make a hog fit 

 to be shown again, and very few there are that ever begot or bore pigs 

 that were able to win in any class. There are reasons for this. They 

 have not been developed, but weakened, and in most instances the highly 

 fitted pig under six months of age is at a yearling a physical wreck. 



We might liken them to the pompous sons of millionaires, reared 

 from infancy with a golden spoon in their mouth; reared in luxury and 

 ease, when thrown on their own resources they are wholly unable to 

 grapple with the problems of life. None of them have ever become great 

 financiers nor great statesmen, but all our truly great men have come 

 frcm the middle classes. 



Of course there is an incentive for us to produce big weights at young 

 ages. AVe do not want Mr. Jones' pigs to be larger than ours. And there 

 is always a demand for the fat pig at good figures, which is a great 

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