SEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VI. 239 



she may be able to stand the excessive drain that the young litter calls 

 for the first six weeks of their existence. In advising liberal feeding we 

 wish to impress the feeder with the importance of corn, which should be 

 fed in limited quantities. The main ration should consist of those foods 

 rich in protein, such as oats and wheat middlings. Avoid a concentrated 

 feed, but always use in connection other feeds to produce bulk to the 

 ration, which is very essential to healthy digestive action. While many 

 breeders depend upon the commercial feeds, such as shorts, middlings, 

 tankage and others to produce a proper ration, we wish to state that it is 

 not entirely a necessity to use these feeds to produce a balanced ration. 

 Any Iowa farm will produce grass, oats, barley, clover, roots, etc., and 

 while we think that perhaps in most instances it will pay the breeder to 

 use these commercial feeds, we would advise against getting too much of 

 a habit of using them. 



"We wish to emphasize the importance of exercise for the brood sow, 

 and unless exercise is obtained results at best will be unsatisfactory. As 

 a means of furnishing exercise a large pasture is one of the best as well 

 as the most profitable adjuncts to successful swine raising. We say large 

 pasture because we notice that on a good many farms the "hog pasture' 

 consists of a two or three-acre lot, with perhaps thirty to sixty head of 

 swine in same, and as a matter of course contains not a single square foot 

 of grass. A very large per cent of swine raisers have yet to learn that 

 grass is one of the best as well as most profitable feeds that we can grow 

 for swine. 



In selecting a brood sow select one with length and depth, with a 

 docile disposition and the proper markings of the breed represented. 



Much care and attention given to the brood sow before farrowing as 

 well as afterwards is essential to success. The sow having had proper 

 feed and care up to farrowing will have pigs like corn well planted — half 

 raised. After farrowing do not get in too much of a hurry to feed the 

 sow heavily, and if you have fed the sow with proper feed and have her 

 in good flesh before farrowing, it will not be necessary to feed heavily at 

 first, but bring up gradually to full feed about ten days after farrowing. 



In the care of the litter each sow should have an individual pen. 

 Always provide a dry, fresh bed, and the pens should be thoroughly 

 cleaned and disinfected at least twice each week. The pigs when two to 

 three weeks old should be provided with a separate feeding pen. Feed 

 only in amounts that will be cleaned up in a short time. Fresh skim milk 

 if to be obtained is an ideal feed for young pigs; also middlings, ground 

 oats and soaked corn should comprise the young pig's chief rations. 

 Ground oats should be sieved to remove the hulls. Young pigs ilp to ten 

 weeks old can be fed a liberal amount of corn to advantage in connection 

 with other feeds. After this age we would advise feeding corn in a lim- 

 ited quantity, but give a good grass range, provide an abundance of fresh 

 water, also charcoal and ashes should be constantly accessible. Pigs 

 should be dipped or sprayed frequently to keep them free from parasites 

 and skin diseases. 



