SOB IOWA DEPARtMENT OF AGKICULTURE. 



Use good judgment in feeding, giving them a variety of grain sucb. 

 as oats, badey, wheat, rye, and speltz; which I thinli is the best food 

 of all mixed with shorts for brood sows, and above all do not feed to 

 much corn as it -is too fattening and the brood sow needs muscle and 

 l)one producing feed with plenty of exercise and, to my opinion, the best 

 way for exercising is to have your farm fenced hog tight and let the 

 sows follow the cattle and pick up the dropping and waste corn left in 

 tihe field at husking time. You will be surprised how much better the 

 sows will do, and how soon you will pay for the woven wire in the feed 

 you will save, and I will be glad to see the day when we are all com- 

 pelled to fence our farms hog tight. 



After wintering your sows, begin shutting separate about two weeks 

 before farrowing time in a good warm pace where the rain and snow 

 will not blow in on them, giving plenty of oats and water. After far- 

 rowing never give slop of any kind until the pigs are forty-eight hours 

 old, just plenty of water, then be careful not to feed or slop too freely 

 for a few days or your pigs will scour. If they do, give dam a table- 

 spoon of Venetian red in slop once a day and the pigs will soon be all 

 right; or turn the little fellows out to eat dry dirt. When the pigs are 

 two weeks old fix them a place where they can eat by themselves and 

 you will be surprised how much the little fellows will eat. 



Have your sows to farrow as near the same time as possible, for if 

 you do not the older pigs will rob the younger ones, and you will be 

 sure to have a lot of runts to contend with and you all know it is much 

 nicer to have an even bunch of pigs than all sizes. Even if you are 

 feeding them all they will eat, the larger ones will crowd the smaller 

 ones away and they are sure not to thrive. 



Now a word in regard to feed for the mother and her pigs. The 

 best feed I have used is a mixture of corn, oats, and wheat or speltz 

 equal parts, with one-sixth weight of above mixture oil meal, and give 

 the pigs all they will eat, but do not feed their mothers too much. 

 Give plenty of skimmed milk, and have good pasture for them and at 

 weaning time add a little more corn. I think three and one-half months 

 about the right age to wean them. But only take the larger ones off 

 at first and let the smaller ones run a week or two longer and the sow's 

 udder will not cake. After pigs are weaned you should watch them con- 

 stantly and see that their bowels are in good shape. If you find they 

 are costive, feed about one-fourth pound of hyposulphite of soda to 

 forty pigs once a day for a week, or until bowels seem loose enough. 

 There is not much danger of this if your pigs are running out on good 

 pasture, having plenty of exercise. 



I think it is necessary to dip hogs once a month to keep their skin 

 in good condition and destroy lice as it is very injurious, especially to 

 the little pigs, to be lousj% and also to keep off diseases. 



Be sure to watch your hogs at all times. I find It a good plan to 

 S:eep air slacked lime and saltpetre before your hogs at all time. If 

 your pigs commence to cough and you are afraid of cholera, I will give 



