22 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



CARE OF SOWS DURING BRHBDING SEASON. 



To the breeding sows that are to farrow the coming spring good care 

 should be given, as on the proper feed and exercise much of the success in 

 securing strong, vigorous litters will depend. The sows during this time 

 should not be fed continually on corn alone, as corn produces nothing but 

 fat or white meat. It will not grow bone or flesh as well as many other 

 feeds, but it is entirely suitable to be used with either oats, shorts, middlings, 

 milk or tankage and when combined with any or all of these, would be a 

 satisfactory feed. A sow that is fed nothing but corn during this period 

 would produce a very weakly litter of pigs that would not have vitality 

 enough to pull through the first few days, but if fed as above described the 

 pigs will be strong and vigorous, and ready to fight for their dinner from 

 the first minute of their existence. Sows during the winter months should 

 have some kind of feed to take the place of grass. For this purpose either 

 sugar beets or mangolds are good, but quite expensive to raise in our State. 

 We have found in Illinois that sorghum is a first class feed for this purpose, 

 being very succulent. We plant it the same as corn only quite thick in the 

 hill and let it stand in the fall until the seed is ripened, then cutting the crop 

 with a corn binder and shock it like corn in large shocks, the larger the 

 better, and haul it in during the winter, as feed. A bundle or more thrown 

 into the lot for every six or eight hogs is greedily eaten, stalks, leaves and 

 seeds, wasting nothing but the pith, after the juice is all taken out of it. 

 Good, well cured second crop clover is very nice, and we use also some well 

 cured alfalfa. At home we usually run the above rough feeds through a 

 power cutter, making it much easier to be utilized. Fed as above and given 

 plenty of exercise, which in very necessary, together with warm dry places 

 to sleep will insure success to the coming litters. Keep but few sows 

 together if possible. 



WARM FEED IN WINTER. 



"While our agriculture colleges have demonstrated that it does not add 

 any to the value of the feed in the way of neutriment or digestibility to cook 

 feed, I have found by an experience of nearly thirty years that it does pay 

 and pay well, to feed young pigs or shotes warm feed during the winter 

 months. Nothing looks more distressing to me during zero weather than a 

 pen of recently weaned pigs trying to get some nourishment and a little com- 

 fort at a trough of cold or frozen feed. They can not thrive as they should 

 and after eating and getting back to their nests, it will require them a half 

 day to get warm again. We use a steam generator and heat the water in 

 which all feed is mixed. We do not attempt to thoroughly cook it, but to 

 have it quite warm when put into the troughs, the pigs quickly clean it up 

 and go back to their little houses without a shiver and apparently grow as 

 well in winter as in summer." 



CAREFUL ATTENTION TO DETAILS. 



There are many little things connected with the successful growing of 

 swine, besides selecting good breeding animals and being a good feeder. 

 The latter is of course one of the greatest essentials. A man to get the best 

 results should be a very careful observer. He should note daily every 

 animal, see that each comes to his feed promptly and eats with a relish. 



