SWINE. 393 



all through the life of the pig in connection with nitrogenous food, and the result be a fair 

 proportion of lean meat. 



General Management of Swine. So much has already been stated with respect to 

 the management of swine in a special manner, it would seem that but little remains to be said 

 in a general way on this subject; there are, however, a few points that we would like to 

 impress more fully upon the minds of farmers with respect to sanitary conditions, etc., in the 

 care of swine. The method of managing pigs varies with different localities and circum 

 stances. The dairy farmer utilizes his skimmed milk and whey in the rearing and fattening 

 of swine. In the great grain-growing region, where corn is cheap, pigs are employed as 

 machines for converting this grain into marketable pork in the shortest space of time. In 

 many parts of the South hogs are permitted to run in the extensive timber lands to utilize 

 the natural roots, waste and wild fruit, in connection with the cultivated products of the 

 plantations; there are, however, certain sanitary conditions to be observed in all systems of 

 management, in order to render the rearing of swine attended with profit. 



In order to be healthy, hogs should have, in addition to a sufficient amount of suitable 

 food and pure water, pure air, plenty of room never overcrowding, and cleanly surround 

 ings. During mild weather, whether growing, fattening, or kept as show stock, or breeding 

 purposes, swine should be permitted to run in a pasture where the soil is dry, and there is a 

 plenty of pure water. There should always be a plenty of shelte*r provided in sheds, to pro 

 tect them from cold winds, rains, sleet, and snow. These sheds should be in a dry yard and 

 arranged on the east, north, and west side, so as to be able to open to the south. They 

 should be well bedded with clean straw, and kept especially free from manure. Where swine 

 are permitted to run in too large numbers together in cool weather, they will be apt to crowd 

 together in some warm corner of the shed to lie at night, and pile one upon another in such a 

 manner as to smother and kill those that may lie underneath. 



In hot weather in summer, pigs need a cool, airy place to lie and be protected from the 

 hot sun, as well as a good warm bed in winter. Never permit them to lie in a heap of stable 

 manure; it is one of the worst places that a hog can have for a bed. No animal can inhale 

 the noxious gases that arise from such a source any length of time and be free from disease. 

 Hogs kept in barn cellars to work over the stable manure cannot therefore be fit for human 

 food. The bed of swine should always be dry. If obliged to sleep in a damp bed, disease 

 of some kind will be liable to be the result. A swine breeder of large experience says on 

 this point: 



&quot;There are certain features in the pig business that are not usually well enough consid 

 ered. Among these are the time spent by the pig in his nest, especially in winter, and the 

 damaging effects of overlying. The hog buries himself, head and all, in his straw, breathes 

 upon it, and this, with the dampness which otherwise naturally accumulates from his body so 

 many hours of each day in the nest, renders it damp and entirely unfit for continued use. If 

 the owner were to sleep upon a damp bed for one night, pneumonia or rheumatism would 

 be quite likely to follow. The pig is subject to the same influences as his owner, and suffers 

 from similar ailments . 



Overlying is worse than a merely wet nest, because the hog suffers from overheating, as 

 well as from too much moisture. Hogs come out of a nest in which they have been crowded, 

 steaming and coughing. A winter spent in this manner is quite sufficient to fasten a diseased 

 state upon a herd of swine so treated, for they are as liable to lung disease and rheumatism 

 as man. Hogs contract disease through winter exposures in the way named ; wheeze and 

 cough until warm weather, and then measurably recover. Yet, during this period they show 

 no thrift, make no growth, and hence are a source of loss continually. 



At the approach of the next fall season they are found to take cold easily, and they 

 require careful management to get them through to killing time. Upon being dressed, an 



