238 ELEMENTS OF FARM PRACTICE 



condition by being confined too closely; they are more 

 likely to become diseased, and a great deal of labor is neces- 

 sary to feed and care for them when closely confined. Labor 

 is one of the very important items in the cost of pork pro- 

 duction, and every effort should be made to reduce the 

 necessary labor to the minimum. 



Early Fall Feed. — During the early part of the fattening 

 season considerable green and succulent feed can be fed to 

 advantage. This feed is very easily supplied by raising a 

 patch of pumpkins near the hog pasture, where the pump- 

 kins can be easily thrown over the fence to the hogs. Plenty 

 of good pasture is also desirable at this time, and it may be 

 supphed in any way most convenient. 



Field Peas. — In the first part of the fattening period 

 the pigs will make considerable growth; so some muscle- 

 forming feed is desirable as a part of the ration, rather than 

 an exclusive corn diet. A small field of field peas, so situ- 

 ated that they may be harvested by the hogs when ripe by 

 turning the hogs into the field, gives the hogs an excellent 

 start at slight expenditure of labor. The peas are sown 

 very early in the spring, at the rate of three bushels of seed 

 per acre, and nothing more is done to them until the hogs 

 are turned in. 



Com. — After the peas have been fed off, or as soon as 

 the corn is ripe, if one has no peas, the hogs may be turned 

 into a portion of the cornfield and allowed to help them- 

 selves. If some green feed is provided by sowing rye or 

 rape in the corn, at the time it was cultivated last, a large 

 amount of green feed will be supplied at very small cost, 

 and will be relished by the hogs along with the com. 



It costs only about half as much to grow a crop of com 

 up to the time it is ripe, as to raise, cut, husk and feed it. 

 In other words, it costs about $5.00 per acre to cut, shock 

 and husk one acre of corn, and by allowing the hogs to har- 

 vest the crop themselves this cost is saved. Of course 

 the field must be fenced; but, if regular fields are provided 

 near the house, on which to raise pasture, peas and corn 

 for the hogs, and these fields are permanently fenced, the 

 annual cost of fencing is not a very large item. 



