THE MILK MACHINE 325 



and bone on skim-milk, oatmeal, and sweet 

 alfalfa. During his youth, corn meal is liberally 

 added to his diet, also other dainties which he 

 enjoys and makes much of ; and during his whole 

 life he has access to clean water, and to the only 

 medicine which a pig needs, a mixture of ashes, 

 charcoal, salt, and sulphur. 



When he has spent 250 happy days with me, 

 we part company with feelings of mutual respect, 

 he to finish his mission, I to provide for his 

 successor. 



My early plan was to turn off 200 of this fin- 

 ished product each year, but I soon found that I 

 could do much better. One can raise a crop of 

 hogs nearly as quickly as a crop of corn, and 

 with much more profit, if the food be at hand. 

 There was likely to be an abundance of food. 

 I was more willing to sell it in pig skins than 

 in any other packages. My plan was now to 

 turn off, not 200 hogs each year, but 600 or more. 

 I had 60 well-bred sows, young and old, and I 

 could count on them to farrow at least three 

 times in two years. The litters ought to average 

 7 each, say 22 pigs in two years ; 60 times 22 are 

 1320, and half of 1320 is 660. Yes, at that rate, 

 I could count on about 600 finished hogs to sell 

 each year. But if my calculations were too high, 

 I could easily keep 10 more brood sows, for I 

 had sufficient room to keep them healthy. 



The two five-acre lots, Nos. 3 and 5, had been 

 given over to the brood sows when they were 



