SWINE-HOUSING AND FATTENING. 967 



three dollars. I build with light material and what is called 

 a balloon frame, by which I mean that there is no mortising or 

 tenons, but that it is put together with spikes. This in a small 

 building I consider as good as a heavy frame, for every board 

 in such a building is a brace, and when complete it is as firm as 

 if built of the heaviest timber. After trying different widths, I 

 have adopted eight feet, as I find this gives ample room for all 

 the hogs that can be accommodated at the trough. 



The pens can be made any length to suit. I have now on 

 my farm four, one 12, two 14, and one 16 feet long. Two or 

 more of these pens can be built independent of each other, but, 

 if desirable, they can be set end to end so closely that but one 

 of the ends that come together will need to be weather-boarded. 

 I find a house eight by fourteen feet will accommodate com- 

 .fortably twelve stock hogs of from eighty to one hundred and 

 twenty-five pounds each, and I have fattened in one of this 

 size ten weighing three hundred pounds each, but they were a 

 little crowded at the last, and I would not recommend more 

 than eight large hogs for a pen of this size. When we use these 

 pens for brood sows we have movable partitions to divide them 

 into two equal parts, and that these partitions may be always 

 on hand, when not in use, we keep them on a rack made for the 

 purpose under the highest part of the roof. As there should 

 be no cracks in the partitions where there are young pigs, we 

 arrange to drop the boards in singly, on top of each other, till 

 the partition is high enough, and then, to prevent the sows from 

 raising them we put a strong pin above the top board. These 

 hog-houses may be made quite tasty by giving a little extra 

 pitch to the roof and allowing it to project so as to finish up 

 with a cornice. 



If crib or storage-room is wanted, the posts can be made 

 high enough to give a loft above. One of mine, eight by twelve 

 feet, is made in this way, and we can store seventy-five bushels 

 or more of corn above it, and find it a very convenient place for 

 drying seeds. 



In connection with each of these hog-houses we have an 

 outside pen of equal size, always floored so as to keep the hogs 



