BREEDS OF SWINE 509 



from crawling through. In this respect it is only a little better than 

 a hedge, which is expensive and unsatisfactory when used to con- 

 fine stock. Gates must, of course, be carefully made, hung, and 

 fastened. (F. B. 205.) 



The best adjunct of the fencing proposition is a good pasture 

 on the inside. We do not ring the hogs. It has been our experience 

 that hogs kept on pasture all the time will do very little damage by 

 rooting. (Miss. B. 107.) 



If from 150 to 200 hogs were raised, the 20-acre corn field could 

 be easily fed off by them. And here again would be realized the ad- 

 vantage of large fields. The cost per acre of the outside fence would 

 be about $1.20. Forty rods of movable fence would be necessary 

 so as to fence off a portion of the field which could be used by the 

 hogs. This would cost about $10. Since this strip of fencing could 

 be used for many years, the annual cost per acre would not exceed 

 lOc, making the total cost per acre for fencing this cornfield hog 

 tight and in plots about $1.30. It would cost from $3 to $5 per acre 

 to pick and feed this corn. Hence, there is a saving of from $1.70 

 to $3.70 per acre by feeding off the corn as it grew in the field. 



Since fencing is quite an item in the cost of pastures and in 

 hogging off corn, the arrangement of fields in such a way as to use 

 the least possible amount of fencing and still have the hogs near the 

 farm buildings so they may be sheltered, watered and fed econom- 

 ically is essential. A piece of land one rod wide and 160 rods long 

 contains one acre and requires 322 rods of fence to enclose it. A 

 piece of land 12% rods square contains one acre and requires 51 

 rods of fence to enclose it. A 10-acre field (40 rds.x40 rds. ) requires 

 160 rods of fencing to enclose it or an average of 16 rods per acre. 

 It is quite evident from the above facts that the larger and more 

 nearly square a field is the less fence is required per acre to fence it. 

 Likewise, two adjoining fields may be fenced more cheaply than two 

 separate fields of the same size as a portion of the fence answers for 

 both fields. (Minn. B. 104.) 



The pen and yard for the boar should be separate from the rest 

 of the herd and out of sight of it. The pen should be so strong that 

 the boar can not tear it down or go through it, and a tightly fenced 

 pasture of one-half to 1 acre in area should adjoin. A sow about to 

 farrow, if she is to farrow in the piggery, can have the run of the 

 alley for exercise. It she has a house to herself, a small yard should 

 adjoin. It will generally be a satisfactory practice to keep hogs away 

 from other stock except when following fattening steers. Pregnant 

 brood sows should never be allowed to run in the same yards or pas- 

 tures with cattle, horses, or mules. Many good sows have been 

 ruined by the playfulness or viciousness of me larger farm animals. 



Watering. A better plan than to put water for the pigs into 

 troughs is to set one-half of a kerosene barrel on brick or stone so 

 as to raise it 3 inches from the ground. Place the barrel between two 

 posts planted opposite to each other; then wire it in position. Insert 

 a pipe near the bottom, with an automatic valve which will let the 

 water now into a small trough without overflow. There are special 



