SWINE breeders' ASSOCIATION. 409 



HOG FEEDING FOR PROFIT AND HEALTH. 



BY I. N. BARKER, THORNTOWN. 



When I feed hogs for health, as well as profit, I want the pig8 farrowed early 

 in the spring — say in March or April — for early pigs will grow faster and do better 

 than late ones. I would feed the mother liberally on kitchen slops, and wheat 

 shorts, and corn meal, together with a moderate allowance of whole corn, and al- 

 ways give her ample room to range around in a lot well set in grass so she can 

 have a good supply of green food, which I regard as essential to health, both in 

 mother and pigs. As soon as the pigs will eat, which will be at from two to four 

 weeks old, I feed them separate from their mother in a pen where they can go in 

 and out at will. Their food should be about the same I have indicated for the 

 mother. I would wean the pigs at ten to twelve weeks old, and keep them on 

 good pasture during the summer and fall, and get all the growth posHible from 

 grass and clover. Meantime I would give only a moderate supply of corn, for 

 heavy feeding of corn is not conducive to health ; and I must alv^ays be sure they 

 have a good supply of pure water, for nothing is more injurious to the health of 

 hogs than to be compelled to drink filthy, stagnant water. In September, as soon 

 as new corn ia hard enough to feed economically, I would commence feeding it 

 very moderately until it is hard enough to shell. I would then increase the amount 

 until they were nearly on full feed. By this time I would have a lot of ripe, sweet 

 pumpkins, and feed liberally of these once every day, and, if I have plenty of 

 sweet apples, I will give them a feed of these about three times every week ; but 

 never neglect to feed liberally of ripe pumpkins. Hogs must have soaaething more 

 bulky and less concentrated than corn if the feeder expects to keep them in a 

 healthy condition for any great length of time. 



I find pumpkins the cheapest and best feed to give in connection with corn of 

 anything I ever tried, and hogs will fatten much faster when so fed than when con- 

 fined exclusively to corn, and as pumpkins are so easily and cheaply raised, it 

 will readily be seen that pork thus made is much cheaper than when produced ex- 

 clusively on corn, and the hogs in a much more healthy and natural condition, 

 hence more profitable; and as profits is what we are all after I would recommend 

 this plan for health and profit. When hogs are so fed and have the run of a 

 grassy lot or field, they will be in fine condition for market in November or early 

 in December, and the pork thus made is cheaper and healthier than that made 

 from hogs carried over winter and marketed at eighteen to twenty months. Pigs, 

 when fed on my plan, will be eight to nine months old when ready for market, 

 and if of a good breed (like the Berkshires) will weigh from 275 to 300 pounds 

 each. 



