SWINE FOR THE HOME MARKET. 249 



is that the pig shall be kept comfortable, shall be kept dry. 

 The opinion that they like to wallow in the mud and enjoy 

 filth is not well founded. Pigs like to be neat and clean 

 much better than some of their owners do, and, if they are 

 properly tended, will keep their pen clean much better than 

 any other animal I know of. I do not know of any other 

 animals that I have had the care of, that of their own accord, 

 if they have fair facilities, will make their nest and keep it 

 so clean, keep it in such good shape, as a well-trained and 

 well-behaved pig will. 



Last fall I was looking for some pigs to keep under my 

 barn during the winter, and going to one of my neighbors I 

 saw some pigs which were in as bad a condition as one could 

 well imagine. They were probably five or six weeks old, 

 apparently of the Yorkshire breed. I bought the four for 

 five dollars. I did not want them, and took them more out 

 of pity than anything else ; but I thought I would like to 

 try such specimens and see what could be done with them. 

 I put them into my stable, which can be kept very warm; 

 I gave them dry litter, and if any creature ever seemed to 

 be thankful for a vrarm place those little fellows did. They 

 were completel}^ covered when we went out to feed them. 

 The essayist saj^s a pig should be fod three times a day. In 

 my opinion small pigs should be fed at least five times a 

 day. If they are fed only three times a day and allowed to 

 have what they really need, I think they will eat too much. 

 I agree perfectly with the essayist that nothing is so good 

 for small pigs as skim milk, but after they have left the sow 

 I feed them a little bran, or bran and oats ground together. 

 I have been told that common middlings arc better than bran, 

 but I have been satisfied myself with oats and bran. I 

 found that one of these four pigs was so much of an under- 

 ling with the others that he was in the habit, when he got a 

 chance, of eating too much and did not do well, and I made 

 a present of that pig to a man, with the understanding that 

 I should receive a dollar for the pig. That left the cost of 

 my three pigs four dollars. I kept thom from some time in 

 November until March. They cost me twenty-two dollars 

 and a few cents. I sold them in March for thirty-eight dol- 

 lars and some cents. I was well satisfied with the operatiou. 



