410 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



and ground grain, as l)arley, oats and corn, and a little of 

 the best quality of wheat bran, for the pigs that are nearing 

 the dressing-ofl" period. Some two or three weeks before 

 killing time, eliminate turnips, cabbage and squash from the 

 ration. 



There is sale for small pigs in every neigh1)orhood, espe- 

 cially in spring, and these pay the best of any part of the 

 business; but the left-overs will go to pasture, and will turn 

 most acceptably in the fall. Many a farmer will say. To 

 what extent shall I go into this new departure? And to 

 such I would say, Plan to have a carload on hand after sup- 

 plying your neighbors with small pigs. After knowing how 

 the business goes, then plan accordingly. A carload, one 

 deck, is from fifty to fifty-five pigs, that will dress from one 

 hundred and fifty to two hundred pounds each. Three acres 

 of grass — not old, dried-up stubble — and an acre of rape 

 will feed a carload of jngs throughout the season. Any of 

 the good English grasses are all right, though clover is par 

 excellence, if possible. Gi-ass four inches high is perfect, 

 and it should not be allowed to get beyond this. If the sea- 

 son is perfect and the growth rapid, turn in extra stock 

 to keep it down, and remove when fed off sufficiently. If 

 short periods of drought come on, try to irrigate, if possi- 

 ble. The acre of rape should be at one side, and divided so 

 the pigs can feed ofl^" the two halves alternately once in about 

 ten days. This must be left out of the feed some three 

 weeks before killino; time. Mud holes and wallows must 

 not be allowed in the pasture, but a trougli of clear, running 

 water, and a shallow tank of water set on a plank platform, 

 into which the pigs can step easily and cool off, are indispen- 

 sable. This arrangement should be beside a fence, where 

 the waste water can escape. Every })ig that goes to pasture 

 nnist have a ring in his nose, then the })erfect pasture will 

 be preserved during the season. An exception to this 

 might l)e useful where a wood lot has been cut off, and it is 

 desirable to bring the land into tillage. A hundred eight- 

 weeks-old pigs, well cared for, will fix this })icce of .slump 

 land in an incredibly short sj)ace of time. 



