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single roof, is a good size. These buildings can have plank floors, suf- 

 ficiently off" the ground to allow cats to move freely about underneath, 

 because rats and mice will trouble more or less, unless a few good cats 

 are kept. With this precaution, little trouble may be anticipated from 

 this source. This set of buildings can be so arranged as to give the 

 premises a very pleasing appearance. Arranged one after the other in 

 a straight line, and about six feet apart, the work of caring for the stock 

 would not be pleasant, of course, in snow storms ; but, aside from this, 

 the plan would work well. For high-priced stock I like this plan much 

 the best. They can be made more comfortable, and in case of disease the 

 loss would be reduced to the minimum. Free ventilation is an absolute 

 necessity. Plenty of sunlight should be admitted. 



Winter Feeding. 

 The summer pork will not cost much, but in winter quite an amount 

 of feed must be provided. I heard a farmer once make the remark — 

 and he was a man who knew what he was saying — that, with corn at a 

 dollar a bushel and pork at seven cents a pound, it paid well to keep 

 hogs. There are so many circumstances and such a variety of conditions 

 under which this class of stock is kept, that instances could be cited where 

 the meat would cost double what it would sell for. Enterprising farmers 

 will produce the greater part of the feed consumed, and this should be 

 charged to the business at what it has cost to produce it. Very much of 

 the feed that a pig has consumed up to five months old does not stand 

 for any value at all. 



City Swill. 

 A word in regard to city swill, so called. Men of the soundest judg- 

 ment do not hesitate to say that this is the best material for growing the 

 pig ; and I think there is no doubt as to the correctness of the statement. 

 The manner of feeding it is in too many cases wrong, and some of it is 

 not worth the hauling ; but that collected from hotels, large boarding 

 houses and the like is the best of hog feed. Just before feeding this 

 should be treated with just scalding water sufficient to warm the mass. 

 It is of importance to consider the temperature of the feed. It may be 

 all right to feed cold swill, but we do often hear of outbreaks of disease 

 that can be traced directly to the faulty condition of the feed. During 

 my nearly forty years, which has been almost continuous, in the pig 

 business, disease has not troubled in any form, and I do not remember 

 of feeding cold swill at any time. This would seem to be a safe method 

 to follow, but I doubt not many who feed cold swill are equally success- 

 ful, and in this one must be his own judge as to the safety of the course 

 to be followed. 



When to sell. 



The good, solid, satisfactory income will depend upon the quality of 



the pigs being fed. If a pig is kept eight months when fully as good 



results should have been obtained in six, the profit is not anything as 



good as it should be. A pair of thoroughbred Berkshires, both barrows, 



