SWINE RAISING 195 



FARROWING If there is any one particular time when it pays to treat 

 swine right that time is at the farrowing. It pays to give 

 this extra necessary attention, and let the little fellows have the right start. 

 Separate the brood sows, so that they will be free from disturbance. Sep- 

 arate pens in the hog house will do; but most up-to-date stockmen favor 

 individual hog cots, which have the advantage of all possible safety and 

 give each sow and litter better chance to; thrive. Then they can be moved 

 easily a great advantage for cleanliness, less risk from contagion, etc. 

 Besides, movable cots make it possible to regulate the amount of exercise 

 for each hog family; as the cots can be moved near or far from the feeding 

 trough to suit conditions. You may have your, own notions of hog archi- 

 tecture; but there is nothing better in practice than the movable, sanitary, 

 individual hog cots pictured. No. 1 has upright sides with shed roof. 

 No. 2 has gable sides and is on skids, making it easy to move. No. 1 is 

 about the latest in hog bungalows, and would meet the ideals of a breeder 

 of ultra fastidious notions. Notice the scantling around the sides, a few 

 inches up from the bottom, which makes a safe refuge for the pigs when that 

 mountain of sow flesh heaves itself. 



Each cot should be thoroughly and newly disinfected in preparation for 

 the farrowing. If possible it should be moved to new fresh ground; if not, 

 the old ground should be limed and freshly turned, then covered with nice 

 clean straw not too deep or the pigs may get lost and smother; not too 

 long straw, as there is danger of entangling. Oat-straw or hay, and leaves, 

 entirely free from strangling dust, will be excellent. Should the mother 

 sow be dangerously heavy or clumsy, better take the piglets out of the 

 mother's pen, and only give them back to her for nursing. They will do 

 nicely in a chaff-lined box or barrel for a few days until better able to 

 rough it. Trouble? Sure it is but there is a certain amount of trouble 

 necessary sometimes to save big losses. The danger from the old sow's 

 eating her pigs can be overcome by proper feeding. Salt pork fed the old 

 sow has usually prevented this trouble. Some breeders sponge the little pigs 

 over with mucilage, aloes and asafetida. The best way is to save the 

 animal from this depraved appetite by proper feeding, keeping the bowels 

 open by means of bran, linseed meal, roots, etc., and by sufficient exercise. 

 This is another point in favor of mixing Conkey's Stock Tonic with the 

 feed for the brood sow; it will not only be a tonic and alterative, but will 

 keep the bowels open and prevent abnormal craving. 



THE BOAR Whether your stock is common or well bred, you cannot 

 get the best results unless yoi> have good pure bred males. 



Put aside all hesitancy on account of cost. You won't see the first 

 cost after you have one well bred litter. But if you can't afford the best 

 animal procurable in your parts for sire, combine with other farmers in- 

 the same fix, in your neighborhood, and own a really fine boar in common,. 

 This is plain hog sense not Socialism. Even very ordinary stock, if you ; 

 happen to have that kind, can be graded up quickly by the use of a strictly: '.' 

 high-grade boar. At the lowest estimate every pig sired by a pure bred ! 



