CHAPTER FOUR. 



NECESSITY OF PLENTY OF PURE WATER. 



The question of water for swine at all times, is one that 

 I am afraid is not looked upon with as much importance 

 as it should be. For instance, many feeders — men who are 

 really good feeders too — seem to think that when feeding 

 pigs or older animals on a mixture of wet feeds, containing 

 more or less water, the animal is getting all the water it 

 requires in eating a half pail or more of nicely mixed wet 

 feed. To prove that this is not the case generally, let the 

 feeder pour a little pure water into a separate trough and 

 nine times out of ten the pig will take a di'ink of it while 

 he is eating his wet feed. Of course it is sometimes rather 

 discouraging to water a large number of hogs in separate 

 troughs, and an hour or so after they have been fed a wet 

 feed notice that in several of the lots or yards some of the 

 pigs do not seem to drink any of it, but just remember 

 some of them will drink heartily. For this reason it is far 

 better, where ]iossible, that a drinking fountain should be 

 used where the pigs or hogs can go at will ; this, of course, 

 wliere there is no natural spring or water flowing through 

 the yards or jiasture lots. 



I know personally that I drink and enjoy lots of good 

 cold water and while it is claimed by some that the drinking 

 of water during the meal is injurious, I have always drajik. 

 all the cold water — and it is never too cold — with my meal 

 that I wanted. I am now much over three score years and 

 still drink water and have never felt any ill results, and 

 weigh over 250 pounds. I have a very attractive sten- 

 ographer who is helping me on this book — and a great help 

 too — who never drinks any water to speak of. She weighs 

 one hundred and six pounds, although not three score and 

 ten, but I wish you to note the difference in weight, and 

 that water is a valuable thing for producing flesh as well as 

 satisfying the appetite. 



