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TEE AGBIOULTU BAL JOURNAL. 



fanner asked tlie writer to look at his 

 well-bred Berkshire pigs, as many of 

 them had paralysis in the hind quarters. 

 They were in a comfortable kraal and 

 were well fed, and he could not account 

 for it. The writer asked if the pigs al- 

 ways got clean water to drink. Yes, 

 there were troughs for their food, and 

 one trough into which water alone was 

 always put for them to drink. Water 

 could not be supplied otherwise, having 

 to be carried, and the pigs could not be 

 let out. On inspection, the water trough 

 was as greasy as the others. It could 

 not be otherwise. The pigs, with 

 muzzles dripping with grease, passed from 

 one trough to another constantly. The 

 troughs, too, were of wood, and would 

 be saturated and sour. The writer gave 

 it as his opinion that indigestion, con- 

 sequent on the insuflficiency of clean 

 drinking water, was at the root of ithe 

 evil, and suggested ashes. The farmer 

 had not heard of that. There were the 

 remains of a large wood fire close by. 

 The writer threw some charcoal amongst 

 the pigs; they seized it, more was thrown 

 m; they fought for it. The farmer ex- 

 claimed,^^" Dear me, I never say the like 

 of that." The writer enlarges on that, 

 because it is a most important point g-en- 

 erally lost sight of. J > & 



^ The writer's pig enclosures are below 

 the water furrow, and have running water 

 always flowing througli them wherever 

 the pigs happen to be enclosed. 



Occasionally a pig will be noticed to 

 be dull and feverish. A cupful of castor 

 oil floating in a little milk, if adminis- 

 tered at once, the pig being starved for 

 the day, will almost always effect 

 a cure. But the dose has to be given 

 with caution. A pig is very easily 

 choked. ' 



Rheumatism, from brutal exposure, 

 and indigestion seems to be the root of 

 all pig ailments. If a pig is really ill, 

 and a clearing out does not restore "it, it 

 should be removed and killed at once. It 

 is_ the safest and most economical plan. 

 Pig fevers are infectious and fatal. 



Pigs should have ])lentv of room, no 

 crowding. They will crowd together 

 when they want warmth, but like to se- 

 lect their own places to lie in. Tlie 



cheapest and most secure enclosures are 

 made with barbed wire. Pig wire nett- 

 ing is useful for small spaces, but does 

 not last like wire, and when it does give 

 way, gives endless trouble. The writer's 

 fences are of ten barbed wires, the lower 

 wires three inches apart, standards 24 

 feet apart, between the standards are five 

 lacings with No. 12 wire. The straining 

 posts are well anchored and the wires 

 tightly strung. The lowest wire has to 

 be on the ground, or slightly below it, 

 and for this purpose the ground has to be 

 well levelled the entire length of the 

 fences. Such fencing is expensive. The 

 writer's feeding enclosure is over an acre 

 in extent, thus fenced, with stone kraals 

 and sheds standing open for the use of 

 the pigs if they desire shelter. 



The sows with young are kept in a 

 separate shed, divided into loose stalls of 

 ample size. These have hard floors and 

 are always kept cleaned out. When 

 about to farrow, the sow is put into a 

 handy paddock by herself. She is best 

 left to herself. 



If the weather is bad, a covering is 

 put over the nest she has made for her- 

 self. When all the family have arrived 

 they are removed to a stall in the shed. 

 It is well to have these stalls fitted with 

 strong rails running all round them in- 

 side, nine inches from the wall and nine 

 inches from the ground. A sow likes to 

 lean against the wall and slide down when 

 she lies down. If she leans against the 

 wall, and the little ones are between her 

 and the wall, they would be crushed. If 

 they are between her and the bar when 

 she leans against it to lie down, they can 

 slip out between the bar and the wall. 

 This device Mall save many a little one. 

 Sows with litters should be kept apart 

 for a month, and have a separate culti- 

 vated paddock to grub in, otherwise 

 other weaned young pigs will steal the 

 milk and her young ones will suffer. 



Young pigs should be well fed, and 

 run on cultivated crops. Cow's milk is 

 a grand sheet anchor for them. Once 

 stunted, they will never grow. In the 

 writer's feeding enclosure is a square 

 spice sti-ongly railed oflF. In that are the 

 young pigs' feeding troughs. The young 

 pigs can squeeze in between the railings 



