246 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[June, 
Pig-House Furniture. 
BY COL. F. 1). CURTIS. 
Several years ago wooden pig troughs were 
discarded in our pig house, because they 
were so often out of order and rotted so 
quickly. The old hogs tore them to pieces 
or gnawed holes that leaked and wasted the 
feed. Different kinds were tried from time 
to time, and while those made of oak or other 
hard-wood lasted longer than softer woods, 
the best soon needed replacing with new ones. 
This was annoying and expensive. Then a 
highly recommended iron trough was pro¬ 
cured from Canada (figure 1). But on account 
of its round form it was found impracticable 
for stationary use in the pen, as the hogs 
would root it out of place, making it neces¬ 
sary to go into the pen among the inmates to 
Fig. 1.— A CANADIAN PIG TROUGH. 
pour swill into the trough, when quite likely 
the hogs would upset the pail, or crowd most 
disagreeably about the person carrying it. It 
answers well for feeding young pigs, which 
■can be easily kept away ; and it is convenient 
and durable as a portable trough in a yard or 
field. This trough is cast iron, the sides slop¬ 
ing inward, the diameter of the bottom being 
less than that of the top. It is 6 inches 
deep, 28 inches across the top, and shaped 
like a butter bowl, with an acorn-shaped pro¬ 
jection (a) in the center, upon which the swill 
c 
Fig. 2.— IRON TROUGH WITH SPOUT. 
is poured to distribute it evenly in the trough. 
It is guided by the funnel-shaped collar (b). 
This is cast-iron, 12 inches across, and 3‘/ 2 
inches wide at the bottom. It is supported 
by 3 /f,-inch iron rods, riveted to a wrought 
iron band, 3‘/ 2 inches wide and ‘/.,-inch 
thick. The other ends of the rods are riveted 
to the upper edge of the trough. The eight 
divisions thus made by these eight rods pre¬ 
vent the animals from crowding each other. 
I devised a stationary pig trough which 
gives complete satisfaction. There is no pat¬ 
ent upon it, and none upon the Canadian one 
that I am aware of. The “ Kirby Homestead 
Trough ” (figure 2), is 4 feet long on the top, 
and 8 feet at the bottom. The sloping of the 
sides and ends is so graduated that there are 
no right angles, or corners, either at the ends 
or in the bottom. This prevents any lateral 
pressure and liability to crack by freezing. 
The corners are made full or rounding. The 
spout (a), cast with the trough, is 17 inches 
long and 14 inches wide at the mouth ( b ), 
narrowing to 7 inches at the trough, with 
sides 2 inches high. Opposite the spout is a 
rise (c), 2 inches high at the center and slop¬ 
ing to nothing at its ends. This prevents the 
swill from flowing over the side. The trough 
is 14 inches wide across the top, and 6'/ 2 
Fig. 3.— ANOTHER IRON TROUGH. 
inches high from the floor. It rests on its 
bottom, with two feet cast on its rear lower 
corners, bending outward at right angles, 
and with holes in them to admit spiking to 
the floor. These feet hold the rear side 
firm, and the front side is held in place by 
the partition which fits closely around the 
spout. These troughs can be swept out clean 
with a broom, and washed out in the same 
way. This sloping form makes it easy to re¬ 
move the filth, and to rinse them. They 
weigh about 100 lbs., the iron being ‘/.ranch 
thick. Four hogs can eat out of one trough 
at a time. After a dozen years constant use, 
these convenient troughs are little worn, and 
not one has ever been cracked or broken. 
Another iron trough (figure 3), has been 
found very useful for feeding young pigs 
when first weaned, or to 
drink out of when neces¬ 
sary to supplement the 
dam’s milk with nourish¬ 
ment. It is a small iron 
pan or trough, 2 feet long, 
1 foot wide, and l‘/ 2 inch 
deep. It is easily washed 
out and kept clean and 
free from taint, a very 
essential matter when 
feeding young pigs. 
Wooden troughs are dif¬ 
ficult to keep properly 4 - Fi S- 5 - 
cleaned. A common dripping-pan would 
answer, but its thin sheet iron soon rusts 
and leaks. The above iron trough (figure 3) 
lias been used on the farm over 20 years. 
haltered, and it is always risky to attempt it. 
When put into a crate they can be carried 
quite handily, or moved about on rollers. A 
crate (figure 6) can be made with four up¬ 
right posts 2 by 4 inches, with sides and ends 
nailed on the bottom, 10 inches wide and 1 
inch thick, to which a floor of inch boards 
can be nailed. The sides are strips 4 
inches wide and 1 inch thick. The top and 
end pieces should be 10 inches wide to give 
strength and to hold the covering. Doors, 
made to slide upwards, should be put in each 
end to allow the animal to pass in at one end 
and out at the other. An extra door should 
be made to insert in one end, with an opening 
in it though which 
the head of the 
hog can protrude. 
Sf>aces should be 
made in the cover¬ 
ing to hold the top 
of the door, and 
cleats nailed on the 
sides and floor of 
the crate to keep 
the door in place, 
so that the size of 
the crate may be 
regulated to keep 
the head of the hog forced out of the open¬ 
ing, in which position it can be rung, or a 
noose can be readily slipped on its snout, and 
fastened to the top of the crate. When this 
operation is performed, the animal can be 
allowed to pass out, and another let in to 
take its place. This will do away with the 
labor of catching them in a noose, and make 
the labor of ringing less annoying and safer. 
By placing the crate in front of the dooi 
leading into the pen, there is no difficulty in 
getting the animals into it. Such a crate is 
very convenient for the temporary confine¬ 
ment of swine. 
Old-fashioned iron candlesticks (figure 7) 
are the best instruments I know of to scrape 
the hair from scalded hogs. They will last 
for generations for this use and so handy are 
they that they have become heir-looms in 
families, and are preserved with great care 
for use in butchering time. 
Fig. 7.— CANDLESTICK 
SCRAPER. 
In ringing hogs it is convenient to make 
the slipping noose in the rope by passing it 
through a small ring fastened in the end (fig. 
4) . Without the ring the noose is liable to 
be drawn tight, making it sometimes difficult 
to get it loose and off from the snout. With 
the ring the hog will throw it off as soon as 
the rope is loosened. A crooked stick (figure 
5) , is very handy for passing the noose over 
the nose. The noose can be kept from slip¬ 
ping down by tying it with a short piece of 
Fig. 6.— A SWINE CRATE. 
tender twine, which will break as soon as the 
hog is caught and a jerk is made on the rope. 
A pig house is not complete without a crate 
or box for moving hogs from one pen to 
another, or for conveying them from one 
place to another. Unlike sheep and other 
small animals, hogs cannot be readily tied or 
Scarecrows.— The crow loves planted 
corn and knows how and where to find it. 
But this bird lives largely upon insects, most 
of which are injurious. It is better, there¬ 
fore, to keep crows from pulling the corn for 
two or three weeks, and allow them to de¬ 
stroy insects all the rest of the year. They 
are very keen sighted and sagacious, but there, 
are several effective scarecrows. A straw 
man soon fails to be of service, because with¬ 
out motion or noise. A bottle with the bot¬ 
tom knocked out, may be swung from an 
elastic pole ; attach a nail to a cord, so it will 
swing within the bottle, and motion and a 
peculiar noise are produced, making quite a 
good and cheap scarecrow. If a piece of 
bright tin is also suspended below the bottle, 
it will add to the effectiveness of the device. 
Any slight breeze will keep the tin casting- 
bright reflections rapidly in all directions. 
An artificial bird may be made, and suspended 
from a pole in the same manner. A piece of 
cork will serve for the “ body,” into which a 
number of large tail feathers may be fastened 
to imitate a bird. The winds will “fly” this 
“ bird,” and frighten the visiting crows. Last 
May (page 198) we figured a “ windmill scare¬ 
crow,” which is a good device for a field of 
