534 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
August 10 
SHALL HE SELL CORN TO HOGS ? 
Proposed Change On a West Virginia Farm. 
The Questions. 
I have a farm of 600 acres—300 of which are rather rough hills, 
100 of which are cleared and in grass, not very good; the rest of 
the hills are in original timber. On the 300 acres of bottom land, 
I follow a three-years’ rotation of clover, corn and wheat, and 
generally get good crops. I keep cattle enough to eat the grass 
on the hill pasture, and sell my corn, wheat and some of my hay. 
Will it be more profitable to keep hogs enough to eat all my corn, 
and, perhaps, some of my wheat and clover ? I could not keep 
hogs on the bottom unless I fence it, and make each field pig- 
tight. If I keep them on the hills, I shall have to cut and haul all 
of their green feed to them, clover, peas, oats, etc. This is the 
point I am most in doubt about—will it pay me to cut and haul 
the clover, etc., to the hogs ? If it will, should they be kept in a 
small field so that the manure can be saved, or should they have 
the run of the woodland ? Fences are expensive to build and re¬ 
pair. Besides, fences on cultivated land are very much in the 
way and are. a breeding place for all kinds of weeds. c. 
West Virginia. 
The Answers. 
Begin Small; Don't Abandon Cattle. 
I cannot advise C. to raise hogs enough to consume 
the whole of the corn crop. If the bottom land is di¬ 
vided into three plots, and kept in a regular three- 
year rotation of corn, wheat and clover; the corn 
crop each year should be nearly 5,000 bushels. To con¬ 
sume the whole of this with a part of the wheat and 
clover, would require, including the keeping of the 
breeding stock, nearly 300 to be fattened each year. 
It does not appear that C. has had experience in hog 
raising, and without this, there is too much risk in 
going in so extensively at the start. To produce as 
many pigs as are desired to consume these crops, 
would require a herd of 25 brood sows producing two 
litters each year. It would certainly pay to consume 
these crops with hogs well managed ; but without ex¬ 
perience I would commence in a small way, and work 
up to the capacity that experience proved best. 
Without a plot of the land, it is impossible to give 
any definite plan of fencing, or arrangement of fields 
to handle such a large number of swine successfully. 
Next to feed, the two most essential points are shade 
and water. It is assumed that there is an an 
abundance of both convenient to the bottom land in 
the hill pasture. The hill pasture and timber would 
be an ideal range for the brood sows while in farrow 
and while they are starting the young pigs. 
If the bottom lands are divided into three fields 
abutting the hill pasture land, it would not require 
more than one-half of each plot when in clover to 
pasture the hogs. A fence must be kept up between 
the bottom fields and the hill pasture ; from this 
fences may be built on the dividing lines between the 
plots, one-half the length of the plots. These fences 
made with smooth wire need not cost over 45 
Cents a rod, and can be made hog and pig proof if the 
animals are well fed,—only one cross fence is neces¬ 
sary, which should be portable; wire could doubtless 
be used for this. 
When the clover sod is to be plowed, the portable 
fence has been moved to the clover 'plot to be used in 
its stead. The part of the clover plot not pastured 
could be utilized for hay and seed. Much of the year 
the hill pasture and woodland will be found a profit¬ 
able range for the swine, and may often be used as 
feeding grounds when corn is fed. I would not think 
of cutting and hauling other green feed to the hogs ; 
the labor bill would be too heavy. Neither would I 
think of growing peas or oats for hog feed when 
clover, wheat and corn can be grown successfully. If 
I wish to drop wheat, I would substitute rye, and hog 
it down. As I plan for the fences, they would not be 
greatly in the way when the fields contain 100 acres 
each. Neither would these wire fences become breed¬ 
ing places for vermin nor a vantage ground for 
weeds. The expense of keeping up a wire fence is 
very light as compared with a timber fence of any 
kind. 
My plan is to sell two crops of hogs each year; then 
each crop goes to market by the time the succeeding 
one needs attention. Under this system, if caught 
with cholera or swine plague, the losses will not be 
as great as they would if the hogs were kept to a 
greater age and weight. I can see in this farm an 
ideal hog plantation ; while I would make the hog the 
leading feature, I would not abandon the cattle, but 
use them to consume the clover, hay, fodder and hill 
pasture, and a share of the grain. Fall pigs should do 
remarkably well following corn-fed cattle, if they 
have, besides, a clover sod, or timber range. It 
should be remembered that the labor bill should 
constantly be kept in mind, and whenever possible, 
let the hogs reduce it by harvesting crops themselves. 
Ohio. JOHN M. JAMISON. 
Pasturing Hogs; Seeding Down the Fence Row. 
This farm is not w 7 ell arranged for raising hogs. If 
C. has a good market and cheap labor, he can utilize 
his corn, clover and peas by cutting and hauling to 
the hogs. Yet the hogs never do so well as when 
they have the range of grass and clover fields. Their 
droppings are valuable, and they destroy grubs and 
larvae of many insect pests. An acre of clover is 
worth more for hogs than an acre of oats or wheat. It 
is true that, by cutting the clover and feeding to hogs 
in pens or small lots, with grain or mill feed, more 
hogs can be kept than where they are allowed the 
range of the fields. The same is true of cattle and 
sheep ; but the increased amount of labor in this re¬ 
gion makes soiling hogs less profitable than to graze 
them and feed them grain on the clover field. We 
not only save the cost of cutting and hauling the 
green clover, but we get all the manure without haul¬ 
ing or loss. On our farm, are 100 acres of bottom 
land, and 35 acres of Blue grass pasture, and groves. 
My rotation is corn, wheat and clover. Half the 
clover is cut for hay and seed ; the other half is pas¬ 
tured w r itli hogs and cattle. I hardly think I would 
raise hogs if I had to give them the range of my 
groves, and feed them green clover daily. I do not 
think my pigs would like the change. 
Fences are expensive, but good board or wire fences 
are easily kept free from weeds. The pigs and cattle 
like the Blue grass along the fences and keep the 
fence rows clean. When I build fences, 1 plow and 
harrow the fence row before setting the posts, and 
when tne fence is done, sow Timothy and Blue grass 
seed. 1 have no weeds or waste land along the fences. 
I know of no better way to keep the land up than to 
hog down the clover. Hogs enough to eat the clover 
and corn crop on the clover field, bring more money 
than can be made from selling corn or feeding it to 
any other stock. Ilogs, corn and clover go well to¬ 
gether, where there is a good market. I,. N. bonham. 
Butler County, O. 
Would Sell the Cattle and Grow Clover Seed. 
If I had to manage that (500-acre farm, I would dis¬ 
pose of all the cattle at once, buy 20 Poland-China 
brood sows, keep them in the 100-acre pasture, and in 
the 200 acres of natural timber when there is mast. I 
would keep them ringed, and would not let them root 
up the pasture. I would keep them growing from the 
start, with plenty of bran and corn, until five monlhs 
old ; then I would drive them down on the bottom, 
where I had a portable fence around 10 acres of the 
clover sod that 1 had cut down the last week in May, 
and had let a crop of clover seed grow, from which I 
had realized from $10 to $15 per acre for the seed. L 
would move three sides of the fence on the adjoining 
10 acres after feeding one month ; then move again 
after feeding two months ; that would cover 30 acres 
that would produce one-half more corn than it would 
have done without the pig feeding. If the market 
suited, I would sell after feeding three months Water 
would be the only drawback. If there are springs, he 
could pipe it into the feed lot. Water is just as essen¬ 
tial as the corn. Fattening pigs eat only clover blos¬ 
soms, and they are worth more to mature for seed. I 
am supposing that the proprietor is farming the 300 
acres of bottom land. What 1 call intensive farming, 
is when one crop is put in before the other is harvested. 
First corn, then wheat drilled in the corn, and clover 
seed sown in the wheat. C. will find that the 100-acre 
pasture will produce more grass or pasture by grow¬ 
ing pigs instead of cattle. I would sow Orchard 
grass in the 100 acres. By cutting the clover and let¬ 
ting it lie on the ground, and the crop of seed grow 
up through, he can keep 30 brood sows by the time he 
cuts down the clover on the 300 acres. That will be 
three years from next May, if he keeps one-third of 
the bottom land in clover. He should have plenty of 
corn on hand for fear of drought. j. w. GOUME. 
Indiana. 
Buying and Selling Corn. 
I farm 200 acres 15 miles north of Indianapolis. 
I bushwhack the rough land, and seed to Timothy 
and Blue grass. During the flush spring growth, this 
by the aid of a few acres of clover, carries my cattle 
and hogs till after harvest, when my shoats run on 
wheat stubble and cattle on aftermath of clover 
meadow, if I don't care for seed. Nearness to a large 
city market modifies the practice of selling corn, ox- 
feeding. Indianapolis papers quoted elevator corn 
last week at 44 cents, while a neighbor sold to citizens 
at 48 and 50 cents. If one’s teams are idle, and he can 
make a load and return in a day, it means a hand¬ 
some profit, often as much as 10 cents a bushel. Car 
corn sells at elevator prices. The i-everse is true of 
hogs ; wagon hogs sell about 5 cents per 100 pounds 
below car hogs ; they 7 are supposed to be gi-eener. 
Very few of our thrifty farmers living far enough 
from the city to necessitate carring, sell corn ; there 
is a double advantage against it. It is a common ex¬ 
pression hei*e that it is slow and difficult work to lift 
a debt selling ear corn. There is too much fi-iction 
and it is too di-ibbling. Hogs and cattle not only 
bunch up corn money, but save much waste which one 
couldn’t afford to get in any other way, and which is 
often part of our profit. We fed wheat last year 
fi-eely. It is good feed, but will pi-obably not often 
be plentiful enough to be fed to stock. Clover as pas¬ 
ture is the best feed for fairly mature hogs. But cows 
and pigs do better on the fresh Blue grass, especially 
in the early part of the year. Soiling clover is too 
costly, and unless fed often and perfectly fresh, is not 
equal to clover pasture. There is much of any pas¬ 
ture that animals will skip if left to their choice, 
taking only the sweetest and tenderest. 
While attending institutes in southern Indiana, I 
saw vast areas of rolling farms. The thrifty farmers 
pasture the hill land, and raise feed in the valleys to 
winter and finish stock on. Their small valleys a re 
fenced. Let C. clear worthless timber off of all his 
rough land that will grow pasture, and sow to Timothy 
and English Blue grass. He need not inclose all his 
low land, but 1 would fence, say, 30 acres into three 
fields of 10 acres each—it may be overflow land. Let 
each field run to water if possible, and rotate with 
corn, wheat and clover, giving 10 acres each year to 
grow mature hogs on. Let sows have two litters a 
year. Keep them on high ground while young. Let 
fall litters come in August or September, and follow 
cattle during the winter. Turn them on clover in the 
spring to grow bulky frames and finish with corn for 
the August market. For 24 years, this has been the 
best month for prices. When these hogs are turned 
off, put spring pigs on for fall pasture, and finish with 
corn for December, the lowest market of the year ; 
but he has the cheapest hogs then, not having wintered 
them. The manure is needed on both hill and bottom 
land, of course, for the richest manure is while feed¬ 
ing, and we often finish hogs in a thin field, throwing 
a movable plank fence about it. E. H. collins. 
Indiana. 
THE SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL PROBLEM. 
WHAT A KENTUCKIAN HAS TO SAY ABOUT IT. 
On page 454, M. C. S. asks questions enough to fill 
a book with the answers. After many years experi¬ 
ence, here is my opinion : First the Southern farmer 
should take an inventory of what is wanted in the 
home market, and see how many of those wants he 
can supply with a clear-cut profit to himself. Then 
make a list of what the nearestcity, and best shipping 
point wants. Study this and see what part of it he 
can produce with a neat profit in its production. He 
should not for a moment entertain a thought of pro¬ 
ducing anything that does not give a clear and decided 
profit with low average results, after every possible 
expense connected with it has been paid. There is no 
reason, in any part of the South, why an intelligent 
fai-mer should work for wages, or for a mere pittance, 
after he has allowed himself full liberal wages for 
every day spent in pi’oducing and handling his crops. 
Having a list of what the mai-ket wants, that he.can 
produce with profit, he should now turn his attention 
to things about his home. Make a rigid inventory of 
evex-ything there of value, and mark every item that 
is not needed in his business. Let it be his first duty 
to put ail surplus in the best possible shape, and sell 
it for what it will bring. Most Tennessee and Ken¬ 
tucky farmers have too many work animals, and too 
many milch cows. He needs one No. 1 team of mules, 
and, possibly, he can afford a hack horse. He needs 
two cows. Most Southern farmers have too much 
land. All have too much who are in debt for any 
part of it. They should lop it off and sell it, but not 
sell it or anything else of value unless they get a fair 
price for it. it is useless to hold land that their 
children may need some day. It is suicide to work 
them into mulish indifference x-aising cotton and corn, 
when there is no pi-ofit in it. Better select crops that 
the children will take an interest in, and above all 
cultivate in them a crop of bi-ight intelligence and 
Christian virtues, and when they are old, they will 
reap a rich harvest therefrom. 
When the Southern fai-mer is able to buy land for 
his children, there will be plenty for sale. He should 
not settle his children so close together, or so close to 
himself that the pigs and chickens will mix. Let care 
of the children be the first object in life. Teach 
them to work and to love it. Never force a child to 
work when it is repugnant to him. There can never 
be a necessity for that. It is as unreasonable as mak¬ 
ing a young horse pull an over-load up a slippery 
place. He should always remember that it is better 
for a child to go from the parental home knowing 
how to make a living, than to go with the living 
already made. A proper appreciation of this fact 
would put sunshine into many a clouded fax-mer’s 
home. Tolerate neither laziness nor indifference in 
the child, but study the case as a wise physician stud¬ 
ies the phases of disease. Teach the children always 
to be usefully employed ; encourage them to experi¬ 
ment. Let them make mistakes ; they have them to 
make, and better now when they can be corrected be¬ 
fore it is too late. Let the endeavor be so to conduct 
the home that when the childi-en go out into the 
world, “the brightest pictui-e that hangs on memory’s 
wall” may be of the parental home. 
