1903 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
463 
RINGING HOGS. 
Some of the Whys and Wherefores. 
This is a job that I have no relish for 
at all; still it is much preferable to the 
old plan of snouting. This latter was a 
job that called for the strength some¬ 
times of two or three men, and a sharp 
knife in the hand of a skillful man. I 
plan constantly to avoid ringing as 
much as possible. Spring pigs I get to 
market nearly always without ringing. 
T>ast Fall I ringed over 50 because 1 
thought they would root too much in the 
field of volunteer rye and clover, where 
I wanted them to run while being fat¬ 
tened with corn. I was very sorry I did 
this, because there were a number of 
very sore noses, and many of the rings 
were out in a short time, with the result 
of some falling into their old inherent 
habit of rooting. Instead of ringing 
again I limited their time out on the 
field, for I found they would graze their 
fill before commencing to root. One-half 
day out answered as well for practical 
purposes as the whole day, and they did 
little rooting. 
I have carried Fall pigs over Winter 
on old. clover sod without ringing, with 
practically no rooting, but an effort was 
made to meet all the wants of their sys¬ 
tems by feeding a variety and keeping 
before them at all times wood ashes and 
salt. While this will work on old clover 
sod it will probably fail on old Timothy 
and Blue-grass sod. Worms and insects 
are too abundant in these latter to be 
passed without notice. In my Blue-grass 
permanent pasture there are a good 
many spots that the broods turned after 
the rains softened the ground, and they 
were too heavy in farrow to take the 
risk that would be incurred in ringing 
them. These are unsightly spots in a 
green sward, but before the grass grew 
some time was taken with a fork and 
pressure of the foot to put these turned 
sods in place with the result that in a 
short time many of them will be un- 
notlceable. In many cases the sows 
found a damp soft spot under the drop¬ 
pings of some animal where they could 
get a nose-hold to start the sod with. 
Still, had these strong sows been care¬ 
fully ringed in dry weather when there 
was no need of It there would have been 
no sod turning in wet soft weather. 
Many men who practice ringing their 
hogs, big and little, so assiduously all 
times in the year would make much 
more money if they would as indus¬ 
triously set about to tile-drain their 
land. The wet places in the fields are 
the first to be rooted, and if in a perma¬ 
nent pasture and the hogs are not al¬ 
ways ringed, these spots will be without 
grass. On this farm the rooting of the 
fields was very materially reduced by 
tile drainage. In the permanent pasture 
there used to be a spot that was so soft 
oftentimes that it was difficult to ring 
the hogs so well that they would not 
root it. Now it is completely covered 
with a close Blue-grass sod. 
When it is necessary that the hogs 
be ringed it should be done in the most 
humane way possible. I do not care 
how carefully it is done there is sure 
to be a great deal of noise connected 
with the operation. After they are once 
ringed they are very careful about being 
caught in such a snap again, and become 
very expert in dodging a slip noose on 
a rope. This is the best way that I 
know to catch them; slip the noose over 
the upper jaw and get it back of the 
tusks before it is tightened. If they are 
heavy animals it is easiest to fasten the 
other end of the rope to a post or plank 
in panel of fence; they will pull back 
and keep it tight. I have in a small lot 
at one side an alley eight by 2^ feet 
with gate at both ends. When one or 
more large animals are in this pen it is 
not hard to get the rope adjusted. The 
ring used should join outside the nose 
and have a projection to one of the ends 
to prevent the joint turning into the 
flesh. A ring should be set deep, but not 
BO deep that it will not turn, and should 
be placed a little to one side of the cen¬ 
ter, I have never been able to get a 
ring to stay in long when set in the 
ceuter of the nose. If the wound does 
not heal in a reasonable length of time 
and the animal dodges when it touches 
an ear of corn in an effort to eat by all 
means get the ring out as quickly as 
possible, and let the animal go without. 
When disease is in the neighborhood do 
not ring the hogs, as the disease bac¬ 
teria are apt to get into the wound. 
Never ring unless absolutely necessary; 
there is altogether too much of it done 
in anticipation of trouble, 
JOHN M. JAMISON. 
BUSINESS-LIKE BELGIAN HARES. 
We were somewhat amused at the ex¬ 
perience of the New York man given in 
The R. N.-Y. of October 25 last, page 
719, and can only compare it to like ex¬ 
periences of men who took the poultry 
craze during the early fifties, when 
Brahmas, Cochins and Shanghais 
brought such prices, but who is there 
now who would like to say that the 
promoters of this craze were not bene¬ 
factors? To-day, while it would not pay 
everyone to give the prices received al¬ 
most daily by leading breeders, yet it 
has been through the teaching of just 
such men that the poultry business has 
grown to its present proportions. 
We find the Belgian hare as free from 
disease as any class of stock or poultry 
we ever handled, and as easily cured 
when sick; yet we generally find the 
best remedy for either a sick hare, hen 
or pig is a good sharp ax. Our most 
expensive doe cost only $10, and our 
hutches a five-cent store box' and 50 
cents’ worth of poultry netting. As to 
feed we now have two hutches of five 
and six hares respectively that have not 
cost us a cent outside of time spent in 
carrying weeds, as they have had noth¬ 
ing to eat except refuse vegetables for 
six months. They are extremely fond of 
most kinds of weeds, especially so of 
prickly lettuce, dandelion, dock, pigweed 
and Sweet clover, and our hares have 
had nothing else and are fat and healthy. 
They are easily wintered on rowen or 
second-crop clover and a few cabbage 
leaves, carrots, potatoes or other refuse 
vegetables. As to their eating quality 
we know of no meat we prefer to a well- 
roasted, fried or stewed Belgian hare, 
and while our little village market is 
well supplied with rabbits at all times 
at from two to 10 cents apiece, although 
there are a number here engaged in 
growing them, a nice fat Belgian hare 
will bring 50 cents and the customers 
always waiting for them, as the supply 
does not come up to the demand. While 
we do not believe there are any large 
fortunes to be made, and expect they 
will have to gain their place slowly, yet 
we do believe they are the cheapest anfi 
best meat the poor man can raise. 
Iowa. F. B. VAN OKNAM. 
BRIEF BROODER NOTES. 
Why is It that the flame in my brooder 
lamps is always found to be higher after 
burning 24 hours, than it is when I leave 
it? I once asked this question of a college 
professor and he looked at me in an in¬ 
credulous fashion, saying that he guessed 
I was in error. “House lamps do not act 
that way,” he said. “The best light is 
secured Just after trimming.” It is not 
likely that the professor’s duties have led 
him to trim and All lamps as many times 
as mine have. Our brooder lamps have 
the common hinge sun-burners, such as 
can be bought in any good lamp store, the 
only difference from a house lamp being 
that tin chimneys are used instead of glass. 
An inch wick is used, and enough heat is 
produced in ordinary weather by turning 
up till the flame can just be seen above 
the cone of the burner. Left in this con¬ 
dition after trimming and filling. T invari¬ 
ably find the flame about one-fourth inch 
higher after it has burned 24 hours. House 
lamps are seldom burned 21 hours con¬ 
secutively as these are, and are usually 
burned with a higher flame. It must be 
that capillary attraction is set up through 
the soot, etc., which collects on the top 
of the wick. By simply turning back the 
cone and scraping off this soot, etc., with 
a sharp knife, or even with a match, the 
flame drops back to proper size with¬ 
out moving the wick in the burner in the 
least. This shows the importance of trim¬ 
ming the lamps regularly, for if burned 
too long, there is great danger of the flame 
running too high on account of so much 
formation of soot, giving rise to smoking 
lamps, and possibly roasted chicks and 
blasted hopes. 
“Penny wise and pound foolish” de¬ 
scribes the policy of trying to save ex¬ 
pense by dispensing with artificial heat in 
the brooders before the chicks are old 
enough not to miss it. A chick is born 
without the power to maintain normal 
heat by oxidization of its blood, and must 
have outside help. It gradually gains this 
power as it grows older. The want of a 
little outside help some chilly night for a 
few hours may do it an injury that will 
be more expensive than to keep the lamps 
burning for weeks after they really need 
them. Do not be in a hurry to discard 
the artificial heat, even if the weather 
does seem hot. o. w. mapes. 
Mark Your Stock 
Dip Your Stock 
Cure Your Stock 
Shear Your Stock 
We make a specialty of Ear 
Labels and Buttons, Tattoo 
Markers Milk Oil Sheep Dip 
Cooper Sheep Dip (English), 
Worm_ Powders, Insect Pow¬ 
der, Rice’s Lice Pain^Shears, 
Shearing Machines, Toxaline 
French Worm Cure, Crooks, 
Bells, Poultry Tonic, Poultry 
Bands, Shepherds’ Cordial. 
All Best and Cheapest. 
Write for Illustrated Catalogue. 
F. S. BURCH & CO., 
142 Illinois St. Chicago. 
Mention this paper. 
Strike Hurts Horses. —During the strike 
on the great New York subway thousands 
of horses stood idle. They are mostly 
heavy truck horses, which grow stiff and 
sore from long standing. It was neces¬ 
sary to exercise them. The New York 
Sun tells how this was done: “The con¬ 
tractors have to employ horse exercisers. 
The stable master manages daily to get 
five or six men to take out rigs, and to 
the rear of each vehicle he hitches five or 
six horses and sends them out for a few 
hours. The drivers walk the horses through 
the streets and after the allotted time re¬ 
turn and get another batch. In tills way 
more than a hundred horses get enough 
exercise in a day to keep them in condi¬ 
tion. Small contractors who do not own 
more than a score of horses employ small 
boys to ride them about. One of the odd 
sights of the stable district in these strike 
days is such a string of horses hitched be¬ 
hind an empty wagon or tied to a broad- 
backed nag with a small boy in the saddle.” 
A Milk Cooler 
Is a device for cooling milk quickly 
just after it is taken from the cow. 
S The object is to expose every par¬ 
ticle of it to the air. thus cooling 
'itand driving out all bad odor* 
and germs which spoil milk very 
quicluy and reduce Its value. 
The Perfection Milk <>}ler and Aerator 
does this quicker and better than any other. 
Send for prices ahd free circulars. 
L. R. LEWIS, Manfr., Box 12. Cortland. N. V. 
CREAM EXTRACTOR 
This Is a genuine 
FREE 
offer made to introduce the Peoples 
Cream Extractor in every neighbor" 
hood. It is the best and simplest In 
the world. We ask that yon show it to 
your neighbors who have cows. Send 
your name and the name of the near¬ 
est freight office. Address 
PEOPLES SUPPLY CO., 
Dept. 86. Kansas City, Mo. 
CREAM SEPARATORS 
If yon are interested in Farm Separators 
yon will find mncli that is interesting and 
instructive in the new booklet 
“BE YOUR OWN JUDGE 
How to apply business principles 
to the testing and selection 
of a separator.” 
a copy of which will he gladly sent npon 
application. 
THE DE LAVAL SEPARATOR CO. 
Kiuidoliih & Canal Sts., 
(IIICAGO. 
1213 Filbert Street, 
ITllLAHKIilTlIA. 
217-221 Ilniinm St., 
SAN KUANClSt O. 
General Ollice.s: 
74 Cortlandt Street, 
NEW YOKK. 
121 Youvillo Square, 
MONTREAL. 
75 & 77 York Street, 
TORONTO. 
248McDermott Avenue. 
WINNIi’EG. 
The EMPIRE 
The Kasy Itiinnlng Kind. 
WIU ({;!▼« b«tt«r satisfAciion, Tnak« you more 
1 money end lest longer then eny other. Oux 
L book shows why. Bend for It. 
1 Empire Cream Separator Co*, 
’ BIXIOMFIELD. N. J. 
naolei 
Tubular 
Separators 
differ widely from the complicated 
‘‘bucket bowl” types. Its bowl has no 
'complications; all others have. It has a 
[waist high milk vat; all othersi 
[are head high. It has bottomf 
i feed, simple, accessible gear-| 
, ing. stands on its own bottom. 
No other does. Skims clean, 
, turns easy. Ask any user- 
Free Catalogue No. 153 
^P.M.Sharples.West Chester,Pa.| 
Jhe Sharpies Co., ChIcaKO, 
CREAM SEPARATOR. 
TRUTHS 
in our separator book. It tells about the 
, A. ‘he money 
priced ^**»^^a*^<*It* maker. A 
Paris medal winner. The machine for 
.you. The book is free. Write to-day. 
AmericaLii SeparaLtor Co., 
Boxi 066 Bainbrldge, N. Y. 
End Your 
Butter Troubles 
with a National Hand Separator 
and make more and better butter from 
same quantity of milk. The 
National will do it easier, 
quicker and pay Its cost in 
a very short time. We don't 
ask you to take our word— 
we send the machine for 
10 Days’ Free Trial 
and let it prove its worth 
right in your own dairy. 
You takf.no rUk-y/e assume 
it aU. If it does not meet 
your expectations, send It 
.back—we pay the costs. 
' Our catalogue tells more 
—write for it. It’s free. 
National Dairy Machine Co., Newark, N. J, 
