Voi. lxi\ 
NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 18. 1905 
WEEKLY, $1.00 PEK YEAll 
FEEDING HOGS IN THE OPEN . 
FRESH AIR TREATMENT FOR PORK. 
Different Western Methods Explained. 
T he scene in Fig. 349 represents but one of the many 
to be found in the great corn and hog belt of the Cen¬ 
tral and Western States. Here the manner of feeding 
is evident. At the start, with new corn, it has been 
hard to husk, so instead of husking it has been jerked, 
and the ears hauled to the feed lot, and thrown to the 
hogs with the husks on, and they are required to do the 
husking. 1 here is an advantage in this, for the husks 
and cobs make a cleaner place to feed than in the mud 
when bad weather comes. Here the owners are getting 
a supply ahead by putting husked corn in the crib. 
Doubtless when they come into the lot with a load, they 
scoop out to the hogs what they need, before unloading 
sal custom to turn the hogs in the standing corn, and 
let them pull it down as they needed it. The plan of 
seeding wheat after corn and other reasons caused this 
system of feeding to go almost out of use for a time. 
But the scarcity of farm labor is driving some farmers 
back to the old custom. Some cornfields “hogged 
down,” are now not much more than cleaned up. Usu¬ 
ally when the standing corn they are expected to con¬ 
sume is used up, they are finished for market on the 
same ground by hauling husked corn to them. When a 
severe rain or maybe a snowstorm comes on and catches 
the farmer without husked corn for his hogs, shock 
corn will be hauled out and scattered to them. This is 
sometimes done to furnish bedding, and to give the hogs 
roughage to eat with the corn, for they will feed with 
much relish on the fodder. Thrifty farmers rush the 
hog crop to market as early as possible; then they feel 
COST OF GREENHOUSE . 
Can you give me some Information about farming under 
glass, particularly relative to growing cucumbers? Cost of 
structure and where materials are obtained, if manufactured; 
best method of healing, watering, etc., and the possible 
chance of success or failure. I realize, however, that success 
depends largely, if not wholly, on the man, as in every 
business. g. s. r. 
Woodstock, Va. 
A well-built greenhouse 20 feet wide, such as would 
be adapted for forcing cucumbers during the Winter, 
would cost at least $10 to $12 per running foot in 
length, if the owner does the work of construction, and 
if he has to hire mechanics for the purpose the cost is 
likely to be much more, for both material and labor are 
high in price at the present time. All woodwork for a 
greenhouse may be bought ready cut to size and fitted, 
from the dealers in such material in New York and 
A TYPICAL SCENE IN A WESTERN FARMER’S HOG-FEEDING YARD. Fig. 349. 
at the crib; then when hauling is done for the time 
being, leave a load standing on the wagon to be scooped 
out as needed. I hese hogs have shelter which is bet¬ 
ter than many that do not have it. All throughout the 
hog-feeding belt this Fall, the weather has been un¬ 
usually wet, and up to this date, October 27, there is no 
provision made for shelter. If the hogs get a dry place 
to nest, they must root it out below the mud. Such a 
condition I saw yesterday in a small feed lot. Many 
farmers do not attempt to crib the corn that they use 
for feeding well on through November, but throw it in 
an open square rail pen in the feed lot, to be used as 
needed twice a day. and others pile it across the fence 
from the feeding pen, and throw it over, handful at a 
time, as needed. 1 his means cold work when the corn 
is wet with a cold rain or snow. Such weather means 
poor comfort for the hogs lying out in the open, and 
an unprofitable feeding for the owner. 
I can well remember when it was the almost univer- 
that they do not need to shelter them, and the gains 
made are better than when cold weather comes on. 
Still there are multitudes that feed all Winter long, as 
evidenced by the constant flow to the great markets 
during \\ inter. Great numbers of these are fattened in 
the feed lots with cattle, and find their beds about the 
feed boxes, mainly without shelter, as often corn is 
thought to be cheaper to keep up heat than shelter built 
of lumber. When a severe storm approaches, the hogs 
under such conditions are sure weather prophets, and 
the strenuousness and vehemence of their cries tell the 
severity of the weather when the storm is upon them. 
And how they stick to their nests at feeding time when 
the weather crawls down to its lowest depths, everyone 
knows who feeds hogs out in the open. The different 
colors and types of hogs shown in the illustration, Fig. 
349, are a fair representation of a made-up lot found in 
any large feeder’s pens—bought here and there and 
everywhere; john m. jamison. 
Chicago, and an estimate for the furnishing of the 
entire material bar the house may be had from such 
firms, the estimate to include erection of the structure 
also, if it were thought desirable. It would be neces¬ 
sary to send dimensions of the proposed structure, give 
temperature to be maintained (in this case it would be 
65 degrees at night), and also to state which method of 
heating was preferred, that is, hot water or steam. 
Some of the largest growers of these vegetables prefer 
steam heating, on account of its ready control, but for 
a small concern hot water would answer very well, and 
would probably cost less. The watering would best be 
done by means of a hose attached to some pressure sys¬ 
tem, and during the Winter it is better for the plants 
if the water can be drawn from a protected tank, in 
order that it may not be icy cold. 
The cucumbers are sown in a bed with bottom heat 
or in small pots, the latter placed in a warm portion 
of the house, and after pricking off and transplanting 
