100S. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
136 
CANNIBALISTIC SOWS. 
“Why mother pigs kill their young?” 
“Mother pigs.” Sows are* not cannibals. 
Xo sow that was properly fed and cared 
for while carrying the young was ever 
known to kill and eat a pig. There is a 
reason beyond their nature. In the Sum¬ 
mer a sow will run in the pasture, and 
when farrowing time approaches will go 
to some fence corner and make a bed, 
and the first notice the careless owner 
has of the event she will show up with 
a nice litter of healthy pigs. The same 
sow bred to farrow in March and the 
same careless owner will complain that 
she killed and ate all her pigs. That 
sow’s nature has not changed, but the 
wide difference in results is due to 
changed conditions. In Summer she 
was in pasture, where she could select 
her food, ate what conduced to health 
and for the growth of the little ones she 
was to bring forth. In the Winter she 
had the run of the barnyard, was fed 
corn and other constipating food, and 
though maybe was so well fed as to be 
fat, had nothing for the little fellows, 
and was hot and feverish. It is not be¬ 
cause of “pampering and lack of exer¬ 
cise” as Dr. Alexander claims that sows 
eat their pigs. A sow that runs out if 
improperly fed is just as likely to eat 
her pigs as one having the same food 
and pen-kept. It is not the environment, 
but the food that produces the fatal re¬ 
sult. Sows eat their pigs for this rea¬ 
son, that the food furnished does not 
contain the elements needed for the 
growth of the young and production of 
milk for them when born, and further 
for keeping their system cool and in a 
healthy condition. A sow may be fat 
and still be extremely feverish, and when 
in this condition, or even when not fat, 
if blood is thick and she is feverish, she 
will not have any milk and her udder 
will be inflamed and sore, and when the 
pigs suck they will cause her much pain, 
and not being able to reason she rushes 
on and kills and eats what seems to her 
the cause of the pain. If A. M. will put 
his sows into warm pens and keep same 
well bedded and dry, and feed them with 
plenty of succulent food in the shape of 
mangels or potatoes, carrots, or any 
other roots, give them all the clover or 
Alfalfa*hay they will eat (he will be sur¬ 
prised to see how much they will eat), 
and in addition feed enough wheat mid¬ 
dlings or reground wheat bran, or if he 
cannot get the reground bran, mix mid¬ 
dlings and bran half and half, to keep 
the sows thriving, I will pay for all the 
pigs eaten, even if the sow never sees 
outdoors during the whole Winter. We 
once wintered 12 brood sows on nine 
bushels of small apples and 20 pounds 
wheat middlings daily and house slops 
and all the clover hay they would eat. 
They were kept in a pen 16 feet square 
in a warm basement, never going out 
during the whole Winter and were taken 
out and put into separate pens just about 
farrowing time and the 12 sow r s raised 
over 100 fine pigs and not a single pig 
killed or eaten. Verily sows that kill 
and eat pigs are “more sinned against 
than sinning.” J. s. woodward. 
CONVICT LABOR; SOUTHERN JERSEY 
GRADES. 
In Mississippi State farms have been 
bought on which convicts are worked at 
growing cotton. In other States where 
some such plan has been proposed, objection 
is made because the products raised by the 
State compete with those on ordinary 
farms. We asked Mr. D. A. Saunders for 
i-ii opinion about this. Mr. Saunders is in 
tiie business of breeding grade Jersey, cattle. 
1 ears ago one of the best herds of Jersey 
cattle in the Gulf States was located In 
Oktibbeha County. The improvement made 
by crossing purebred Jerseys on the native 
cattle was so striking that this section be¬ 
came noted for grade cattle. Good cattle 
tor creamery purposes are as much a 
specialty in that section as are potatoes in 
Maine, apples in western New York, or 
Peaches in Delaware. 
We work convict labor in the Missis¬ 
sippi Delta, in producing cotton, and pro¬ 
duce around 5,000 bales, worth about 
$300,000. They also produce corn, pota¬ 
toes, hay and peas as well. The lat¬ 
ter is not sold from the farm, but kept 
as feed. Some farmers object to it, 
while others think it a wise solution of 
this question. Speaking for myself, will 
say, on account of 90 per cent of this 
labor being ignorant negro labor which 
could not be handled to advantage in 
any kind of manufacturing industry, 
they take to raising cotton as a duck to 
water, and have been raised to do this 
kind of work; hence I think it a good 
solution of the problem, and would not 
like to see a change, unless it was to 
work the public roads, which is much 
needed in our State. Of course what 
would suit Mississippi would not suit 
New York, or perhaps any other State, 
not situated as we are, and of course 
they would adopt the most practical 
thing under the existing circumstances. 
As to this kind of labor producing milch 
cows, or other kind of live stock, would 
think them entirely too brutal to make a 
success. 
The price we get for our grade cows 
depends as to how good they are and 
how well they are developed, and we 
sell from $25 to $35 each. As a rule 
dairymen do not like cows with their 
first calves. We sell most of our milch 
cows in New Orleans and Mobile, Ala.; 
some go to Cuba. We are permit¬ 
ted to ship cattle north of the quarantine 
line only for immediate slaughter, ex¬ 
cept in months of November, December 
and possibly January. During these 
months I have shipped to Indiana, Illi¬ 
nois and Missouri. These cattle run 
from one-half to three-quarter grade 
and are used for dairy purposes, and we 
find them more profitable as dairy ani¬ 
mals than the full blood, as they are 
hardier. d. a. saunders. 
LAYING OF PEKIN DUCKS. 
How many years will a Pekin duck lay 
well? I had to kill all mine because they 
stopped laying or laid so few eggs that it 
did not pay to keep them. b. w. t. 
Elkins, \V. Va. 
Ducks should lay well for three or 
four years, although their first and sec¬ 
ond years will be their best, and few 
breeders keep them more than two years 
unless for some special reason. Meat 
meal is essential if you expect ducks to 
do their best. They should have one- 
tenth the bulk of their food in ground 
meat, mixed with cornmeal, wheat bran 
and cut clover hay or green food of 
some kind. If they will not then lay, 
prabably the only way to make them 
lay is by killing them as did B. W. T. 
J. E. STEVENSON. 
i WANT MY SHALE 
EVERY BARN 
If you have no Scale you 
should have mine; because you 
are under obligations 
to me for having 
fought every scale combin¬ 
ation and trust tor42 years 
and made the price so low 
that you can’t afford to be 
without; because I offer 
you a free trial before 
you pay one cent, be¬ 
cause I make and sell 
the very best Scale for 
less 
money 
than 
you 
can 
-- buy 
the poorest. I was the first man to 
sell scales on trial. I first “ paid the 
freight”. I will send you my 
“Reasons why you should own a' 
scale”, if you will address— 
“JONES HE PAYS THE FREIGHT” 
BOX 822 _ BINGHAMTON, N. V. 
You Must Know 
More About SHOO 
because either now or some other day you will decide 
to adopt this greatest of all money-making farm econ¬ 
omizers. Send In your name at once and get our new, 
complete Book on siloi ng and thoroughly post your¬ 
self on this interesting sub¬ 
ject. This New Book not only 
tells you how and why the 
LANSING SILO 
Is the oneSllo for every farmer 
but how to put up a silo, how 
to lay a foundation; kind of 
lumber to use. Shows pictures 
of sllo-farms and letters from 
successful Slloists. Name on 
a postal gets this Free Book. 
THE SEVERANCE TANK 
& SILO COMPANY 
Dept. L, Lansing. Mich. 
SEVERANCE 
TANS 9t SILO CO. 
L LAMSINS . MICHIGAN 
V.VBow, ^1$ V 
~ -V 
bought , ur ^ 
' CREAM !„ 
2 quarts 0 / l TOf t 
Po 
TO BUY A 
TVBUIAR 
W.H. 
JT v <<- 
J„ WITH 
JANUARY 
FEBRUARY 
/ APRIL/ Me k 
MAY m 
Po, 
fcosrors^. 
_ A NO 
'°0, 
V 
Po 
| HE best way to determine tbis question is to get out your 
pencil and do a little figuring. 
You don’t need to be an expert mathematician to 
figure tbis problem. In fact, to make it easier, we ll 
figure it for you and in such a way that you can 
easily see it in your own case. 
If you are milking five average cows, not using a Tubu 
lar, you lose $5 to $6 a month—leaving butter fat in the 
milk, which a Tubular would get out. Then the better 
your cows the larger your loss—up to three or four 
times as much. 
In a few months you would have made 
enough extra money out of tbis extra cream 
which you are now wasting—losing—to pay 
for a Tubular. Here’s actual proof. Read 
what Mr. W. H. Bowler gained on bia 5 
cows by using a Tubular. 
MOUNT AIRY, Md. 
I am milking five cows. 
The increase of revenue, over 
the water can I was using, 
will pay the cost of the Tubular 
inside of one year. I think the 
Sharpies Tubular far superior to any 
other separator. 
EMORY PURDUM. 
COLLINSVILLE. Ill. 
"From five good Jersey cows while using 
the water separator we made from twenty* 
three to twenty-four pounds of butter a 
week; with one of your Separators 
from the same cows we made from 
forty-three to forty-seven pounds 
a week. I think it would take 
about $1000 to buy my Tub 
ular if I couldn’t get 
another.” 
W. H. BOWLER. 
It is not a question any longer, 
whether it will pay you to buy a Separa¬ 
tor—the fact is, you can’t afford to do 
without one. Now the all important question 
is, which separator to buy? 
Too many people have made the mistake 
of buying a low-priced separator only to find that 
instead of saving money on their purchase—they have 
wasted it entirely. Don’t do tbis. Get the best at first— 
a Tubular—it’s cheapest in the end* 
\V 
X 1 
Here are the reasons: 
It skims closest. Has 
fewest parts. Easiest to 
clean. Low supply can 
saves your back. Turns 
easiest—is frictionless ball 
bearings. Wins in every competi¬ 
tive test. Made in largest Cream Sep* 
arator Factory in the world. 
More sold each year than any other* 
Send for our new catalog No. 153 it’s full of more 
good reasons and proofs from those who are using 
them. It s free we 11 also send a copy of our 
book “Business Dairying’’ which will help any 
one keeping cov/s to get more profit from them. 
It s worth a dollar of any farmer’s money. 
THE SHARPLES SEPARATOR CO., 
Chicago, Ill. West Chester, Pa. Toronto, Can, 
