CORN BELT PORK PRODUCTION 
How Hogs are Handled. 
Long known as mortgage-lifters, hogs 
form an important part of the live stock 
interests on most farms, and notably so 
in the corn belt. Cholera, so long a 
menace to the hog industry, and at 
times occasioning losses in individual 
cases of thousands of dollars, has been 
robbed of its terrors by the serum treat¬ 
ment, which is proving to be a certain 
and practical means of preventing and 
checking this highly fatal malady. Being 
an early maturing animal, a thrifty hog 
changes little in appearance from a few 
weeks of age to the time he is slaugh¬ 
tered at six months to one year old; 
that is, thrifty pigs properly fed keep a 
well-rounded form at all times, and 
during the finishing period, when on a 
full feed of corn, some extra pounds 
of lard are added which do not greatly 
affect the general makeup of the pork¬ 
ers. However, pigs are at times turned 
on clover or Blue-grass pasture and let 
shift for themselves for a time or if 
pasture is restricted in area a feed of 
slop is given. Under such conditions 
pigs, while they make good growth, are 
likely to become thin, which fault the 
highly fattening corn ration, fed later, 
soon remedies. The pigs in Fig 333 
show what grass pigs look like at the 
beginning of the feeding period. The 
pigs are near the same age, but the one 
on the right has better conformation 
and a better constitution, as evidenced 
by his greater size and better condition 
on the same pasture and feed. The pig 
on the left is not a runt, but lacks 
depth of body and the feeding ability or 
digestive capacity of his mate. These 
pigs were from a lot of about 60, and 
were not the best nor the worst of the 
lot. These pigs would average near 70 
pounds, and were being started on corn. 
They also were gleaning in a wheat 
stubble and had plenty of spring water. 
Later they will be put in a smaller field 
or lot, the corn ration increased and a 
rich slop given twice daily. Where 
pasture is lacking, a ration of corn, oats 
and tankage is excellent, when used at 
the rate of corn, four pounds, oats, two 
pounds, and tankage, one pound. Pigs 
will make a good growth without pas¬ 
ture, but perhaps not so cheaply as when 
on Alfalfa, clover or Blue grass. Al¬ 
falfa is not yet much used here for hog 
pasture, being cut for hay mostly, but 
Red, White and Alsike clovers are 
highly appreciated and with a corn ra¬ 
tion enable our farmers to grow pigs 
profitably and with a minimum of labor. 
When pigs reach a weight of 100 pounds 
or better the corn ration is increased, 
and in a short time they are given all 
the corn they will eat twice a day. 1 lie 
hog is an efficient corn consuming ma¬ 
chine, and the feeder is reasonably cer¬ 
tain of producing 10 pounds of pork or 
better with each bushel of corn fed. 
The best weight at the present time to 
NEARING THE FINISH OF FATTENING. Fir;. 3:29. 
A BUNCH OF SOWS AND THEIR PIGS. Fig. 330. 
ROUGH SHED FOR THE BROOD SOWS. Fig. 331. 
sell hogs is about 225 pounds, though 
much lighter hogs are common in the 
markets. Fig. 332 shows a hog ready 
for market, and at times a large pro¬ 
portion of the hogs marketed have the 
depth and finish shown; when corn is 
scarce such finish is lacking, the hogs 
are “leggy” and light and carry less 
lard. A few Summer and Fall pigs are 
wintered and fattened on old corn to be 
sold late in June or in July or August, 
but the bulk of the pigs come in the early 
Spring, are kept growing rapidly on 
slop and pasture, and finished on new 
corn for the Fall and Winter market. 
An early corn planted early should be 
ready to feed late in August, and af¬ 
fords a cheap feed for the pigs. Fig 331 
shows a shed made of baled straw and 
covered with corn fodder to shelter the 
brood sows and pigs at farrowing time. 
This shed accommodates several sows, 
which are kept separate, though the pigs 
run together at will. Fig 330 shows 
the sows and pigs eating shelled corn 
on the ground; in the background arc 
to be seen some individual hoghouses, so 
popular in some localities. Fig 329 
shows the hogs being fed out in the field 
on the ground; corn is hauled out and 
thrown into rail pens or is left in the 
wagon box and a supply thrown to the 
hogs night and morning. 
The hogs get all they can eat, and as 
they near a finished condition the feeder 
anxiously watches his charges for signs 
of sickness, and the least sign of in¬ 
digestion, lack of appetite, going off 
their feed, is noted and if serious the 
ration is lessened or the ailing hogs seg¬ 
regated and given a change of diet. 
Well-fattened hogs cannot stand driv¬ 
ing, so they are hauled to market in 
large wagon boxes or in “hog crates.” 
The hogs are loaded by means of chutes, 
hauled to the stock pens at the ship¬ 
ping point, where they are unloaded, 
weighed and after a short rest, loaded 
on the stock cars. Fat hogs are sold 
outright to a dealer or the dealer may 
ship them on a commission, and if the 
owner has a carload, 60 hogs in single 
deck car, he often ships them himself at 
a nice profit over the commission plan. 
A dealer handling hogs on commission 
asks 40 cents per hundred pounds to ship 
from Hillsboro to Cincinnati, while the 
owner can ship the same hogs at 22 to 
25 cents per hundred weight. In either 
case the hogs would likely be consigned 
to some commission firm at the Cincin¬ 
nati stock yards, and besides whose 
commission there will be the freight, 
yardage and feed charges, but all these 
charges and the shrinkage are figured in 
the above cost, so that the difference 
between 22 and 40 cents is the profit per 
hundred weight to the shipper, or near 
$25 on each single-deck carload. Sell¬ 
ing outright and contracting ahead arc 
merely gambling for both owner and 
shipper, but lots of stock change hands 
by both plans. w. e. ducknvall. 
Ohio. 
