604 
April 13, 
Live Stock and Dairy 
SWINE RAISING AS A BUSINESS. 
Part VI. 
Influence of Dam on Litter. —Prob¬ 
ably a majority do not realize as fully 
as they need to what great influence the 
feed of the dam may exert upon the 
offspring, that some kinds of food are 
required to make bone and that others 
go to the making of fat. If bone-form¬ 
ing feeds alone are given to the mother 
there will be a normal and sometimes 
an abnormal development of frame, but 
the offspring will be poor in flesh when 
bom. If only fat-forming feeds are 
given, the offspring will be fat and 
glossy, but deficient in bone structure. 
Should a breeder feed his sows on corn 
and water, they will have a small num¬ 
ber of pigs, which may be fleshy but 
lacking in size, and they rarely will be 
matured at any great profit. If he uses 
liberally a feed containing phosphorus 
and protein, he will obtain pigs with 
proper frames to begin with, and that 
will yield a profit when ready for -the 
market. The fact that a pig at birth is 
large and lean and seems loosely hinged 
together is no proof that it will not In 
good time be growthy and abundantly 
plump. Bearing on this a test has been 
made of mixed feeds compared with 
corn alone, which was very interesting 
in its outcome, and in substance was as 
follows: For three months prior to 
farrowing all the sows were kept on 
the same rations. One pen received 
nothing but corn and water, another a 
ration of two parts of corn, one part 
wheat bran and two parts chopped 
clover hay. These parts were determined 
by measure, and the clover was steeped 
in a little water for half an hour be¬ 
fore being mixed with the corn and 
bran. At farrowing time each sow 
which had been fed the corn farrowed 
five pigs, three of which were fat and 
chubby and the other two runts. The 
other sows averaged eight pigs each, 
and there were only two runts in a 
herd of 27. The 26 were nearly perfect 
specimens of the breed, and were sold 
at eight months, averaging 278 pounds 
each. The six pigs from the corn-fed 
sows were sold at the same age, aver¬ 
aging 185 pounds each. All the pigs 
were fed and reared on practically the 
same rations. 
Aged Sows Best for Breeding. —In¬ 
teresting tests have been made to prove 
the relative sizes and weights of litters 
from young and old sows, with astonish¬ 
ing results. In these tests sows weigh¬ 
ing an average of 482 pounds at far¬ 
rowing time produced an average of 9.2 
pigs per litter, with a weight per litter 
of 27 pounds. From sows weighing 307 
pounds, the average number per litter 
was 6.7 pigs and the weight of the litter 
was 16 pounds. Where the average 
weight per sow was 238 pounds, the 
average number in a litter was 5.5 pigs, 
and the weight of a litter M pounds. 
Sows between the ages of three and 
four years averaged 9 pigs per litter 
and a weight per litter of 26 pounds. 
Sows betwen two and three years old 
had an average of 7.5 pigs, and a litter 
averaged 19.7 pounds in weight, and 
sows a year old produced litter of 7.8 
pigs, and a litter averaged 14.2 pounds. 
It is very evident that the older and 
larger sows are much better mothers 
than the younger and smaller ones, and 
that the common practice of many 
farmers in disposing of their old brood 
sows each year and reserving young 
and immature animals for breeding pur¬ 
poses is not to be recommended. Far¬ 
rowing records for several years, where 
each litter was weighed at birth, as well 
as the practices of leading breeders, 
bears out the statement that sows three 
to five and even six years of age are 
much more profitable and satisfactory as 
breeders than sows one and two years 
old. The profitable period for retaining 
a good brood sow in the herd will de- 
THE RUJRAl* 
pend almost entirely upon the sow her¬ 
self. She deserves her place as long 
as she can hold it. It will not profit 
the breeder to allot her to the fattening 
pen as long as she evinces a motherly, 
kindly disposition and shows ability to 
produce and suckles generously litters 
of six or more healthy pigs. Some will 
be valuable after five years of mater¬ 
nity, while others will become clumsy 
and careless or vicious before that 
time. The experienced breeder holds 
fast to Iris best and tried animals, and 
it is through them that he makes and 
maintains the reputation of his herd 
and himself. Pigs from aged sows will 
make a more rapid growth than those 
from young sows. We have examples 
on many farms of great prolificacy. 
These large litters are not, however, to 
be coveted by any farmer or breeder, 
except as they may be a valuable in¬ 
dication to customers that his hogs are 
of prolific strains rather than the op¬ 
posite, which is not infrequent in herds 
of purebreds. In my judgment a sow 
that successfully gives birth to litters 
of eight or nine, or even seven uniform, 
vigorous pigs, and brings them to wean¬ 
ing age, well nourished, growthy and 
robust, meets all reasonable require¬ 
ments as a mother and far exceeds the 
average. In theory large litters may 
be more than ordinarily profitable, but 
in everyday practice and in the long 
run not one man in a hundred finds 
them so. 
Barren Sows.—A sow is more liable 
to become barren because of over-feed¬ 
ing and by reason of being too fat than 
from any other cause. In such a case 
the proper remedy is to get her back to 
suitable condition. Give a full dose of 
epsom salts to move the bowels thor- 
ougly. Afterward give all the exercise 
possible, and cut down her feed so that 
she will lose flesh. For 10 days give 
her five grains of iodide of potash night 
and morning. Stop for a few days if 
it makes her sick. Repeat in two weeks. 
If she does not breed she should be 
fattened and killed, as barrenness is 
often incurable. R. l. faux. 
Underground Silo. —Your articles on the 
underground silo t have read. 1 have been 
feeding from silo 16 feet in the ground 
for the last two years, with perfect success. 
It is 16 feet in diameter and a two-foot 
niggerhead rock wall. The gases have never 
affected me, not deep enough for that. Sil¬ 
age will keep anywhere if airtight. Before 
putting silo in the ground better get a well 
drill and drill down as far as you want to 
go to see about the water; if that is plenty, 
better stay on top. w. j. m. 
Bealeton, Va. 
CHR. HANSEN’S 
DANISH BUTTER COLOR 
MAKES PRIZE-WINNING BUTTER 
Purely Vegetable and Guaranteed under all 
Pure Food Laws, State and National, 
RENNET TABLETS and CHEESE 
COLOR TABLETS for Cheese 
making on the Farm 
JUNKET TABLETS for dainty milk 
desserts and ice cream 
JUNKET BRAND BUTTERMILK 
TABLETS 
Manufactured and put up only by 
CHR. HANSEN’S LABORATORY 
Box 1106, Little Falls, N.Y. 
COOK YOUR FEED and SAVE 
Half the Cost—with the 
PROFIT FARM BOILER 
With Dumping Caldron. Empties 
its kettle in one minute. Thesimpiest 
and best arrangement for cooking 
food for etook. Also make Dairy and 
Laundry Stoves, Water and 
Steam Jacket Kettles, Hog 
Sealders, Caldrons.etc. F5?“Send 
for particulars and ask for circular- J. 
D. R. Sperry & Co., Batavia, III. 
I 
I Pure Milk 
The Sterilac Milk Pail keeps it 
pure, just as drawn. Dirt shelf 
keeps out hair, dust and filth—no 
chance for contamination. Heavy, 
strong, and easy to wash. Sent on 
approval (if not at dealer’s ). Price 
*2.50 Free circular. Address 
STERILAC COMPANY, 
6 Merchants’ Row, Boston. 
WISHER STEEL HAND CART 
Platform ha lgs low [rides level. 
Will hold four 40-qt. milk cans. 
Tips forward like warehouse 
truck. Will turn clear over to 
dump load. Fitted with largo 
body for farmers. 
. . . Write for Prices . . . 
WISHER MFC. CO.. 
230 Greenwich St., New York 
NEW-YORKER 
ARE THE MOST SANITARY 
The up-to-date De Laval Cream Separators excel other 
separators not only in thoroughness of separation, ease of 
running, simplicity and durability—but as well in the important 
feature of being the easiest cleaned of all cream separators and 
the only cream separator which is thoroughly cleanable under 
ordinary every day use conditions. 
The modern De Laval separator bowl is completely unassem¬ 
bled in cleaning and every part is smooth, visible and easily 
reachable, without hinge, tube, pocket or crevice anywhere. 
The whole bowl is washed thoroughly in a couple of minutes. 
The frame is smooth and free from recesses and every part is 
as accessible and thoroughly cleanable as the bowl itself. The 
gears and bushings are protected from milk or water reaching 
them, and there is no slop under or around the machine. 
QUALITY OF CREAM AND BUTTER 
DEPENDENT UPON SEPARATOR CLEANLINESS 
An unclean separator bowl or filthy separator frame neces¬ 
sarily means a bacteria infected and inferior quality of cream. 
Buyers of farm separator cream and buttermaking authorities 
generally are constantly emphasizing this point. 
One of the prize winning creamery buttermakers at the last 
National Dairy Show recently wrote us ; 
«We are sorry for the use of so many ‘mall order* 
and other inferior separators in our territory. It 
seems to be almost impossible to clean them, even 
though the farmers do try—aud a good many of them 
don’t even try. We wish yon could do more missionary 
work to get these rotten separators out of the country. 
It is impossible for any buttermaker to make good 
butter from spoiled or tainted cream.” 
Any De Laval agent will be glad to take a modern De Laval 
machine apart for you so that you can see for yourself its sim¬ 
plicity and sanitariness of construction and how much more 
easily and perfectly it may be cleaned than any other separator. 
The De Laval Separator Co. 
NEW YORK CHICAGO SAN FRANCISCO SEATTLE 
AND UPWARD 
SENT ON TRIAL. 
FULLY 
GUARANTEED. 
=AMERICAN= 
SEPARATOR 
A brand new, well made, easy running, easily 
cleaned, perfect skimming separator for $15.95. 
Skims one quart of milk a minute, warm or cold. 
Makes thick or thin cream. Thousands in use 
giving splendid satisfaction. Different from this 
picture, which illustrates our low priced large 
capacity machines. The bowl is a sanitary marvel 
and embodies all our latest improvements. Our 
richly illustrated catalog tells all about it. Our 
wonderfully low prices and high quality on all 
sizes and generous terms of trial will astonish you. 
Our twenty-year guarantee protects you on every 
American Separator. Western orders filled from 
Western points. Whether your dairy is large or 
small, get our great offer and handsome free 
catalog. ADDRESS, 
AMERICAN SEPARATOR CO 
BOX 1075, 
BAINBRIDGE, N. Y. 
Contain, full information and complete feeding direction, for using 
Blatchford’s Calf Meal—The Perfect Milk Substitute 
Three or four calves can be raised on it at the cost of one where milk is fed. 
Wo mill feed The only calf meal manufactured in an exclusive Calf Meal Factory 
Established at Leicester, England, in 18QfL 
Blatchlord’s Calf Meal Factory, - - Waukegan, Illinois 
