RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
65 
Raising, 
H o g, s 
P a s t u 
r e 
l have a wooded hollow with a small spring run in, 
supplying water. On one side is, we will say. a 10-acre 
space for pasture, on the north ; on the south there is 
perhaps eight or 10 acres of orchard and meadow. I 
think there are 20 acres in all in that part of the 54 
acres I own that I want to devote to hogs. I intend to 
build the lioghouses on the north side of the hollow, 
facing south, and bed them on dry forest leaves in 
Winter. 
My plan is to plant Dwarf Essex rape and Jerusalem 
artichoke for pasture on one side, and corn. Soy beans 
and cow peas in the orchard. Later on Alfalfa and 
sweet potatoes will be planted ; the hogs to do their own 
gathering of crops. I have perhaps enough good corn 
land to make 500 bushels, besides the pasture. 
The O. I. C. is the favorite breed of hogs here, and I 
think of getting three or four good sows and a regis¬ 
tered boar this Winter, I am building a small house 
for a colored man, who will attend to the hogs, bring 
slops from the city (my farm is only six miles outside 
of Washington) and raise pasturage for them. 
ITow many hogs do you think I can raise on these 
20 acres? I had thought I might raise 100. 
What sort of general ration would you give the sows 
while in pig through the Winter? I expect to get them 
bred a little after Christmas. 
The colored man is by no means an expert with 
hogs, but lias a general idea of how to raise them, and 
is a good hand to haul slops from the city. He has 
raised four nice pigs for me this past Summer. L. S. p. 
T HE conditions you describe ought to be well 
suited for producing pork. I have always 
emphasized the importance of relatively extensive 
areas for the pigs to forage in. for I know that, gains 
are more economical under this system of manage¬ 
ment, and. furthermore, the pigs are healthier and 
more vigorous. There is nothing better than 
Dwarf Essex Rape as a forage for swine, for 
it can be seeded at relatively low cost, and 
it provides a continuous green feed through¬ 
out the growing season. 1 have never used the 
Jerusalem artichoke in conjunction with the 
rape, but I can see no reason why they should 
not be used as companion crops. Whether or 
not the pigs would be inclined to root out the 
rape plants while searching for the artichoke 
would remain to be seen. The other combi¬ 
nation, namely, corn with Soy beans and cow 
peas, is always a good mixer. We have found 
the Soy beans more productive than the cow 
peas, and believe that they do a little better 
under average season conditions. While it 
is admittedly true that Alfalfa has a greater 
feeding value as a forage crop than either the 
rape or Soy beans, you are reminded that it 
is seeded at considerable greater expense per 
acre, although this is in part made up by the 
fact that an Alfalfa field, once established, 
will usually be productive for four or five 
years. There is still another advantage with 
the Alfalfa, as you well, know, the hay can 
be successfully used in conjunction with corn 
for wintering brood sows. 
You are quite right in arranging to grow 
some corn, for I doubt very much if anyone can 
afford to undertake to produce pork without home¬ 
grown corn. Of course you realize that the number 
of pigs that you can maintain per acre depends upon 
the productiveness of the area. Usually we figure 
that an acre of forage crops will support a minimum 
of 1.000 lbs. of live weight, which, translated into 
common language, means that you ought to be able 
to maintain 10 pigs weighing 100 lbs. apiece. During 
our experimental work at the station, on fields that 
would produce an equivalent of 50 bushels of corn 
per acre we produced forage crop enough to main¬ 
tain 2,000 lbs. of live weight per acre throughout the 
season, provided we supplemented the pastures with 
a two per cent grain ration. Surely if 
the 20-acre area that you propose to 
utilize will grow any crops at all, you 
ought to be able to maintain more than 
100 pigs. 
As to a suitable ration for brood sows 
during the Winter, I should use a com¬ 
bination of corn, oats, digester tankage 
and Alfalfa or clover hay. Of course, 
if you do not have the clover or Alfalfa 
hay. and happen to have some Soy bean 
or cow pea hay, it can be substituted. 
Bulk is essential in a ration intended for 
brood sows, but it has no place in a com¬ 
bination intended for fattening pigs. If 
you have such a legume as we have men¬ 
tioned keep it before the brood sows at 
all times through the agency of home¬ 
made slat racks, thus permitting the ani¬ 
mals to have all the hay that they will 
clean up with relish. In addition, feed 
sufficient corn to keep the brood sows 
regularly gaining in weight after they 
vitality so essential in animals maintained for pork 
production. p. c. m. 
Unique Christmas Card. Fig. 2.\ 
and roughage as indicated, in order to make sure 
that the pigs will develop normally. 
Concerning the matter of breed selection, this is 
a problem entirely within your own province. The 
O. T. if they are (lie most popular in your section 
'and the favorite breed of the successful swine men 
of that locality, 1 should use. As I have indicated 
many times it is more a matter of careful selection 
within any given breed than the mere choosing of 
some particular breed of swine. Perhaps it is use¬ 
less for me to reiterate the importance of using a 
mineral compound of some sort, but I believe this is 
important if it is desired to avoid intestinal para¬ 
sites and maintain at all times that vigor and 
The Culture of Basket Willows 
Wo have some swamp or wet ground, about five acres, 
which we would like to plant in willows. We have the 
buildings and experience to make willowware, hut do 
not understand the growing of them. Would you give 
some information about the planting of them, and the 
best kind? a. j. k. 
Pennsylvania. 
L 
Big Corn Yield. Fig. 23 
have been mated, and endeavor, as near as you can, 
to have them increase in weight to the extent of 
about three-fourths of a pound a day. The tankage 
should be diluted with water and sufficient provided 
so that each animal will obtain from one-eighth to 
one-fourth pound per head per day. Of course, if 
you have garbage and such refuse materials that 
yai intend to utilize, they can supply in part the 
daily ration intended for the brood sows; but even 
though I had an abundance of such materials l 
should still insist on providing them with some grain 
Sows and Bigs at Pasture. Fig. 23 
ABOR AND MACHINERY NEEDED.—The 
two great obstacles that stand in the way of 
successfully growing basket willows in this country 
are the lack of cheap labor, as compared with that 
of Europe, and the lack of suitable machinery with 
which to cut and peel the canes. Normally it costs 
closely around $10 an acre to cut the canes, and the 
cost of peeling them is closely upon the cost of 
European canes prepared and delivered. This, how¬ 
ever. is partially offset by the fact that American- 
grown canes, if of the best American varieties, are 
superior to imported canes, and readily bring a 
higher price. There are upwards of 200 different 
species of willow, a comparatively few (I am unable 
to say how many) of whiclf are of value for basket¬ 
making purposes, but there seems to be no distinct 
line of demarkation between those that are of value 
and those that are worthless. But in this 
country the most valuable all around species 
are the American white, green and yellow, or 
golden, respectively, though there may be 
Other species that are slightly better for 
special purposes. They are all of them grown 
exclusively from cuttings, and, while wood 
of the previous year's growth will answer, 
wood that is a year older will give better and 
quicker results. All of them prefer a moist 
soil, but none of them are fond of perpetually 
wet feet, and probably the first thing that 
the inquirer will need to do will be to drain 
his swamp, partially, at least. They will do 
well on any good corn or potato ground, but 
they will do better on ground that is a little 
too moist, but otherwise well adapted to 
those crops, and a good celery soil is ideal in 
every respect. But they require good culti¬ 
vation, and for the first few years, at least, 
an abundance of it. It is useless to attempt 
to grow them successfully upon a soil too wet 
to admit of this factor. While they may 
manage to eke out a miserable existence in 
a swamp, they will not produce commercial 
canes in any quantity. 
Cl LTI\ ATION.—The soil should be pre¬ 
pared precisely as for growing a crop of corn 
or potatoes. Then it should be marked into perfectly 
straight rows, not more than 2 ft. apart. A less 
distance would be better, for it is the close planting 
that produces the long, slender canes; but it will be 
difficult to use horse-drawn machinery in cultivating 
if the distance between the rows is less. The canes 
for planting are cut to a length of from 14 to 1(1 
ins., and planted vertically in holes made with a 
sharp-pointed iron bar at a distance of about 0 or 
S ins. apart in the rows, and at such a depth that 
only about 2 in. remains above the ground, though 
there is considerable latitude allowed along this line 
for condition of the ground. Cultivation must be 
thorough enough and frequent enough to keep the 
plantation free from weeds, for the wil¬ 
low is less tolerant in this respect than 
corn. Some canes will be produced the 
first year, and more the second, but the 
production will not be at its maximum 
until about the fifth year. After that, 
if well cared for, it will remain in a 
good producing condition for about 15 
years, when it will begin to decline. 
HARVESTING.—The canes are har¬ 
vested annually, and the most approved 
time is shortly after the frost has de¬ 
foliated them. A knife similar to those 
used in cutting corn is in general use. 
although many prefer to use a pair of 
pruning shears modified to fit the pur¬ 
pose. The canes are bound in bundles 
similar to bundles of corn, only not so 
large, and packed in open sheds where 
there can be no danger of heating. 
PEELING.—Along towards Spring, or 
a little while before growth should nor¬ 
mally begin, they are set upon end in 
