1 May, 1900.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 859 
| bis certain, however, that hogs greatly relish a little fresh earth during 
} “tinement. Ashes are also good, mixed with a little salt and kept in boxes 
| There the hogs can get them at will; they are certainly beneficial. Charcoal is 
| "cellent, and has a tendency to prevent indigestion. The charcoal may be fed 
} “ne or in conjunction with other substances. The following mixture is 
"commended by the veteran swine-breeder, Theodore Louis: “Take 3 bushels 
} *ommon charcoal, 8 Ib. of salt, 2 quarts of air-slacked lime, 1 bushel of wood 
Re. Break the chareoal well down, with shovel or other implement, and 
roughly mix. ‘Then take 1} 1b. of copperas and dissolve in hot water, and 
mith an ordinary watering-pot sprinkle over the whole mass and again mix 
} oughly, Put this mixture into self-feeding boxes, and place them where 
1, 88 of all ages can eat of their contents at pleasure.” If the droppings of the 
| “8s are of a constipated nature, the following mixture works well: Equal 
| darts by weight of Epsom salts, sulphur, and powdered charcoal. Feed the hogs 
| ‘ome of this once daily in their food. The quantity to be given will depend 
| "Pon the size of the animals, say from a teaspoonful to a dessert-spoonful for 
at animal, increasing or decreasing the dose according to the condition of the 
Ppings, 
|. The Piggery.—The building is of great importance. Without a suitable 
lggery, no amount of skill can make a success of swine feeding. To those who 
/ template building, a few suggestions may be useful. In the first place, the 
Ing must be dry —dry walls, dry beds, and, as far as practicable, dry floors. 
j aie is one of the great causes of unthrifty and rheumatic pigs, though 
he Icious feeding will ageravate the evil. Then the pens should be reasonably 
| eat and well ventilated ; and, lastly, they should admit the sun freely. The 
a; tiral feed passage with pens on each side is open to grave objections, because 
| re nes on one side of the passage, at least, will receive little or no sun, A 
Mding facing the south, with all the pens on the south side and the feed 
"Sage on the north, is preferable. No windows need be put in the north side, 
‘a 4 double supply should be put in the south side. If the windows are placed 
,800d distance from the floor, they will amply light the feed passage. With 
|." arrangement, the cold side of the building is tightly sealed against the 
} "d, and every pen receives its share of life-giving sunlight. 
an Opinions differ widely as to the best material for the walls of a piggery, 
1 ho \tis, perhaps, possible to be too positive in this matter. It seems only fair, 
|), "ever, that the public should be made acquainted with some experience we 
| ve had in the experimental feeding department of the College. We have one 
| ey with concrete walls 1 foot thick, a cement floor, and plank sleeping 
a for the pigs. We used this pen during two winters, and the results were 
tous. During each winter more than half the pigs became more or less 
| , Ppled, some of them died, and others were practically worthless. As a sum- 
ia Pen, it has proved quite satisfactory ; but for winter feeding, it is a failure. 
: ie impossible to ventilate this pen without making it too cold. The con- 
ay, 8 @ much better conductor of heat than is wood, and it seems to carry 
j lane. the heat of the pen, condensing moisture upon the walls, and leaving a 
: tol? chilly atmosphere. If artificial heat were used, probably the difficulty 
ae be overcome. It is intended to line the walls with lumber, leaving an air 
*& between the boards and the wall. 
| .,. Reports are to hand of piggeries with concrete and stone walls which are 
y Ug satisfaction, but from what has been stated it will be seen that a concrete 
Bery may be quite the reverse of satisfactory. 
iggy Bring the past winter, which was exceptionally severe and seems to have 
|}, toned more than ordinary difficulty with regard to crippling, we kept our 
P ig ina frame building with cement floor and plank sleeping places. The out- 
q i of this building is single-boarded with battens over the cracks. On the 
‘}y%e, the walls are double-boarded with tar paper between the two layers. 
Ti floors and beds are almost identical with those of the other building. In 
J} jy, Pen, we had not a single case of crippling. Our experience, therefore, leads 
1h 
; “to prefer wooden walls. 
