Cy ™ bt ht St ot bf ee * ome C500 Oe 6 Oe os Lees t Br we - we ae ah a ee ose aed Pele Sere. 6 ee ee - - - - sew ee o- 0:6 0G O84, Bi g40 G.prire wal tice oe e ewe CPO OOOO S SOOT SO SLOG G Gd OCHO MOS Oe RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT * ne a The Key to Success with Hogs---28 Years' Experience in Breeding, Rearing and Shipping BY M. L. BOWERSOX ante 1911 THE M. L. BOWERSOX BREEDINC CO. BRADFORD, OHIO ay rr bo a pee OS ee ad “ 4 . “ y < # 5 ; 3 3 a ‘ ; 2 : a i : . S) = , i Ss Table of Contents % ) AN. INDEX OF THE PRACTICAL SUBJECTS | TREATED UPON Introduction. eee History of at W Vhite cd eh y. ¢. How the Chesters Got Their Name. Lea oR Personal Experience— What and What. Wot: ty Dp. << 526 General Hog Business for Profit -.- - How to Advertise Your Business .... -. Winter Pigs.. Poultry - The iar id His Cie. The Brood oe Gebection’ Pitedine Time, Cae While § in Pig, Farrowing Pen, Portable Hog House, Nip- ping Teeth, Food, Diseases and Cure now, tating Her Pigs..-......-<.. Berety Breeding Craté.:...0.. 25.2.2... - Soe rouses, Consiruction, Plans ...-......:-......--; Sanitary Hog Troughs. . sear en ge i Making Crates For cee Bis ae ianaaeated The Rooting Hog, Castrating.....-. | - Swine Plagues, Cholera, etc., Preventive Measures .-..-.. 4 _ Little More About the Brood Sow.... .. _ The Proper Time to Wean Pigs.. Feeding Hogs... Wholesome Advice—Pays to Smile ..-. +--+ ++ +++1s- 2005 69 Bedding for a Hog or Pig. . nee eee ee Practical occas nogenes . all ha {Ils of Fae Life and Many Others . Er Hog Lots—Full Desctiction=iieetemes i Does It Pay to Raise Pure Bred Hogs? ... 4 oa Present and Future Outlook for Hog Bushee Census. Pipe gree sot ne cee ee Pa gas oe ee ee 9.2 toe ee Buying Stock at Pairs .-d ds sed we oe el eo eS 96 Mail Order Buying .... Gee a ie ee ee gas is 5 Moree Misjudged—Misunderstandings .. ..... al re . .. 99 When Shall We Market Our Hogs for Profit?.......... 108 Sketches of Vast Importance, Farrowing , Feeding, Shelter 112 ‘ emic bette aide Figes: upon the best - and largest white’ sows Of the ‘countty. ‘Enterprising farmers, pleased with the result of this cross, bought them up and crossed them again upon the best selection, obtaining still further soe and profitable results. | ‘We have no authentic information of any additional i in- fusion of bload foreign tothe now established breed, and hence the conclusion is legitimate that the improvement of the breed i in style, form, quickness. of maturity, etc., has been produced from that time to this by judicious selectiouls and ptoper meetings of the most desirable and, best adapted indi- viduals. Traditioti tells us ‘as early as'1812 that there was a large, a very large white hog foutd in the counties of - ‘Chester and Delaware, Pennsylvania, which was supposed to have ‘been brought there’ by the ¢ Quakers who came Over: with! William Penn They | were’ fotind' entirely | too ‘coarse and too eee in "2 ‘maturing’ to be profitable. ° os oa Sa a Capt. James Jeffrey, who sg in “West Cheamiam “ie | ter county; Pa., in one of his voyages to England, had put in his keeping a pair of Bedfordshire’ pigs, to be delivered to a man then living in Pennsylvania, but: for some unknown cause the boar never: went out of the hands of Mr. Jeffrey. This boar proved a wonderful :acquisition ‘in toning. down, refining and making. profitable the: Ran coarse et before mentioned. |: Res) aye | z . one rages rp > ipesiee 2 ie re Ce = etic Titec Ag pF OR 5 peak 1%, " if BY-M. L. BOWERSOX TAS Soon after this, Harvey Atwood, of Delaware county. Pa., had introduced the improved English China blood. This. China hog. was broad-backed, deep. of carcass,. back usually swayed a little, legs'short, jowl heavy, short head and lop ear, large in front. and tapering behind. . The color was white with. black, blue and sandy’ spots in hair; he was an excellent feeder and matured at any age. , The Cumberland hog, or the hog, Mr: Jeffrey brought over from Bedfordshire, England, was a large, broad:backed hog, with excellent hams, short legs, neat head and lop ears. His color was white, with black and blue spots in the hair: he had great notoriety in England, taking many of the best prizes offered there at fairs in competition with all other breeds. The combination of the blood of the Cumberland hog, the Improved China hog, and the white hog of Chester county, Pennsylvania, constituted what was then known. as the Chester County White hog of Pennsylvania. The Chester White hog originated in Chester and Dela- ware counties, Pennsylvania. In 18)8, Captain James Jeffrey . imported a very fine pair of white pigs from England which he called Bedfordshires (better known in England as the Woburn breed) in color they were white, or principally so: they had well formed bodies, were hardy, good feeders and very prolific. | Chester county farmers about this time seemed to take a great interest in the improvement of their swine. The enter- prising farmers of that day were quick to see the effects of crossing their hogs on the very best individuals they could select from their own or their neighbor herds, the result was there was a grand improvement in the hogs of the counties of Chester and Delaware. It seemed that some-of these best specimens fell into the hands of Mr. Harvey, of Delaware 14 BY M. L. BOWERSOX am county, and Mr. Tousley, of Chester county. So tween 1845 and 1848, if we mistake not, these gen ported some White China pigs, known to England as England; in color they were principally white black, and some were whitish grey. The pigs wet come was the foundation or origin of the Chester Whi of hogs. ‘ig am ‘ 4. ‘ F = - * : : » r ie, br ae a a “ aka; men s 7 ~ cee p> > f : y}e . F- a , wa | a ‘am < % 4 r ay sal ars oy 4 —e | - :, . “9 1s ? es a I ; “i Pus PP SAT) ¢ et eee :) rit ahh : — 3 a aS 4 o 1 re > J d —h =a Ss a dr Ae ae , f BY. M. L. BOWERSOX.. 21 just so it has the name hog. No consideration is paid as to what breed or how often crossed between other breed, whether it is all bred to pieces and worthless or not, its a hog. What a grand mistake. Their hogs do’not do well; they lose out: hogs are no good; they will not have anything to do with a hog. My ‘good reader, let us be careful about this and throw out money and time away. There is always a good grade of hogs to be had at reasonable prices if we care not for full blooded stock: But do not buy just anything and expect to make something out of it. Consider carefully whether you had not better pay the price and get something good and thén’ take care of it. Better by far have just one good brood sow well cared for than a half dozen-scats half fed. It is not always the amount that makes the profit; it is-always quality that counts. Better buy one good one and. pay the price that would buy three good-for-nothing: How shall we tell? Well; our country is full-of reliable breeders who havé reputation that can be relied on and-will treat you right. You can find these people amongst any breed. you niay want; and often a. breeder has something that has the blood, but for some cause, or little defect, will not do for his faticy customers; this is _ what we calla ‘poor man’s hog’’, or a bargain—hog or pig. Such pigs can be-had at less money than youcan buy ‘‘culls”’ from your neighbors, and if properly cared for will bring you wonderful results-- Breeders‘ of all breeds have this kind of pigs each season, and these things aré worth while inquiring after and finding out. Give the matter a thought as to what breed of hog you might prefer, and then make your inquiry, stating - what you want. ‘ Satisfy. yourself that the breeder’ you are _ making inquiries with is all right;~-this is your privilege, ‘then go ahead with your deal. -I.am .not prejudiced- against any breed—any of our noted breeds are profitable; if -properly ya RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT cared for. When we ec along the highway we notice too. often a pig pen about eight feet square—a pen, I mean it should be. but it is only a shell—a few boards laid over one corner of the pen, mud body-deep in wet weather, when cold froze up, no bed, six to eight half starved hogs stacked up trying to keep to keep the lower fellow in misery so he will get out and let the next fellow slide into his place awhile to eet a little of the steam created. Where do we find this in this, our enlightened country? Why all over the country, and, sorry to say, with well to.do-farmers; but their hogs do not do well and it hurts their purse. Well, such people should not pretend to have hogs, for they thaven’t even brute mercy, and should receive such treatment themselves. But here we are again; it is a hog. | In such a pen as this I have seen Mr. Owner come along with half a feed and yell “‘Hue! Hue!’’ and slam bang half rotten, rodent-eaten corn right in the mud and go about other business. Is it any wonder we have swine plague, cholera, and so on? ‘Talk about humane officers; talk about pure food laws; talk about politics; talk about probing committees, my friend, let us refrain from such acts and care for hogs. Well, what.shall we do? Why, if we do not care to go to any expense, let us at least haul a couple of loads of gravel or einders and fix a half way decent place to feed our hogs, and sleeping quarters can be readily arranged with a few boards. Now do not think that I have everything polished. I have some good hog houses, and some awfully poor ones; some cheaply constructed (I will speak about this later on): but when I catch a fellow throwing corn in the mud to my — hogs instead of on the feed platform, there will be trouble. The slop barrel should be kept clean, scrubbed out thoroughly at least twice a month. Ope ee are alata . A hen short and round like a ball with a short neck and squatty, is not much - good for laying purposes. If you look after this, reader, you can improve the laying quality wonderfully. Then where eggs are preferred, instead of raising them for market the smaller breeds should be kept. I have the Brown Leghorn and Rhode Island breeds. Feed for egg production sprouted or soaked oats is recommended. I keep dry wheat bran be- fore them the year around, with plenty of fresh water. I place the bran in a box six inches high and about three feet square. They will not waste any—they eat it up clean. _ 1 keep the box supplied all the time. Then I feed them once per day only in winter time with wheat and oats in the morn- ing, placed in litter and make them scratch it out if they . wantit. In real cold weather I feed them corn about three o’clock in the afternoon. This keeps them warm at night. We get eggs the year around. Of course I keep nothing but good stock—the best money can buy. But do not make a business of breeding and shipping the eggs for market—is what my wife wants, and she getsthem. Try this. Take bette care of your poultry; fix up that henhouse; it will pay you. Get better stock. Life is too short to waste half of it and _ feed up your grain and get no better results. Get out of the old rut; get to work; do better; have better health and live happy. Promise your wife that you are going to fix up that -henhouse and get a good Poultry Journal; then do it and do ‘not disappoint your wife by promises only. ~ | The Boar and His Care Here is half of the herd. This hog should have extra, | attention. He should be as near perfect as can be obtained. Yet we should not try to get too fine an animal for this, strength and activity is the great feature to be cons sider in iia Boar. No matter how fine and model the form may be, if he lacks activity he is not what we want. He should Det. be confined too close, neither overfed, and by no means abused ) when a pig. He should be handled; teach him to be driven ‘ to places where you may want to use him; often spend, a little | : ) time petting him; never use rough means. With a boar, — 1 *' Fi * - . = . < ¢ Be SS ee AS BY M. L. BOWERSOX 29 clubbing will not do him or you any good; never allow him to run with a sow, or turn a sow in with him and leave her; such breeding don’t pay. What do you know about it if you do not witness the breeding? A boar should be handled, in a large measure, as a Stallion; see to it and assist him in his breeding—that it is properly done and at the proper place, thereby save your hog and know that the service was properly done; then allow a boar to serve a sow but once, for more than that is a great mistake. Then separate them in case the male is heavy for the sow, if he is kept gentle, much weight can be taken off the sow by a mau being on each side and holding up on him, slightly pulling forward. ‘A breeding pen is the most proper thing to use,:but we cannot always have just what we need. If a boar gets low in activity feed him some turpentine in his slop in tea and tablespoonful doses, according to size and and age, every other day until three doses are given; also put some on his back, over the kidneys, in good quantity; this is a great remedy and never failed for’ me. If the sow is slow coming in heat, the same treatment will assist her to come around. Spanish fly may be used in extreme cases, fifteen drops at a dose, but turpentine has generally done all that was desired for me, and is good for both male and female and should always be kept on hand, especially during breeding season. In no case allow your boars to run with sows; it. is one of the greatest drawbacks you can allow in the hog business, just like allowing a bull to run with cows—never know when your cows are due to calf. Runty calves and runty pigs can be expected where the males are allowed more than one good service. In case your sow is hard to get in pig, and she comes in heat regular and with no result, breed her as soon as she comes in heat—in the morning, then in the evening of the 830 RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT same day; only one service at a time, second day at noon, and the following day at noon until she is out of heat. I never had this to fail for me. . THE AGE OF A BOAR—So inany farmers, even breeders, dispose of a boar when they are at their best. What is the limit age.,of a boar to idscard him? When he is no good any more; but if you have a good boar and can keep up his ac- tivity and he brings good strong pigs, just that long he should or can be kept, even if six or seven years old. Same is true with a sow. Weare too apt to dispose of a brood sow when she may bring us the strongest pigs. He may have a bum, trashy litter along her fourth or fifth litter, then next thing she gets is the fattening pen, when, if she had a chance, she would bring a fine litter the next time to pay for her loss. At least I have found this to be true. I mention the sow in this boar article for fear I might overlook it. SS se DLL Making Hogs of Themselves The Brood Sow A book of itself, if properly described. In this we will have to be brief. A sow and a boar constitute a herd. ‘The bood sow is the one that needs attention of: her owner for profit. How often is this neglected. Yet we look forward to a fine litter, and we are disappointed if we do not get what wé are looking for. . First, we must be careful that we select a fine, robust, strong animal, not too fancy so that the strength is all gone; then she should not be bred too young, allow to mature pretty _ well toward a year before she has her first litter, at least six _ or seven months, so they will have their first litter at a year old; if older, all the better. But if a sow is to be kept to “@ matured age she should not be kept too fat or she may prove q too hard to get in pig. And when a young sow comes in heat regular and gets in high heat and is somewhat slow in growth, she had better be bred, for she will not do any good 32 RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT until she is bred; that is sure. It is the opinion of some that a sow should be large to raise large growthy pigs. This is a mistake: I have medium size and large sows, and the sows of the medium size raige the finest and largest pigs. Of course their ancestors were large and they are bred from large stock. Now, when we have the good selected SOW, let. us keep her tame so that when the farrowing time comes we will not have any trouble. Sow AT BREEDING. TIME--I have mention how this should be done with the greatest care, and I will again state that great care should be taken that the boar gets his service done properly and before he is clearly exhausted in making efforts. This is often the case in careless breeding, by turn- ing them together and leaving them. | Friends, here is a good place to wear kid gloves, and ik: you are too timid to see to this, that it is properly done, better — not keep a male hog at all. About four years ago I had a cus- tomer come ten miles to breed his O.I.C. sow. His neighbor had an O.1.C. boar, but he had his sow there twice and with no result. He was wonderfully concerned about his luck, and was told to bring her here; and he had quite a story about his neighbor’s boar not being any good, or his sow, and so on. Well, we unloaded the sow and I went and got the boar best suited, for we generally have seven or eight breeders on hand; the sow was in good heat, f assisted the boar, and the work was soon done. ‘The fee was $2. 00; 1 not in pig, privi-. lege to return free.’ Why, he was surprised—only one service! ‘Why,”’ he said, “‘I always left her with the boar several days.’’ I told him this certainly was not the right thing or he would have gotten her with pig. I ‘told him to be on the watch, in three weeks if she came in heat again he would have to leave her then; but she had a ‘fine litter of ten pigs, aud he has been breeding his O. 1. C. sow here since twice per BY M. L. BOWERSOX 8 vear at $2.00, never made but one trip. His neighbor charges fifty cents per service, but don’t know what he charges for, or knows nothing about it. It pays to know, then doit; any- thing worth doing at all is worth doing right. Be careful about this breeding business, it is the start to success or loss, both of time and money; it brings pigs Jater than we generally want them if we have to repeat the breeding. CARE FOR SOW WHILE IN P1G—She should not run with other hogs; she should be in a lot by herself, or at least not more than two brood sows should run together. I find it always best for one to be by herself, then she can be fed prop- erly just what she should have. Feed for a sow should not be much corn. Wheat mid- dlings, two parts, one part bran; ground oats, with the hulls sifted out, added is good, or the oats soaked in water twenty- four hours is good for a change of food. ‘lwo or three weeks before farrowing she should be slopped with middlings and bran slop——bran two parts, middlings one; and close to her farrowing time she should not have much feed of any kind. See Mistress Sow fixup her nest for her pigs. Be careful not to stuff her with too much feed. See to it that her dung is not hard before farrowing; if you cannot get her bowels in good shape feed a little oil meal. A sow in proper condition with the above food will not eat her pigs. If you want a sow to eat her pigs stuff her with corn and keep her penned up close in a dark place, allowing her bowels to become so feverish that when she dungs it is nothing but hard balls —more like sheep than hog, then give her a good mess of corn before she farrows and. she will be in good shape to waut meat or anything to check her feverish bowels. | A brood sow, as stated, should be alone in a pen, aud this pen should be a lot out away from the other hogs so she will 7 34 RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT not be molested; then the lot does not need to be large, say 100 or even 200 feet long by a rod or so wide. This lot should be provided with a good comfortable farrowing house at the far end, aud at the most convenient end of this lot there should be a feeding floor with a trough; this can be cheaply sheltered for bad weather, but not made too comfortable to en- courage her to fix a nest there for her pigs, which she will do if encouraged. Why this double arrangement? Well, here it is, and I want my readers to test this, it is a natural secret. Now, then, we have our sows to farrow in the spring and fall. All right, in the fall this plan is not so much needed, for they generally have grass and more or less activity; this is not so in the spring, they will lie in their nest most of the time, and if you feed them in their sleeping quarters, or close by, they will get up and eat and lie down, and in cold weather shiver with chills regardless of a good nest. But where you feed them at the other end of the lot, they will get in the habit of going to and fro, and their droppings will be along the line instead of having the nest all soiled up. You will be surprised how often they will visit their feeding place in a day through snow and rain and get plenty of fresh air; then when they go to their nest, having had natural exercise, they will not shiver and chill, and when they come to farrow they will be in good ae healthy condition, if properly fed. Try this, my farmer friend, and you will be well paid for the price of your ground and labor. | we, While we are with the brood sow, we might as well take this part through. The style of lot described can be made as large as desired; it should not be any smaller than described; — the larger the better, of course. My lots are about sixteen to. eighteen rods long and two to three rods wide, with pasture BY M. L. BOWERSOX ~ 85 next to the feeding end, in summer time, where they are allowed to be during the day, with fruit trees for shade. Where these lots are made to remain, there should be trees planted for shade: if the open sun, shed roofs constructed. Shade is essential for the hog in the summer, with plenty of fresh water from a well—not out of stream; water out of a spring on your own land, where you have entire control, is all right, but avoid a stream that comes from other lands - there is danger of disease germs, though it looks templing, it is dangerous. Better keep your hogs back and invest in a fountain, or carry your water from the well. THE FARROWING HovusE—We will give cut showing a splendid house that can be bought at a reasonable price, and we have same in use of this metal and find them all right, but in summer season they should be somewhat shaded during the heat of the day. These people are all right; their house is cheaper than you can afford to put one up like it out of wood. This steel house is very good in farrowing time, for pigs should be taken away as fast as they come till they are all farrowed, then put to their tit and give them all an equal chance for ° life. Often where a pig is left to go to work before the last one comes he is stout and sassy and thinks he owns the whole ranch. This steel house can be tipped up and a pig got out without disturbing the sow; they can be kept in a box or a big basket till all farrowed, then all put to werk. Where the farrowing is prolonged, the pigs should be put to the sow, for it creates reaction in farrowing when the pigs suck. Where the sow is gentle, which they should be, I have left them with her, but when a restless getting up and down, shifting _ around, is going on by the sow the little fellows should be _ taken away as fast as they come. In cold weather, when they cannot be taken to a stove. several heated brick bats Betapred up and put in the box keeps them in good shape. _ I have boxes good and tight for this purpose. THE HARDY PORTABLE HOG HOUSE Is so constructed that it enables you to obtain results from your brood sows and pigs that are valuable. The hog is one of the principal assets to the farmer when properly cared for, and time and money spent in keeping the sow warm and dry during farrowing time and preventing the loss of the small pigs is not thrown away. This house is sanitary, well ventilated, easily disintectad and is warm and dry. It is five feet wide, six feet long, four and one-half feet high, and is made of the very best corrugated steel with an all steel frame, well braced and weighs one hundred and twenty-five pounds. It can be taken down or put together in less than one hour and one man can move it about with ease. The angle of the roof on this house prevents the sow from walking on or mashing the small pigs, thus decreasing your loss of pigs while they are small and adding to your profits when marketed. This fact alone will more than save you the price of the house in one season. We guarantee the HARDY PORTABLE HOG HOUSE to be made of the very best material and workmanship and if properly cared for will last indefinitely. Write for more in- formation. THE HARDY M’F’G CO. 102 State St. PENDLETON, IND. BY M. L. BOWERSOX ae Now we have got the pigs, what next? Well, sometimes it is all right to put them back to their mother with their teeth in their mouth, and sometimes it is not, owing to the time of year and size of the litter or condition of the sow. If she is nervous, better take their teeth out before putting them back to her. What! Pull pigs’ teeth? Yes; of course not ex- actly pull them, but break them off with small nippers right down on the gums. Care should be taken not to allow any of the splinters of the teeth to go down in the pig’s throat. There is not much danger of that, though, if care is taken: I never heard of any, and I have nipped thousands of them. A side nipper is the best, and can be obtained at a jewelry store; © with them they can be clipped right off. Why is this done? Well, for several reasons. It stops the black teeth business: then did you ever see pigs fighting over one tit and the sow getting up and knocking her pigs right and left, then finally laying down again; and the same thing is repeated till one of the fighting Japs is laid out; that stops that, of course, but the best pig is gone, as a rule, and the fellow that fought him will tackle another, thinking as he conquered once he can do it again; next he gets mashed, and often this is kept up till half of the litter is gone, and the sow is accused of being too fat or careless, and often porked, while the fact is she could not stand those little sharp teeth sunk into her bags till the pig actually hung fast. Did you ever see the side of a pig’s jaw all scratched up? It is done by scraping over a tit. I have neglected this work already for several days, and all seemed _ peaceful till all at once they would get at it; then I have 4 reached in and grabbed the two scrappers and took them to some convenient place away from the sow and done some 38 RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT safest plan is, if you want to save the sow and the pigs, take — their teeth out right away, espcially if the litter is large; the teeth they have when farrowed do not. stay, they come out and new gnes take their place; but if taken out the new ones will not come soon enough to hurt anything. I have seen sows’ bags all bit up and scratched like she had been in the worst brier patch; in fact I have seen tits half torn off. This is all done by the pigs. I tell you it makes a peaceful — family when their teeth are gone; there is no scrapping and, as a rule, they are all raised. Do not neglect this part. Get a pair of nippers, lay an old sack’ across your knees, put a good glove on your left hand to pervent them from biting you; then get to work; not much of a job you will soon learn; do not let any snags stick, snip them off close to the gums. If you get the right kind of nippers the work is easy, small pruning nippers might be used. This part done and a few days’ watch with railing around the side of the nest to prevent the sow from lying on her pigs if a regular farrowing house is not used. Your work will be largely done until the little fellows get along the age of three weeks’ old, then they will want something to eat. A small house or a large box with a hole in it so they can get in and out at their leisure and their mother cannot molest them. Keep shelled corn in this box or house; if in a large hog house, let them have the adjoining stall; keep shelled corn or ear corn before them where they will not be molested, then, when they make an effort to come to their mother’s trough, give them some milk or slop in their private place and watch this carefully. Increase their feed as they grow in this place; do not need to be afraid of overfeeding them if they have pleaty of room and exercise, which they must have. | ~ BY M. L. BOWERSOX 39 I have separate small houses in the lot adjoining their dams’ feeding place, and they will be there when hungry if food is kept there, and you will be surprised how quickly you have hogs instead of pigs. And, now, here is where we get our profit, if-we watch ourselves. Never, under any circumstance, keep the pigs penned in with the sow in aclose place. Just ‘as soon as they begin to scamper out of the nest they should be largely at liberty and by all means left on old Mother Earth. Give the pigs a chance for their life and you will not be bothered with thumps. When pigs are cooped up with their dam more or less trouble can be expected. A sow should never be placed to farrow where the pigs cannot get out and romp around—it is their nature. I raised two fine litters this winter in an old shed building, sows being placed in peus six by eight, on one side, and holes left for pigs to come out in the shed at will, and they were out there before three days old, and at two weeks old they had all kinds of fun and exercise where they were not molested, and they were not three weeks old till that place, 16x26, was not large enough and they would go outside and patter around in the snow, they did not have any thumps either, nor got too fat: they grew like weeds; they went toa place and got corn when hungry and water and slop when they wanted it; and they are not pigs now, they will average fifty-five pounds, seven weeks old and weaned, and very little fuss they made when their dam was taken away, for they had learned to be hogs and to look out for themselves. Now, then, this is the only way to raise hogs successfully. ‘They get in your way once in a while, they often root a little, but you get paid for all _ their mischief if you keep before them; then keep them going right along, and when weaning them you can pen them > AQ RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT dentist work; then the fuss was at an end, for they had to gum it and could not get a hold, so gave up the job. The up quite awhile and they will do fine; but do not keep them up too long, get them out in a lot with fresh air and sunshine and keep them going. Yon only need to keep this up, if you have good stock, for six to nine months till you have a fine large hog ready formarket. Do not neglect this, my reader, it will mean large profit to you. Do not starve your pigs and think they will not fatten till they are a year old, and do not think that they must get poor before you can fatten them; feed them good food, clean at all times; do not think a hog — can eat rotten corn and get fat; neither use the old method that anything is good enough for a hog. Look here, I am writing this book for your profit, and I want my readers to profit by it. If you have any spoiled corn better bury it than to starve a hog to eating it; mouldy corn is not fit for a hog— nor anything else. What shall we do then with our mouldy corn’ Mind your business and you will not have any; as it is our own fault if we have mouldy, rat-eaten, rotten corn. Sure it is not the hogs’ fault, for if they had the chance, in many. cases they would have it eaten up before it had a chance to spoil. In the first place plant a corn that will mature early enough to harvest before too late to properly cure it in the shock; then when you go to husking do not leave it lie out in the fields for days and weeks in all kinds of weather. True, sometimes we cannot help being caught with a load or two; then let us keep that separate and feed that first. Asa rule, my corn comes in dry. But I am getting off the subject. In no case feed the spoiled corn to a hog and expect profit or success, neither pile a load of corn down to a large drove aud let them ‘‘hog’’ over it. ‘If you want to feed hogs out for Lie a i i a BY M. L. BOWERSOX 41 profit, keep them in pretty close—not more thar four in a place, and feed only what they eat up clean and ready with an appetite for the next meal; do not keep food before them all the time, they will not eat enough. For pigs this is all right; but not for fattening hogs. In slopping hogs, some seem to think slop must be sour and stale fora hog. Why do you not have your wife feed you on garbage and sour slop? See how you would like it; then you can. tell better how to feed hogs. for profit. Clabber milk is all right; good butter milk is all right, but just sour milk is all wrong. Buttermilk and clabber milk should be fed before it goes to whey. Sweet, clean and fresh food is what a hog needs for profit, good health and good meat. There is one thing certain, before we leave this part, and do not forget this, the kind of pork we have to eat is made of the kind of food we fatten our hogs with; we can make pork to our liking and taste if we feed according. Oats, wheat, rye, barley and corn all make good hog feed if properly balanced. If you prefer nice, clean, solid, sweet - pork, fatten your hogs out on a mixture of grains ground fine. This mixture can be made with oats, four bushels: corn, two bushels; wheat or rye, two bushels; barley, two bushels; and a small portion of wheat bran and middlings used with this make fine pork and healthy. If not ground extra fine, hulls should be sifted out. This may be fed dry or in mushy slop. Give this a test with a hog fattened on corn and water alone and you will cut out your careless feeding. Why don’t that hog eat his corn? Why don’t he fatten? And many other things. He may be wormy. Feed him some good worm remedy; the druggist will be glad to help you out. There are many guaranteed worm remedies. ‘Turpentine is 42, RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT 4 good, in tablespoonful doses, every other day till four doses. are given. Salvet or medicated salt, manufactured at Cleveland, Ohio, claims to have the sure remedy. Ashes and salt is good; but care must be taken with this, the ashes form a lye, and injure young pigs. I use turpentine generally in slop, and if this is used occasionally not much danger of worms nor other diseases. In many cases where hogs do not do well in fattening their teeth become sore. All corn should be kept away for a time and sloppy food fed. This will give their teeth a rest and a chance to get all right; then corn may be added again. 3 : ‘ Sow Eating Her Pigs I have mentioned considerable about this on other pages, but will give this in full. I never knew a sow to eat her pigs, or even run after chickens, where she was properly fed. A brood sow should be always well cared for if profit is expected out of her. A brood sow can handle and needs large quantities of corn: in fact as much asshecaneatupclean. When pigs are sucking, at the age of four or five weeks, up to weaning time, the sow shouldtnot be fed sparingly, but plenty and a good variety of potato parings, cabbage, beets, anything along the vegetable line. Raw or boiled potatoes are good—raw potatoes are a fine thing to rid worms from hogs. Wheat, middlings and bran is the great slop food for the brood sow, especially during | the time she is raising a litter. Three weeks before she is due to farrow feed this in slop: Two parts middlings to one of bran. Up to the last week it should be two parts bran to one of middlings; then after far- . rowing the first thing water, if she seems to be thirsty; do not give her too much, give her plenty, and all she wants by in- tervals; then when you begin to slop her, give her a teaspoon- ful of turpentine in her slop once a day for three days; this will help her kidneys along, which were under great strain during farrowing time; then increase the feed gradually as the pigs take it. So often we hear of bad luck in farrowing. “‘Sow was too fat, 1 guess.’’ Well, if you want a starved mess of pigs, just starve a sow and you will get them. A sow can be too fat, of course, but she must be in good flesh. If you ex- pect a fine hardy litter, they will soon reduce the flesh. Asa rule, where sows have been having bad luck in farrowing they were not in proper condition. Safety Breeding Crate Here is one of the most needed pieces of work in the hog business. I am not giving you this as an advertisement; but I am often asked what to do to use a large boar with a young sow. Here it is, and can be bought far cheaper than to try to manufacture one, and where any breeding is done for profit one of these crates should be used. We are using them and find they pay for themselves twice over in one season. Any sized sow can be bred to a large boar. No more trouble about that boar getting too big. Get one of the Safety Breeding Crates and keep your big boar; it will pay you in getting bet- ter pigs, stronger and more of them, for there is no running around after that old brimming sow all over the farm. Put her in the crate, get your boar and the work is easy. After you have one of these crates you would not think of breeding a BY M. L. BOWERSOX _ -45 sow any other way. Train your boars to it when young: old boars can be readily trained with gentleness. It certainly pays to use a crate of this make, and, while we have enough business without furnishing crates, you can place your order with us and we will see that you get one at once. The price is $15.00 only, and the profit in two litters over the old hap- hazard fence corner breeding will pay for one of these up-to- date crates. They can be ready gauged to fit any sized sow, _the boar can be raised or lowered to suit. But now, look here, do not understand me that you can use this machine and breed a sow any time, whether in heat or not. It is wise to be sure vour sow is in heat before placing her in crate. This can readily be determined by allowing her to get along side of the boar in adjoining lot or pen, or by her action in other wavs. There is but very little weight on the sow. | How often a sow is breed just about half and often the boar gets worn out making efforts before the work is accomplished. By the use uf this crate you can do the work complete in all eases. This crate can be placed in a small passage way of feed room, or any convenient place. We havea house fixed on purpose for this work. Running around after sows does not pay. Go and get your boar several times where your crate is and after that all you need to do is to let him out and he will come on his own accord. Send your orders for this crate to the M, L. Bowersox Co. and you will have prompt service, and it will not cost you one cent extra; you get the crate for the same price as if you would order direct from the factory where they are made and ready to ship any time of the year. But it is wise to place your order in time and have your crate ready, for you certainly will not regret the money spent, and 46 RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT vou do not need to turn away your customers because your boar is too large; and after your community learns that you are fixed for the business they will gratefully give you their business, even at an advanced cliarge in price that will soon — pay you back for your crate. Friends, this is placed in this book for your own profit and welfare; give it the proper thought, and let us quit this old haphazard breeding: it does not pay: life is too short to be aggravated running around after hogs at this period, and itis dangerous. We get out out of sorts and we say things we should not say: we do things we should not; we often have to really be ashamed of our actions after such flurries or pass them. Why not stop it and enjoy our few days here and get more profit out of this breeding business and live like people ought to live. Let us have your order at any time to stop all this worry and fuss, and tell your community you are prepared for the business. Asking you kindly again to look after this, it will pav you to look into the matter. : Hog Houses Where a house is to be used for a brood sow, it should be constructed with good judgment. It may be made by driving four stakes and place old rails over the top, or old board, and well covered with straw, old hay or fodder, closing three sides with fodder or straw, fencing it to hold the straw in place, leaving the side facing the south half open. This kind of a house can be erected very cheap and made safe from frost in winter or late fall or early spring. While a mcre practicable house and more convenient, can be cheaply constructed by selecting a high place where water is not likely to collect: and to avoid this it can be slightly filled. Take 2x4 scant- ling, cut the rear pieces three feet long, front or highest point four feet, cut your end boards six feet long, seven wide. Any cheap lumber may be used. Now-a-days when all kinds of good felt or rubber roofing can be had to cover such a house, top, sides and ends, close the front up with the rest, leaving only a good sized door way. Build this house so you can open it at the rear with a door, so in case of wanting to é get pigs away from the sow, it may be opened for that purpose and not molest the sow. Be sure and put railing around the inside at bottom, both rear and sides, a board at least six inches wide, six to eight inches from the floor or ground to to prevent the sow from lying on her pigs. Face this house 48 RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT somewhat southeast, or straight facing the south. If the house is preferred with a floor, do not elevate the affair to save lumber from rottening and allow draft underneath. Get you floor’right down on the dirt, burying the nailed ties into the earth so that no air can circulate. An elevated house is all right in summer but not in winter; in fact, 1 do not ap- — prove of them in the summer, disease germs will collect, and this rear end door can be opened in summer, and you will ~ find it a nice cool house and very cheap and comfortable. I have a number of these, and they cost along from $5 to $6 at the highest mark for good material all around, and two hours’: labor -will make one. Why not keep your pigs in comfort and save feed and our pig, it certainly pays; and for a renter that is obliged to move, these houses can be.redily moved. ‘These houses can be made smaller or larger, to suit the sized hog that is‘to occupy them. Many different plan hog houses can be constructed. The steel type can be readily made out of wood and very convenient; but in all cases*put a door at opposite end, to open in summer time, to allow air to pass through in hot weather. Hogs should be fed early in the morning and water placed in their troughs. -If no foun- tain is used then they should not be disturbed during the day. Twice per day is supposed to feed hogs; they are better off not to be molested at the noon’ hour; then in the evening’ they should be fed before sundown. Summer and winter a hog don’t like night feeding; neither do I; and it should not be practiced. Many a cheap comfortable hog house can be erected;. but now and then where a man has the means and wats to have a comfortable, convenient, regular hog house, I will give you the most up-to-date plan, and one that ean be improved but very little, and anyone wishing to erecta con- BY M. L. BOWERSOX 49 venient hog house, and one that will accommodate a large number of hogs in ever respect, will never rue taking this plan. There will be one of this plan erected here on this farm this season, nothing serious preventing. The plan is this: Face the south, or at an angle southeast, according to favor- able spot; put up your solid concrete foundation double house, with a 10-foot drive way through the center; arrange your pens at leat seven feet square. I would recommend the floor _ part dug out and filled in with cinders, as stated in this book. You will appreciate this kind of a floor for a drive way. Cement the outside. Pens should be all cemented at least seven feet square so as to give the hog a chance for cleanli- ness. Yards should be concreted to allow them on the ground when weather is fit for exercise. The outside cement pen should be three inches lower than the inside. When the wall is put up, %-inch bolts, six inches long at least, should be placed in the wall, head down, allowing 2% inches to project; then use 2x6 sill; place tar paper, or rubber roofing on the sill; slip your sill with holes bored correct over the bolts; bolt it fast; draw it tight, and then do not allew your floor to come up any closer than two or three inches to the sill and your sill will always remain dry and tight to the wall and will not rot out. Now the frame—Build your south pens with a shed roof just as though you were building a single pen, high enough for your convenience; arrange your doors and windows so they will not interfere, and a big half sash in a slide frame up and down with a pulley and light rope in the drive way, so it may be raised or lowered at will from the drive way; doors the same, so you can shut a hog out or in before they are aware anyone is around. A big half sash gives light and sunshine enough in one pen, but each should have one win- 50 RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT dow. I prefer these pens. Front just about two or three inches higher than the drive way. Then place a good, neat, substantial trough, long enough to accommodate what you may want to put it.’ Then I prefer a boxed swinging door over the trough so I can swing in the door over the trough and shut them back till I have the feed or slop in, then close the door and allow them to come up decent. ‘This does away with the old time shute; and if there is any dirt in the trough it can be removed with ease, for there are no hogs to bother you. This can be managed by placing a good strong board half A shape at each end of the trough, big end down, to keep the trough closed when the door goes in. You will find this the most’ convenient and most pleasant way in feeding and slopping hogs you ever experienced, and it pays. You will enjoy it, for you can have on good clothes or kid gloves, as you like, and no hogs and slop all over you. Now we have the plan of troughs, doors and windows. Now the north section is the same as the south, only the shed roof must stand rihgt above the south side of drive way high enough to allow a window for each pen in the north section so as to get light and sunshine in the north pen. Then your building is an up-to-date hog house like this: | “ Cale ‘ rer OF ok Oe Ee Se " gh Pet ae ors BY M. L. BOWERSOX Be You will never regret the money spent for. this kind of a hog house. If you cannot perfectly see just how the length, breadth and so on should be, take this to your carpenter and he will soon make for you a drawing that will show yeu just the ideal house and give vou figures of what it costs to erect it. Now the doors at the drive way should run on rollers in two sections and should run in double wall and cemented grove be- low, so that when closed it is tight and no wind and air blow in at one end, either east or west. Next to this main hog house a shed cari be erected for storage of feed,straw and fodder, with a ground floor and windows only to the south. This will make a fine place for young pigs to run in, and also allow their dams out in bad weather. Such a hog house with this feed and straw shed will soon pay for itself. Try it and be well rewarded for all your labor. 3 aia THE LEHR SANITARY HOG TROUGHS They are without an equal, absolutely sanitary and will last a lifetime. DIMENSIONS HEIGHT TOP WIDTH 2 BOTTOM WIDTH | Outside....,...-5. IM. ......., 2 AN, ied Bees So. ae Wiside oe ek oc Ae Me te 1934 In: Pcp 2% in. This style is made in 2, 4, 6, 8and 10 foot lengths. The 2 foot is made with or without cross bars. DIMENSIONS HEIGHT TOP WIDTH BOTTOM WIDTH Outside........ Spite: Becerra v2. Seg Th eee 3% ine Tnside ps). tas A, eae A ree. bias spt adh. 2% in. This style is made in 27% foot length only and is particularly adapted for feeding a large bog. Made with or without cross bars. ye i. <—_= The guards pre- Wify es Z mA vent the hogs from interfer- ing with one . another. Each , hog, whether large or small, : Is sure to get its share of feed. Has eight com- partments. Will féed eight hogs atone time. Every hog breeder: should have *-: them. The Lehr Troughs are made from a select grade of iron. They will not break by water freezing in them, nor rust through. Being made without a joint, will not hold feed or dirt like wooden or sheet metal troughs, hence are absolutely sanitary. The feed in them is always sweet andclean. They are heavy and substantial, practical and econom- ical. Considering the durability, they are cheaper than other troughs. There are thousands of them in use, and every hog breeder or farmer having Lehr Troughs would not do without, nor have any other. Our best testimonial is that many are placing their second order and some their third. THE LEHR AGRICULTURAL CO., Fremont, Ohio. ADDRESS DESK No. 2. dee OO imal Ae eal na a. calli BY M. L. BOWERSOX ey Round hog trough accommodates eight head, and I will here state that the manufacturers of this trough do not realize its value in use to the farmer. I will tell my people and readers how to use this trough. Build a good solid platform eight or ten feet square; place this trough in the center of this platform; build a flat roof over it, projecting at least a foot out on each end: make this roof about three to four feet high. Make a square wooden funnel, big at the top, about twelve inches square, taper it to a point about five inches square, let this end come within about one and one-half inches of the top center of this trough. Make a lid for this funnel, so that no water can get in. Then a few steps up at a convenient place, slop and feed your hogs from the roof, and have them out in an open lot. You will be surprised what a self-feeder you can make out of this trough. Try it, and tell these people what vou have done: they do not know; but I know what you can do. Trv it. pee te PN me siecesheiaddeeacaneatnalaniaiiateeietinciinentiae tear cae MR ae tm: ;, “O09 ONIGaaaa ‘XOSUAMOE “IT W ; 1 ‘MOI}BYS SITY} JB SANDDO W3}jO Jey} BUSS YW “Uly-e uO ‘1B0q, ppur SMOS XIS—DPUAT] MIAIS ‘1aUIO}JSNO VASBIQIN 9UO O} Je ‘yUoUIdIYs [voIdA] ¥ Making Crates For Shipping Purposes Great care should be taken to make these neat and strong. One great mistake that many breeders make they put their frame posts on the inside, which makes a weak crate, and the posts interfere with the pig or hog. Sharp corners should be rasped off or dressed. A\ little common sense and time will make a neat and comfortable crate. Most any kind of native timber can be used, if properly sawed. Then do not try to use a common big nail where a light box nail should be used. I use nothing but the very best of barbed box nails in eight penny and six penny; this gives me, too, the proper size for heavy and light crates. I also keep a light shingle nail and sprig nail of different sizes on hand, and I find that it pays. | Then if you have no native timber of your own and go to the lumber yard to buy it, buy the good box lumber, use good judgment and your crates will look neat, and the man that receives the pig will at least think you know your busines. It is actually a shame the way some breeders put up their crates. I have seen them here at this station for transfer that were made out of old fence boards, half rotten rubbish pile boards of all widths, thickness, and neither end post. alike and inside of the crate. 1} noticed one crate made out of a combination 2x4, 1x6, 2x6, 1x2 for posts, sides were fence paling and old barn siding—some 1x2, some %x6, some 2x6, and I actually believe that the half of these boards were cut off with an ax, and a dull one at that. Friends, this is none 56 RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT of my business, of course, and I do not want to criticise, but we breeders—white, black or red—let us be more civilized; it hurts your business to ship hogs in such crates. If you were to stand by at a station and hear the remarks made about such business, you certainly would not have nerve enough to step up and say, ‘My friend, 1 made that crate and I am the breeder of that hog, or pig.’’ Let us be careful and get enough ahead some way to get tools, and if we want to make crates out of old timber let us work them up and plane them down to respectable appearance at least; thisis economy. I have seen crates, as these described, that, with tools, there could have been three respectable crates made out of the lumber that wasinone. The express is just the same on crates as on hogs, and it is up-hill business for a customer to pay more on the crate in express charges than on the hog and then have a worthless crate, something that he is ashamed of, to let his neighbor see that his fine hog was shipped in such a thing. Look here, brother breeder, stop this; if you cannot make a crate, or have not the tools, hire a man that has the tools and ability to make a neat crate for you. J have made crates out old lumber, and when completed it could not be detected, un- less closely examined; but it takes tools and labor. I heard the remark of a wealthy farmer once at the station, sizing up a hog and a crate, and it was this: ‘‘Well, I like good stock. and often though: I would invest in some and get on the right track, but when a man seés such an outfit as that, with the breeder thrown in, one loses courage;’’ for he said, “that hog may be all right, but the the man that shipped it is not.’’ If I had to pay the express on sucha crate as that, both hog and crate would go back to the shipper. Let us cut this out. We can do better; then why not do it? See | ae ee Te cons epee a The Rooting Hog ‘Root, hog, or die’’ is generally the saying. It should be ‘Root, hog, and die,’’ for a rooting hog is worth but little more tlran a dead hog. Take, for illustration, a sow that is suckling pigs; let her get started to root and she will let her feed lay and go and root: if allowed to continue her rooting, the result will be a pile of dry bones—both sow and pigs; and what is more annoying and aggravating than to have every thing rooted up. Some crank will say, ‘Turn a hog out in clover, encourage them to root, they get the grub worms.’’ Well, i would like to see a hog fattened on grub worms. To have your pasture all rooted up does not benefit the hog. They say they find roots. I do not know what they get. They 7 often receive the end of my boot when I catch them rooting around me; and if that does not stop them, they get a ring next in their nose. Some say it is profitable to them. Well, ~ Idonot know. There is one thing I do know, it is not very profitable to a fellow’s neck when he walks out at dusk after cattle, or general business in the pasture lot, and before he has time to think tumbles in a hog hole, as I call them; one thinks it a hog or hoggish hole if it rained a heavy rain before _ you happened along that way, and a fellow hardly ever _ thinks of anything about that time. 58 RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT Well, the remedy for this is easy enough. ‘There is no danger in ringing a hog if proper rings are used. They should not be set too deep. Some people are brutish about ringing hogs and pigs, and gets so awfully out of sorts that they almost take a hog’s head off; no use in that, it is hog nature to root. But at this day and age it is different with the hog’s snoot, than it used to be, when they had to be turned out in the fcrest, and turned over leaves and brushes to find acorns and the like; then they had to use their rooters. But now-a- days in pasture and feed lots, it is all together useless for a hog to root. I find that a small rope with a small ring tied on the end, making a loop with the rope through the ring, slipping it in the hog’s mouth back of the upper teeth, then draw up the loop and let them pull back; this draws their attention and the ringing can be done easily and correctly. On a large hog this can be done by getting them in close quarters with a hurdle or gateway, often can be accomplished while eating, if tame. A good place to get them is in a nar- row gang-way, hog shute or hog crate. Be careful, do not set your rings too deep. Some use hog snouters, as they call them. Well, I do not believe in them. In the first place it looks brutish; then it spoils the looks of the hog; then again 1 have seen hogs that were snouted, as they call it, and when their noses were healed up they rooted just the same. Does not hurt to ring them at all if properly done. And it is a detriment to a hog to root. Stop it, but handle your hogs with care so you donot hurt them. To tamea vicious boar, get him in close quarters; get a stout small chain in his mouth, same as for ringing, back of his upper tusk, tie him firmly to the fence or post, take a heavy iron or steel wedge, hold its sharp end to the root of the tusk, then with a riveting hammer you can readily knock them off; - BY M. L. BOWERSOX 59 sometimes it is best just to knock off half. Asa rule this - tames a vicious boar. Care and good judgment must be used in this work. | To castrate a large hog, this lasso business around the ___ upper jaw is of great benefit, it draws his attention and can be tied to a post before throwing him; care must be taken . that he will not get the lasso loose. I have castrated monster a big boars in this way when there were only three men of us. _ Great care, caution and good judgment should be used in “4 these cases. Nothing better for a man than to keep his tem- per covered up around a hog, no matter what breed of a hog. - I do not think that they all drowned when the old fellow was _ in them, but, for all this, some people use the devil for their _ profit, but have to handle him easy. So whether a small per "cent of him is stiJl in the hog or not, I do not know, but it is 4 _ best to handle a hog gentle and with great care. Swine Plagues This is a subject that is hard to face, and there has been so much written about it in our farm papers and so-claimed ~ cholera remedies that advertise their goods and send their cir- culars out, that it would seem almost incredible for a man to approach the subject of Swine Plagues, for one would think that the world knew all about these things and have the ready remedy, but this is, no doubt, a mistake. So I will approach the subject lightly. oF, Cholera is in different forms. It may be a germ disease. I heard many talk about cholera, giving different opinions, and heard of and read about scores of remedies. My candid opinion is that it comes first from a diseased stomach. ‘True it is carried by the wind. It is carried on your shoes if you are where itis. I have seen it, and had experience with it about three years ago, but not since, and I do not want any more experience of that kind; it is not pleasant at all. Cholera is © in a diarrhcea form and also constipated. ‘There is much so-called cholera when there is no cholera about it. Genuine cholera plays havoc in a hurry. I may have some of my readers that do not agree with me that this disease generally comes from a disordered stomach. Well, for all the world does a hog’s stomach get out of order? Well, L admit it is a hard matter to stir up a healthy hog’s stomach; but, let me tell you, if you do get it stirred in the way of cholera, you BY M. L. BOWERSOX 61 will not have a pleasant stir of it, for the way the majority of hogs have been fed it is a wonder to me that we do not have more cholera than we do. But today, with all the im- proved stock fountains in use in the west,and large hog ranches are reduced, and better and more up-to-date methods of feed- — ing practiced, there is less cholera. The government of the United States is making a big fight to stamp it out, but, until ~more breeders and feeders change their filthy habit of feeding, | it will exist. The care and feed so many people give their | hogs it is a wonder to me that we do not have more swine i plagues than we do. Where a hog is properly fed on good clean food there is very little danger of cholera. I have nothing to boast of, but some breeders of O. I. C. : swine claim they are cholera proof. Well, they are a healthy, ; vigorous breed of hogs, but as to cholera and swine plague proof, I would not guarantee them. But I have had some of my herd exposed to cholera several years ago, but I never noticed any break out. I watched and fed them very carefully 3 and disinfected everything, thereby the true saying ‘‘an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure’’; this might have saved me and mine, but, as a rule, careful feed- ing, most especially when green corn is first used. Ifthe cholera, as so many claim, is a germ disease only, why is it that we hardly every hear of cholera except in the fall and early feeding of green corn, or even when feeding-out process begins I have heard. I do not like to say, farmers, but it is a fact, hustle around in the fall and see whether they could not gather up several hundred bushels of cornu to feed out a bunch of hogs; and I also know of such farmers losing i all their hogs and the damaged corn they bought. Mouldy 3 and musty grain of any kind is not fit fora hog. And how 62 RAISING HCGS FOR PROFIT often do we see where corn is piled down to the fattening hogs and allowed to half rot under their feet. Kind reader, if it is too much bother for you to feed your hogs properly once or twice per day, and only what they eat up clean, and you must have a store of food before them and think that is the way to feed, don’t do it in a hoggish way; get a self- feeder and put your feed in it, and keep it out of the weather and mud holes: then use your stock fountain where they can get plenty of fresh water at all times, fountain being kept clean and not allowed to. become stale and full of germs, as is often the case. Wecannot be too careful about these things in the way of feeding, in cleanliness, in wale and the result certainty. fica uf y Ot) eee I fear there are too many of us inclined to. think too | highly of ourselves, and think we know it and do not want to take advice. I have learned quite a bit in my time, and IJ have still a lot to learn.. We should be careful in this matter. A farmer remarked to another farmer, © What, are we worth?”’ ‘Well,’’ was the reply, “‘that depends on what we are—a horse, a mule, a cow, a steer, a boar: or a jackass... There’s a. fellow over yonder if I could buy him for what he is worth and sell him foe what he thinks he is worth, I could rake in a pile of money.’ We should be careful and not think too highly of ourselves in the, wrong light, which is against us. ) The fellow. that generally, thinks he knows it all and is past i taking advice has not much business among common people. | So if we are careful and on the watch, and apt to learn aud reach out for instruction and practice it, we can hold these diseases among our stock in check, and reap a big profit. Often a simple remedy, timely used, saves many a dollar ina case of cholera. In the diarrhoea form, blackberry root tea BY M. L. BOWERSOX 63 will check it, if taken in time, in the feeding of green corn. In the fall I feed green corn—stock and all—just as soon as it comes in roasting ears; but I feed good old corn with it, and the new very sparingly; and in slop at this time I use lots of wheat middlings, even to low grade flour, till I have the hogs used to the green corn, then I can pile in all they can eat up clean and it will not hurt them at all. Our country is full of good farm papers and plenty of reliable remedies, and there are scores of them that are good and scores thst are worthless. Spirits of turpentine is a good remedy amnong the hogs. ‘Turpentine occasionally, and good old careful feeding, with plenty of fresh water from a good well, and plenty of good, wholesome grain, as often men- tioned in this book, you need not fear swine plague and cholera. Little More About the Brood Sow Let us watch this animal with pi utmost cate. (1 eem reason a sow is more apt to be inclined to eat her pigs in the spring of the year is due to her being housed too close, which is often the case, and she becomes feverish before she farrows. A small piece of salty meat occasionally, at least three weeks before she is due to farrow, is good; also salted slop and plenty. of sloppy food, potato parings, cabbage leaves, mid- dlings and bran, and a little oilmeal if bowels are not medium loose. Feed plenty of raw potatoes before farrowing and the sow will have milk to start out the little fellows on their life journey. This should not be overlooked, especially in a young sow for her first litter. Let us be on the watch. A little time spent around the brood sows, noticing their actions and general condition for health, will pay big in the coming litter. ps fa Get <€-- Lng te | . 2a __ . ee ee ee x _ a - waa. OT a I EET OE I A i Ta a a The Proper lime to Wean Pigs. This is a question that I am often asked to answer, and there is no different answer to this question. The old Penn- sylvania rule used to be a © four-week-old-pig, or at weaning time,’’ so at four weeks of age they counted weaning time. But this age is too young unless conditions calls for such an act, for at four weeks of age, if the sow is well fed and gives a lot of milk, they barely commence to eat at that age unless encouraged. But in young sows’ first litter this four-weeks weaning may be required. It all depends upon condition. Between six to eight weeks is about the time when the pigs begin to eat and drink real hearty, and they are getting along when they show that they are capable of taking care of them- selves, no matter what age, they can be weaned with success. But never keep the little fellows penned up too long in close quarters; allow them plenty of room. I have noticed pigs, where the sow was poorly fed, that the pigs would have been favored, also the sow, if weaned at three weeks. Of coure we cannot take such acts into consideration, for any man that will starve a brood sow so that she cannot nurish her young - is no man atall. True, we can overfeed a brood sow. This must also be graded: but if we properly feed, and the right kind of food, there is not much danger of overfeeding when - _ the pigs become pretty stout. coda a Le Lia lias al dhe i ee ae Se Des, RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT Some one of my readers will say, ‘‘O, yes, he can talk about feed; how can he afford to pay one dollar and fifty cents per hundred hundred weight for middlings and bran at the price it retails at this writing?’’ Well, J] admit that $1.50 per hundred weight of mill feed is high, certainly, but where — we get value received and a profit we have no room to kick. Say, you have several fine sows to farrow. One you feed carefully with good food properly and cleanly selected, and the other one half housed; one raises all her pigs and no runts that was properly fed, and the other carelessly fed raises but half of hers’ and half of them runts. Where is your high priced feed then true? Where there is plenty of milk, hog raising is very easy; but a small amount of mill feed added to the milk is also good. But where a large num- ber of hogs are to be kept and milk is not plentiful, the mill feed is very profitable. Even at a high price, economy must be practiced. Good, clean clover hay can be cut fine in a cutting-box and a portion added to their slop in winter when grass cannot be had, or to use corn fodder for bedding is grand; they will clean up the good leaves in a hurry and clip the hay, too. Try it, and see if they don’t. The farmer is king among men- but not without a hog properly fed. . he 4 bia. 7 i a a Sa bl z = a ee re a a CS: NP i I I a a Feeding Hogs Is not such an awful task as some farmers seem to make it, unless it is done like I have seen it time and time again. Brood sows, especially at the far end of the farm, fed at con- venience; then their hogs do not do well; nothing in it at all: hogs don’t pay. Arrange your hog lots at home—not in your front yard, but somewhere around the barns or shed at a con- venient place where you can see what they are doing, and where they can see you at least twice a day with something for the ‘innerman’’. And, now here, do not understand me that you must hang around the hog pens and lots all the time;, not even when we get busy; for a man that gets too much in his head has no business in the hog pen. In fact, I would not know the proper place for a drunken man, unless in a mud hole. Let’s keep sober. They say a little is all right. Well, let it be a little, so we don’t get a ‘‘jag’’ on. But the hog, feed regular—not just at your leisure, for if you have all times, irregular, and at all hours for feeding, they will expect it the first glance they get of you. But if you feed regular and get around among the hog pens between regular hours, your hogs will not set up a howl. You can makea hog what you want him to be; you can train him just as well as other broods, and you can spoil him, just as you like. Use a cheap Gas RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT bull dog and shot gun on a hog and get him used to such treatment, and you cannot handle him any other way. A club, a dog or a shot gun is not needed in the hog business. Vicious cross hogs are generally made that way-—by cruel treatment. There is no animal that will take to kind treatment nore readily than a hog. ‘Try it and see how fine it works. When you come in contact with them, scratch their back a little and see how soon they will yield and want more of your kindness. While the hog is of a wild nature, it belonhs to them as a heritage, and should not be confined in close quarters for a long period. Give the hog light, air and sun- shine, and a chance to stir, and the profit is yours. ote 3 Wholesome Advice Let us get that old grouchy look off our faces and meet 4 the world with a smile. If we do not just feel like it at first , let us keep on practicing; it is good medicine. You do not | Eee! like meeting that fellow with a grouchy look when you - feel and act different. We can bring grouchy looks on peo- = s faces, and we can bring smiles and sunshine; then why j “not have the sunshine every day? If we cultivate a cheerful B@iosition we will be far happier, indeed. ‘Then let us do 5 our best, get sunshine in our homes by looking after our pigs: and chickens. If we cannot sing a song, let us get that old 4 hen in shape and she will sing a song and lay her egg for our . Br profit, and this will help to bring a smile and sunshine in our _ happy homes. Let us be contented with our lots in life and od lo Our level best to be happy. Care and sorrow comes to all, 1 t we can lessen them by being cheerful and meet the world -asmile. Let us not forget this, kind reader. Bedding for a Hog oan By no means use oat straw nor buckwheat straw. If _ vou do you will be sure to have skin poison, scabs, mange © and pig cough, and stained hair. Ona white hog kerosene ot coaloil should aever be put in raw form for lice, their skin will not stand it. The best bedding for a hog is good rye straw; yet for sows with small pigs I prefer wheat straw with plenty of chaff, the little fellows can get around in it better; then when they are at the age of two or three weeks the rye straw is all right. For large hogs corn fodder is grand; they will eat a great portion of the leaves, which is good for them, and the pulp of the stalk keepsthe nest dry. Hay is good for bedding; they will eat quite a good bit of it, especially clover hay. By all means avoid the old straw in the manure pile. Where a nice clean straw stack is out in a field a few tay be kept, but where a straw pile is in the manure yard they will stack up in the manure and get sweaty; and the next thing you know you will have a mess of horn-backed pigs, scabby, shivering; they will not have life enough in them to be out of their hot nest long enough to eat a square Ty ey re BY M. L. BOWERSOX 71 meal, and will crawl right back in their old steamy hole. Take a nice bunch of shoats and allow them to stack up on a manure pile in cold weather, or old half rotten straw stack, and see how soon you will have a good-for-nothing mess of pigs or hog. Shavings are good for a hog’s nest. Sawdust is a nuisance, except in outside pens to soak up manure and mix with droppings; but for acomplete bed, and it alone, it is no good. Where hogs are confined in winter, their nest should be changed twice per week. It will give them an awful sight of exercise to fix up a new pen. This is why bundle corn fodder is good. I have noticed them work on a bundle of corn fodder for a full half a day working it into nest and eat- ing a large portion of it. Look after these things, my friends, and you will be well paid for all your labor, I assure, and your hogs will appre- ciate your kindness, and you will feel better yourself for hav- ing given your hogs a treat in a good clean bed. Let us cut out this old haphazard way of “anything is good enough for a hog,’’ for it is not, and if we give the matter a sensible thought we can see the profit. Practical Receipts I will here in this section give you the work of older and more experienced men than 1 am. ‘These formulas and receipts have just been obtained for this grand book at a . fancy price. We are giving them to you, my reader, for your — consideration and your highest benefit. GREBS’ ““FARM’’ CONDITION POWDER Gentian Root, powdered 1 ounce Ginger Root, powdered 2 ounces Fenugreek Seed, powdered 3 ounces Anise Seed, powdered 2 ounces Saltpetre | 1 ounce Bicarbonate of Soda — 1 ounce Sulphur | 2 ounces Ground Flaxseed 4 ounces Pass each .of the powdered drugs sepsrately through a fine sieve, then mix all the ingredients thoroughly and sift again. Put up in packages of one pound or larger. DIRECTIONS For USE:—In ordinary cases for horses and cows, one tablespoonful morning, noon and night, in ground © feed or wet oats for five or six days; afterwards once a day or every other day as needed to keep the animal healthy and the coat in perfect condition. For hogs, give one-fourth as much as for horses. ~J a ww BY M. L. BOWERSOX In cases of Founder, Hide Bound, Rheumatism, Bots and Black Tongue, give the powder as directed and administer the usual medical treatment for such cases. In cases of Pink _. Kye and Epizootic, increase the dose about one-fourth to one- Tena ee eer eh Meee es Ps wa half and add one teaspoonful of powered lobelia herb, admin- istered three times a day, as directed above. In severe cases, burn old leather and exhausted tea leaves, allowing the ani- mal to inhale the fumes. In Poll Evil, Scratches, Grease Heel and Mange, cleanse the parts thoroughly with warm soap and water, dry well and apply carbolized Petrolatum. Give the powder as directed above in connection with the other treatment. GREB’S “FARM”? VETERINARY OINTMENT Garbolic Acid tT; OHCYS Pine Tar 2 ounces Rosin 2 ounces Petrolatum 1 pound Melt the Rosin by gentle heat, add the Petrolatum, and - when melted the Pine Tar. Continue the heat with stirring until all are thoroughly combined, remove from the fire and, while cooling, add the Carbolic Acid. Stir until cold. if the erystalized acid is used (which is best) it should be liquified ___ by heat before adding. - Put this up in four-ounce boxes (tin) to retail-at 25 cents. The darkest grade of petrolatum is used for this, which can be bought for five cents a pound in quantities. Use as any 4 other salve wherever needed. If you purchase petrolatum in barrel lots, write Standard Oil Co.,-New York City, for prices. GA ) RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT GREB’S ‘““FARM”’ STOCK DIP _ Prepare the following mixtures:— No. 1—Stock Solution of Caustic Potash — Caustic Potash 8 ounces W ater 7 ounces — Mix and dissolve. Let stand until before using — No. 2—Linseed Oil Soap— Raw Linseed Oil 7 ounces Stock Solution of Potash (No.1) 3 ounces Mix and stir for about fifteen minutes, or until it forms a perfect mixture. Allow to stand for a day or two in a mod- erately warm place, with occasional as until a perfect soap is formed. No. 3-—Saponified Creasol— : Linseed Oil Soap (No. 2) 1 pound Crude Creasol 1 pound Mix thoroughly and allow to stand for a day or two with occasional stirring. No. 3 forms the base of the Dip. For use, a pound of this mixture is dissolved in 25 gallons of water and the ani- mal dipped or sprayed in the usual manner. Prepared as directed above this gives a perfectly clear mixture. If you want it to form a milky emulsion when mixed with water, add the creasol directly to the mixture of oil and potash solution (No. 2) as soon as the oil and potash solution are thoroughly mixed. Any desired color may be given to the prods by the use of aniline dyes. For blue, use Methyl Blue; for red, Croceine Red: for yellow, Resorcin Yellow. Put this up in tin cans similar to those used for syrups, etc. | BY M. L. BOWERSOX ~) t GREB’S ““FARM’’ HOG CHOLERA REMEDY Bicarbonate of Soda, 6 “ounces Common Salt, 4 ounces Sulphate of Soda, 4 ounces > Hyposulphite of Soda, 6 ounces Sulphur, 4 ounces © Willow Charcola, 4 ounces Black Antimony, 4 ounces Reduce all to a fine powder and mix intimately. Givea tablespoonful twice a day, in other feed, for each 100 pound weight of the animal. As a preventive medicine give a _ tablespoonful once a day to each animal. If any of the hogs - become affected, remove them at once from the others and give the dose first mentioned. Keep the pens well cleaned and ventilated and feed regularly. ‘ GREB’S “FARM” STOCK FOOD z Formula No. 1, costs three cents per pound “4 Bicarbonate of Soda Y% ounce . | Cayenne Pepper Y% ounce : Gentian Root, powdered %%. ounce : Common Salt 1 ounce : 3 Oil Cake, powdered 14 ounces ~ Mix thoroughly. Formula No. 2, costs six cents per pound— Ginger Root, powdered 1 ounce Licorice Root, powdered 1 ounce Anise Seed, powdered 1 ounce Epsom Salts, powdered 1 ounce Oil Meal 12 ounces Mix thoroughly ~) op) RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT This product is best made by sifting the ingredients thor- oughly together. Put it up in packages of three and five pounds, also in wooden pails holding ten and thirty pounds. 4 DIRECTIONS FoR USE:—For horses, feed a tablespoonful with other feed twice a day. For cattle, feed one-half table- spoonful once or twice a day. | A SPECIAL SUGGESTION FOR ADVERTISING—Any of the large show printing houses will supply stock lithographs — showing horses, cattle, etc., at a very reasonable price. These may be purchased and any desired printing placed on them at any printery, or may be done by the firm you buy from. GREB’S “‘FARM SPAVIN”” REMEDY Oil Organium % ounce Oil Spike % ounce Cotton Seed Oil Y% ounce Oil Cedar 1 dram Aqua Ammonia % ounce ‘Alcohol 4 ounces Mix thoroughly DIRECTIONS FOR USskE:—Shake the bottle well before using. Paint on with a brush or soft piece of cloth. Do not cover or bandage, as it will blister if this is done. Apply once a day for four days; then stop the treatment for four days; and repeat this until a cure is effected. Put this up in four ounce bottles to retail at one dollar. Do not offer this at a low price, as it is worth money and will — bring any reasonable price you may see fit to charge for it. The originator of this formula has made plenty of money from it, and won a reputation for curing this trouble where every-. thing else failed. ‘This may be safely sold on a ‘“‘No cure— No pay’’ basis. | BY M. L. BOWERSOX ra NotTe—In bad cases the horse should be shod almost on the heel and the shoe run down to a thin plate on the toe of the spavined leg. GREB’S “FARM’’ HEAVE REMEDY Rosin Weed, powdered 10 ounces Lobelia Herb, powdered’ {0 ounces Elecampane Root 10 ounces Sodium Sulphate 10 ounces Gentian Root, powdered 3 ounces Blood Root, powdered 3 ounces Tartar Emetic 1 ounce % Conium Herb, powdered 3 ounces q Alum 2 ounces ‘ Fenugreek Seed, powdered 5 ounces Linseed Meal 15 ounces Mix thoroughly DIRECTIONS For UseE:—Divide into two-dram powders and give one, night and morning, with the feed. Sprinkle all hay fed with water and dampen the feed. Give but a . small quantity of the hay at a feed and avoid all dusty and mouldy hay. This should be put up in wide mouthed bottles or paste- board packages, a small measure holding exactly two drams given with each package. GREB’S “FARM’’? VETERINARY LINIMENT Oil of Organium 1 ounce Oil of Hemlock 1 ounce Oil of Spike 1 ounce Oil of Sassafras % ounce Carbolic Acid (pure) = ounce Turpentine 4 ounces ; Raw Linseed Oil 8 ounces Gum Camphor % ounces 18 RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT Dissolve the camphor in the turpentine, add the earbolic acid and mix well, then add the other ingredients, shaking well after each additron. DIRECTIONS FoR USE:—For sprains, lameness, etc., the liniment should be thoroughly rubbed into the affected parts three times a day. For wounds or sores, apply the liniment with a soft cloth after having washed the parts well with warm water and a little castile soap. For stiff joints, use as directed for lameness. For ringbone, etc., apply freely, rub- bing it in well twice a day. For rheumatism, sprains, lame- ness, ete., in the human family, apply freely to the affected . parts, rubbing it in well and heating well before the fire. In extreme cases of rheumatism, etc., cover with warm flannel after. applying the liniment. Should it cause smarting, remove flannel at once. _ GREB’S:" FARM” CALL CURE Boric Acid 10 ounces Sulphur 15 ounces Powdered Indigo 1 ounce Lard or Petrolatum 6% pounds Carbolie Acid 1 ounce lodoform 1 dram Melt the carbolic acid with a small quantity of the lard or petrolatum, add the remainder of the lard or petrolatum, and wken well softened, work in the other ingredients, all in the finest possible powder.‘ Mix to a smooth salve. If wanted firmer, a small quantity of beeswax or paraffin may be added, melting it with the lard or petrolatum. 3 DIRECTIONS FOR USE:—Wash the galls with warm water and pure soap (ivory or castile); then apply the remedy freely. Put this up in three or four ounce tin boxes for sale, and price it the same as all standard gall cures. — BY M. L. BOWERSOX 79 —_— GREB’S “FARM”? POULTRY TONIC Pulverized Copperas 6 ounces Ss. Capsicum 5 ounces oy Gentian 5 ounces =. Fenugreek 11 ounces = Ginger 6 ounces C Venetian Red — 10 ounces re Willow Charcoal 5 ounces Be 2 Ground Shell 2 pounds q Wheat Bran 11 pounds q Linseed Meal 8 pounds Mix the first eight ingredients together thoroughly, and add the other two. DIRECTIONS FoR USE:—Give to each twenty-four chick- ens about one quart or more per day in a shallow box. Keep _ it before them all the time; they will eat it whenever they like. _ When chickens that are laying refuse to eat it altogether, stop si their regular feed for a day or so and they will then eat it. | Put this up in pasteboard boxes, in three and five pound > _ packages, and also in fifteen pound pails. TO INCREASE THE FLOW OF MILK IN COWS Give your cows three times a day, water slightly warm, slightly salted, in which bran has been stirred at the rate of 7 one quart to two gallons of water. You will find if you have not tried this daily practice, that the cow will give twenty-five _ per cent more milk, and she will become so much attached to _ the diet that she will refuse to drink clear water unless very thirsty, but this miess she will drink at almost any time, and a sk for more. The amount of this drink necessary is an ordi- 1 ary water pail full each time, morning, noon and night. 80 RAISING HOGS FOR .PROFIT y Avoid giving cows ‘slops,’’ as they are no more fit for the animal than they are for the human. . HOW TO CURE DRUNKENNESS Sulphate of iron, five grains; peppermint water, eleven drams; spirit of nutmeg, one drain; one tablespoonful twice a day. ‘This preparation acts as a stimulant and tonic, and supplies the place of the accustomed liquor. MEDICATED FOOD FOR HORSES AND CATTLE ag ie linseed cake and pulverize or grind it up in the shape of.meal, and to every fifty pounds of this ingredient add ten pounds Indian meal; two pounds sulphuret of anti- mony; two pounds ground ginger; one and _ three-quarter pounds saltpetre, and two pounds powdered sulphur. Mix thoroughly together, put in neat boxes or packages for sale, or otherwise, as desired, and you will have an article equal in value to Thorley’s Food, or almost any other preparation that can be got up for the purpose of fattening stock or curing dis- ease in every case when food or medicine can be of any use whatever. ‘his article can be fed in any desired quantity, beginning with a few tablespoonfuls at a time, for a horse, mixing it with his grain, and in the same proportions to smaller animals, repeating the’dose and increasing the quan- tity as the case may seem to require. . TO DESTROY FLIES 1N A ROOM Take half a teaspoonful of black pepper, one teaspoonful of brown sugar and one tablespoonful of cream; mix them well together and place them in a room, on a plate, where the — flies are troublesome and they will soon disappear. BY M. L. BOWERSOX S81 TO CURE SICK HEADACHE ; Gather sumac leaves in the summer and spread them in the sun a few days to dry. Then powder them fine and _ smoke, morning and evening, for two weeks, also whenever there are symptoms of approaching headache. Use a new q clay pipe. If these directions are adhered to this medicine q will surely effect a permanent cure. ‘ TO CURE A CONSUMPTIVE COUGH | Take three pints of rain water, half pound raisins chop- _ ped fine, three tablespoonfuls flax seed, sweeten to a syrup with honey, and boil down to a quart. Add three teaspoon- - fuls of extract of anise. Take a teaspoonful eight times a day. “PREMIUM METHOD OF KEEPING HAMS, ETC. | To four gallons of water, add eight pounds coarse salt, _ quarter ounce potash; two ounces saltpetre; two pounds brown sugar. Boll together, skim when cold, put on the above quantity to one hundred pounds meat; hams to remain in- | eight weeks; beef, three weeks... Let the hams dry several days before smoking. Meat of all kinds, salmon and other fish, lobsters, etc., may be preserved for years by a light ap- _ plication of Pyroligneous acid with a brush, sealing up in cans as usual.- It imparts a splendid flavor to the meat, is . very cheap, and an effectual preservative against loss. : _ TRY THIS HOME-MADE COUGH REMEDY Costs little, but does the work quickly, or money refunded. Mix one pint of granulated sugar with half pint of warm Vv water and stir for two minutes. Put two and one-half ounces 82 RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT of Pinex (fifty cents’ worth) in a pint bottle; then add the Sugar Syrup. Take a teaspoonful every one, two or three hours. You will find that this simple remedy takes hold of a cough more quickly than anything else you ever used. Usually ends a deep seated cough inside of twenty-four hours. Splendid, too, for whooping cough, chest pains, bronchitis and other throat troubles. It stimulates the appetite and is slightly lax- ative, which helps end a cough. This recipe makes more and better cough syrup than you could buy ready-made for $2.50. It keeps perfectly and tastes pleasant. : Pinex is the most valuable concentrated compound of Norway white pine extract, and is rich in guiaicol and all the natural pine elements which are so healing to the membranes. Other preparations will not work in this formula. This plan of making cough syrup with Pinex and Sugar Syrup (or strained honey) has proven so popular throughout the United States and Canada that it is often imitated. But - the old successful formula has never been equaled. A guarantee of absolute satisfaction, or money refunded, goes with this recipe. Your druggist has Pinex or will get it for you. . TO MAKE CUCUMBER VINES BEAR FIVE CROPS When a cucumber is taken from the vine Jet it be cut with a knife, leaving about the eighth of an inch of the cu- cumber cn the stem, then slit the stem with a knife from its end to the vine leaving a small portion of the cucumber on each division, and on each separate slit there will be a new cucumber as large as the first. | | : i ? 6 | BY M. L. BOWERSOX —6« 83 fe . RY : BLOOD MAKER AND PURIFIER F Mix half an ounce sulphate of manganese with one pint , ‘ ; Y _ water. Dose, a.wineglassful three times a day. This can be ¥ ~ a . . . . ~ . ~ used in the place of iron tonic, or in connection with it. NERVOUS HEADACHE x Iixtract hyocymus five grains, pulverized camphor five ; grains; mix. Make four pills, one to be taken when the pain is most severe in nervous headache. Or three drops tincture . nux-vomica in a spoonful of water, two or three times a day. FELONS One tablespoonful of red lead and one tablespoonful of castile soap, mix them with as much weak lye as will make it soft enough to spread like a salve, and apply it on the first _ appearance of the felon, and it will cure in ten or twelve days. TO MAKE HENS LAY THE WHOLE YEAR Give each hen half an ounce of fresh meat every day, and nx a small amount of red pepper with their food during ° _ the winter. Give them plenty of grain, water, gravel and ~ lime and allow no cocks to run with them. TO KEEP APPLES FRESH AND SOUND ALL WINTER I haev discovered a superior way of preserving apples until spring. By it any apple in good condition when packed will be equally good when unpacked, and even those rotting because not in good condition when put away will not injure E others. Take fine sawdust—preferably that made by a cir- cular saw from well seasoned hardwood—and place a thick layer on bottom of barrel. Then place a layer of apples—not close together and not close to staves of the barrel. Put saw- 84 RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT dust liberally over and around, and proceed until a bushel and a half (or less) are so packed in each barrel. They are to be kept in a cool place. I kept some in an open garret, the thermometer for a week ranged close to zero. No bruised or mellow apples will be preserved, but they will not commu- nicate rot to their companions. There is money in this, applied to choice apples. | ‘ ART OF RAT KILLING WITHOUT TRAPS OR POISON ) of Take common sponge, dried, cut into small pieces, soak _ ) in lard, melted tallow or meat gravy. Place these pieces ; within easy access to the rats. They will eat greedily, and the moisture of the stomach will cause the pieces to swell and kill the rat. Water may be placed within easy reach, and will hasten results by expanding the sponge. KAINITE~ OR TREE MEDICINE It is very well known that the reason why peach, apple, — quince and pear orchards gradually grow poorer and poorer until they cease to produce at all, is because the potash is exhausted from the soil by the plant. This potash must be - restored, and the most effective way to do it is to use the fol- | lowing compound, discovered by a distinguished German | chemist: Thirty parts of sulphate of potash; fifteen parts sul- phate of magnesia; thirty-five parts salt: fifteen parts gypsum, | For an old reliable Worm Remedy to rid worms in hogs. . | ; | HOW TO MAKE OLD ORCHARDS NEW ) ) . | address F.°S: Burca & Coe 177 Illinois Street, Chicago, Ill. vas ere ys ST é 4 Y a BY M. L. BOWERSOX se ~~ For a Louse Killer Disinfectant, Cleanser, use Minor’s Fluid. Manufactured by W. E. MInor & Co., 19 S. Water Street, Cleveland, Ohio All the above recipes and remedies are good, and some of these recipes have been sold for more than five time the price of the book. Some of them the writer has paid good big money for, they are put in this book for your use and best judgment, and are bonafide. a ——- ~—wa"=w Se ee eee — oe Rs ——— S.C Ue ob Nowe RM caw, © Re, Hog Lots---Full Description The above picture show the arrangement of hog lots on this place. The shanty feed houses at the north end of lots, Ree eS Te et. ae Gow a drive-way leading along the north eud, their sleeping quar- ters are on the south end-could not get the fall view. What is aimed at in this is to show that the houses or shelter at the feeding end of lot are very cheaply constructed, but answer the purpose to allow them to get a square meal when the suow and rain is coming down. You will notice the dif- ferent positions. of the hogs in these lots. Some are on their - way toward their sleeping quarters; some have a little root- ing to do along the line before they go to their nest; you will - notice the little fellows are also stirring around. ‘There is no better arrangement, to my notion, for hogs. Water fouutains _ can be kept during the summer where they can get their water at will. There are twelve lots, and they lack quite a y good. bit of equipping —one garter of an acre of ground, and Z I have had as high as seventy-five head comfortably housed _ and cared for in winter in these lots. You will notice the lots S& RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT are built on slightly sloping land. A heavy rain generally — cleans them up, carrying it south, where it goes down over a meadow, and this meadow affords abundance of pasture if the hogs are not allowed to root it up, and they are not allowed ~ to plow around here, that is sure. The fences: are wire so that one can see the hogs and notice their doings. This is a great advantage, for you can see whether your hogs are active or not, and also when a sow shows signs of being in heat. I find that this arrangement is No. 1, and any one taking this plan, and constructing his houses properly, will find it very . ‘profitable for all purposes; feeding out a bunch of hogs, for keeping brood sows and male hogs I consider it very practical, up-to-date. With this arrangement their nests are generally in good condition, with much less care than otherwise. Dur- ing the early part of the spring they get muddy, of course. © | But where the hogs are not allowed to dig them up constantly they are generally in good shape. The corn cobs duriug the spring and fall seasons can be raked up, hauled out or burned tight in the lots, which should be done at least each spring and fall, of course. Our hogs here are generally housed dur- ing the severest winter weather to a large extent; yet we have hogs in these lots the year around and find them doing equally as well, if not better, than those housed, and with much less care. ‘True, it is not pleasant to go along the line with a slop cart full of slop when the wind blows at the rate of sixty miles an hour and the thermometer hangs along zero, but it never takes long, and a little fresh air generally does the ie: Spel ks BY M. L. BOWERSOX S89 farmer good: so this is no drawback. ‘The wire fences are of pny good hog fence. Some have barbs on top, some have “not; but all have barb wire at bottom to keep the hogs from raising them up. Line posts should not be placed more than sixteen feet apart, for vou can hardly stretch such a short length of heavy wire as tight as it should be unless you have extra eood end posts well braced. Will leave such things to P the reader’s good judgment, with best wishes to one and all. Does It Pay to Raise Pure Bred Hogs? It certainly does. While it depends largely upon the care and management, the same is true with a scrub common grade hog. Some people can make a hog with very little pureness about it; others cannot make anything out of the best blood. It certainly is largely due to not knowing how; this book will surely remedy all this trouble, while it takes care and work to raise and sell hogs. What have we got with- out work and care? Simply nothing. Any one knows that much; then why not put time, care and labor on the hog? There certainly is not anything on the farm that pays better than the brood sow properly cared for. Why then the pure breed? Well, that is also a plain matter. Where you have the pure breed of the best that money will buy, you have two chances to make money, where the other fellow with the common stock has but one. You have better quality of meat; they will grow better; they take less feed; they have a nicer appearance; you will take more interest in them; your neigh- bors will watch them closer, and the next thing you know BY M. L. BOWERSOX 9] you will have a chance to sell a pig or two at nearly double _ the price that you would receive if you did not have a pure bred hog; then when it come to the straight market you are way ahead. So it certainly pays to raise pure bred hogs, and the best is the cheapest always. Make your selection with the greatest care: use good judgment; do not over nor under- feed: keep your eve on your hog and you are bound to make money easier than with anything else you can put your hands to. Do not be afraid to go after the best pure bred hag that - money can buy. We need more active hog breeders. Yes, we need them by the score. Do not be afraid to invest in the hog. Note the following pages. | " Present and Future Outlook For Hog Business There never was a time when the farmer had a greater harvest before them in the hog line than just now and for years to come. There always was more money in the hog _ than anything else on the farm, even as to prices, if properly handled; and today the United States is so completely in the _ rear with hogs that it will take at least ten years to catch 3 up to where they should be. There never was a _ better ~ demand for pork than just now. Look after the statistics . _ and see where we are in the pork business, and you will read- : ily see that we need more active hog breeders. Look at the following census: 4 This nation eats pork. Census bureau finds 36,483,000 - hogs devoured annually—Washington, D.C.) Feb. 21, 1931. | ‘‘Pork eaters’’ is a term which may be rightfully applied to the people of the United States. If the figures just made, _ published by the Census Bureau for the year 1909, may be 3 taken as a basis, the figures show that during the year 4,483, - 000 more hogs were killed in this country for food purposes than all other a1imals combined, including beeves, calves, Bese, lambs, goats, kids, etc. During the year 1909, 36,443,000 94 ; RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT hogs were killed for food purposes and 31,960,000 of all other animals slaughtered in slaughter houses and meat packing establishments, giving a total of 68,403,000 for the year. These figures should be far higher to be correct. Then does it pay to raise hogs and raise them right, and the right kind? It certainly does. Let us not be neglectful in this respect, and look after our interest, profit and welfare more than we have done in the past and we will be a far hap- pier farmer than without the hog for a staff. “You may call the writer of these lines a crank on hogs, if you. like, but what I have written are facts from personal ex-_ perience, and you can practice them to your highest profit if you but make a slight effort. The great fault with too many of us is we do not want to venture—the disease of hogs stares usin the face. This is true; but ‘nothing ventured is noth- ing gained’’; and with this book and good judgment you have very little risk to run, if any. I find with my breed of hogs and my manner of care, I am at no risk whatever as far as diseases are concerned. ‘The great point is, we must get out of this old rut and not think because a hog has the name hog she or he should have treatment and food according to the name; and when we get over this and feed proper food, and regularly, and give our hogs better attention, we risk very little in regard.to diseases. Anything that is worth doing at all is worth doing right, and if we keep this in mind during our life’s journey, and practice it, it will lead us to a higher and more noble plane of life. This book may go into the hands of a man who thinks he knows more than the writer ever heard of. Well, as to — that, my brother, I will say, let your good neighbor know of your knowledge; it will do you both good. I admit I do not BY M. L. BOWERSOX 5 know it all, but 1 am anxious to let my fellow-man know what little 1 do know; and by means of these little experiences of mine I sincerely trust I may be able to help some one that knows less; not because he is ignorant, simply because he did not have the chance I did; and by putting what little | know before them in this book it will enable them to learn: and we never get done learning, and experience is the best of teachers. Although it is dear sometimes, we cannot help but appreciate it, and we should practice our knowledge and learn more—especially about the hog. Buying Stock At Fairs -Now, my reader, I do not wish to be misunderstood about this. These agricultural societies are all right, and have done a wonderful sight of good; but we must be cautious about buying a stuffed pig at the fairs. They must be fed heavy in order to show them and get the price; and so often the farm- er buys one for a breeder and the result is he has not what he bought, for it was over-fed and will not make a breeder; often break down in the male sex, and the sows the same and hard to get in pig. So we should be very careful along this line. I get so many complaints of this kind from all over our land that they bought pigs here and there at a certain fair and their pigs went back on them, and want to know what to do. Well, there is very little to do, but be more careful. By far, better buy your pigs from a reliable breeder by mail order and you can avoid all this trouble, at least in a large measure. eo 2 ’ wie Me. “ Mail Order Some people most certainly think that the Mail Order is dangerous. It is the cheapest and safest way to get your breeding stock. You have a right to find out whether the breeder of any breed you may wish to buy is responsible: then you are perfectly safe in this respect. “Then the Money Order business is perfectly safe now-a-days, and the breeders guarantee safe arrival to any point, and your money is just as safe by mail as if you were buying a pound of sugar. Certainly, if we can buy what we want and need at home, that is the place to buy; but if we cannot, Mail Order now-a- days is just the same and no risk whatever. So we have no excuse for not having the best that money can buy. | } Whether at home or by mail, let us look after these _ things closer and get after that best hog for our farm and farms if we do have to get them by Mail Order. Some farmers F have an idea that if they send money by mail it will be gone and no value received. A draft can be obtained from _ your bank; your own check can be sent; a postoffice money order is all right; an express order is all right—all are safe, and if not deliverad or lost you get your money back. eee - ig 98 RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT So in this great country of ours today, with all prosperity reigning and all conveniences at our right hand and at our left, we have no excuse for not reaching out and helping our- selves with the best at a small cost to begin with. And I am sure life is too short to waste precious time and opportunity; so let us start right now and make life worth living for our- selves and others around us. Many a helping hand we can lend to this country of ours if we only try, and no better plan than our article for investment can be found for the farmer; then that little pig and that big pig. : | Wake up, thou that sleepest, and get a pig. ae ee a t | Misjudged This is a subject that is of great importance to the custo- mer and breeder. So often there is a misunderstanding be- tween these two parties. Here is a good place to keep calm and preserve you tempers, and act them out when you have a good place all to yourself. I have often wondered what the breeder of thoroughbred or pure-bred stock and his cus- tomer would do if they could or would meet face to face after several months of fussing and chewing the rag and call- ing each other pet names through the mail. Well, in a large measure, both sides would wilt right down and each one do their sociable part. Then why not do it in the first place? Well, it is a misunderstanding—misjudging one another. © Say for instance, here is a man in New York correspond- ing with a man in the Western States in regard to some new stock. ‘This may be poultry, cattle, hogs or sheep. They strike a bargain: the customer sends a check; the breeder is very busy, and of course the check is received, but he does not report as prompt as he should and acknowledge the receipt . of same; the customer gets his spunk up and writes this _ breeder an insulting, mean letter; the breeder, meaning things _. all right and honest in his way, does not think of his fault, z takes time to give this fellow a scoring in return. Here isa a BY M. L. BOWERSOX +. Py fire kindled. In my judgment, they had better quit the trade _ right here and the breeder return the cheque, or what may _ be receipted in the bagain. | Brother breeders and customers, let us be more careful - about this and not too hasty. Personally, I used to get my _ dutch’’ up, for it is hard for a man that does his level best to — do what is right to have a customer put him down as a fraud or g a thief before he knows. But far better, try and be calm on _ both sides, and if the acknowledgement of an order does not come marked received promptly, and there is just reason for calling the breeder’ s attention to it, let us do it in the right s spirit— not with our fighting clothes on; neither party gains 24 anything by this hasty contention. _ . Same is true with pedigrees and records. ‘The breeder, : asa rule, has his books all in line and keeps a record of his sales and what is required of him in record pedigrees, and so on; then too often this is depended on, and left to drag along thinking, ‘Well, I will get that man’s pedigree out some other time—I am busy now.’’ So time goes on, and the other fellow. gets up his ‘snap.’’ Well, we should by all means be prompt - in these matters; and we can be if we just make up our minds Eto it, and what a lot of worry, fuss and: trouble we can save. ss = ‘True, here is a customer that has been severely cheated and defrauded by a breeder. He quits him and takes up a new man; then if this new man makes the least error, he gets -afire, and if the fire is returned, there will be two fires. Better let one fire be enough aud send out a few good kind words a nd reason and apply this to the fire, and you will find that in ninety- nine cases out of every one hundred there will be peace; for while the other fellow is scrapping and you do 102 RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT not scrap with him, there will peace. This is a fact, on both sides, and should be avoided. ‘Well, then,’’ you may say, ‘“stop ordering by mail and stop this fuss.’’ Oh, no; you are just as likely to have trouble in a face-to-face deal as by mail order; it is that temper of ours we want to control, on either side, and have more confidence in each other and not pass judgment rashly, until we are sure on both sides that we are right and the other fellow needs a piece of our mind. This is good in the right way and at the right time. Well, this puts me in mind of the family that made a statement, ©“ My husband and I never have any words~all peace.’’ We find some few men that would venture to say the same at times. We have some breeders that claim all customers are pleased, in their advertisements. They must not have been in business very long. It is much ‘‘self’’ about these statements. Where a man starts out in any public bus- iness, or has any dealings with his fellow-men, and he can truthfully say that he has had no misunderstanding or words with anyone, such a man is perfect and this old vane of ours is no place for him and he had better move. My kind reader, let us be honest in this matter; no one is clear of mistakes. We often do things we should not. We really do not do it to be mean, or purposely; it is an error; often because we are too apt to be hasty. It does not pay to class ourselves perfect; we can all learn the longest day we live. But if we do make a mistake, let us be honest and own 3 | up to it and rectify it as much as possible, and not make the same mistake again. Here is a man who madea statement BY M. L. BOWERSOX 103 that his stuff is perfect. Now we all know that the perfect hog, cow, sheep, or anything else in this world, does not exist. We can have it as near perfect as anything in its line, but we should not be too strong on that part, we may find some one that is ahead of us. It is well and right for everybody to think he has the best, or good enough for him to make his stock known as such; but both parties—proprietor and custo- mer—should be very careful about this judging business. Just the other day I heard a remark that to me was a broad lesson. A certain man, or this man or the other fellow that made the statement, came from a larger town to our town, here in a store where there was planning work on exhibition bath tubs, bath room and hot water supplies of all kinds. Well, he was talking to the proprietors and stating what prices he had from different plumbers in his town, or city. But wound up, while he himself lived in that town, by making the statement that ‘there was not an honest man in that town in the plumbing business, nor any other.’’ Such talk puts me also in mind of the man that made the remark that “‘he wished he owned the whole world and nobody lived in it but himself; wouldn’t he have a jolly time of it.’’ Well, there are people that allow themselves to-have a greedy, selfish dis- position. © . : t ; : ‘ Some one of my readers may say, What has this to do _ with the hog for profit?’’ We need these things. If I hada hog that did not behave any better than some of our race, I 4 certainly would not count that porker very profitable, and soon make an opening for him to the pork barrel. Let us try our level best not to misunderstand each other so much, and ~ by all means try and see under what difficnIt circumstances 104 RAISING HCGS FOR PROFIT the fellow we are apt to judge is laboring. It has been my aim in this book to bring us to a higher plane of thought and to be more ready to consider hasty actions, and this will bring us to a higher plane in our hog business for proft. Here are two people to make this part more plain—the breeder and the farmer customer. The farmer orders a pig or hog. The breeder is anxious to sell—likes money, so he puts the price up, and tries to put the hog up in quality to the ~ price; the deal is made; when the farmer gets the hog there is a fuss, if he knows a good hog when he sees it; then the © breeder hangs on to the money and the customer hangs on to him, and the next thing they both know they have got more trouble than they can handle. ‘To the breeder of all breeds of hogs in the pure-bred line, when you have such trouble make short business of it. Tell your party to return the hog aud get his money back. The same is true when a breeder ships a No. 1 hog or pig to a customer who does not know a good hog when he sees one, and allows his neighbors, or so-called or termed friends, to interfere and make him sore, then he jumps the breeder and tries to empty out some one else’s talk on the innocent man. ‘This is the other side. And to the man who cannot use his own judgment and allows everybody to dictate to him, had better not enter in public purchase, for he is wrong when he allows any one to ititerfere, and no one should interfere. This is a great drawback in the hog business. We must go away from home to buy and we’ cannot spend the money to go personally and see, so we order by mail, which is safe and right. But now, my good téaces,. be your own judge when you buy anything; do not let your Scere ian aa BY M. L. BOWERSOX 105 } neighbors interfere, unless they give you good advice; take it, of course, but do not follow them too far. Many a young in- _ dustrious man has been discouraged by allowing his neighbors _ or friends to dictate and tell him he paid too much for so or so, and that man he got so and so of was a rascal and the devil would get him alive, and so on; nothing too strong against that poor, honest breeder that really lost money in the _ deal, and this customer that allows such business is certainly ~ the loser; while, on the other hand, if he would speak up and give such people to understand that he had spent his money and that he purposed to get it back by giving his purchase a fair test at least. This is what I call hogs for profit in a large _ measure; for if you permit some one to make you blue, he - becomes blue with you: on the other hand, if you are firm, ; you will soon have him for a customer and a friend, the fact, asa-trule, isand I amsure. I have had the misfortune, rath- er than the pleasure, to see and meet these things face to face, and the fellow who tries to discourage the man that makes a _ start toward better hogs, and finds fault when he gets them, - ninety-nine cases out of every one hundred this fellow does it out of pure jealousy or enmity, because he was too slow to _ make the start, and now glories in interfering. Reader, I fully trust you will profit by this and reach out _ for better stock, especially the hog, and allow no interference. _ Let you and your beeder make the deal—you and him alone. if you cannot agree, do not deal any more; look after some - one else; do not stop the business, but in all cases let the breeder, buyer and seller—both sides— use good judgment and be fair with one another. I can hardly leave this subject = being cracked atall. This is all wrong and wasteful and will not do them any good. Slop first; then feed corn for profit, and just what they will eat up clean from one meal to another. 116 RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT a Feed the pig to stop the squeal, but allow him to grunt. The hog is a machine to convert golden corn into golden coin. Put the hog on the platform scale occasionally: you will | learn something. Watch the markets. . | Profit comes not in how little we can keep the pig on, = but how much we can get him to eat, of a balanced ration, — and make a hog out of him. There is no profit in speeding sows to fatten. =. If you have a surplus of pigs, market them for roasters. 3 City people will be glad to get them at fair prices. Look after this. | a A dry bed and a dry shed is what the hog wants. a A squealy pig is cold, hungry or uncomfortable. Look — after his wants: it will pay you. Don’t let your hogs drink dirty, filthy water. Don’t castrate pigs when cholera is in the neighborlaaeaa Don’t bring home cholera from the fairs and stock yards. — Don’t wait until your hogs are all dead before doing — | something. | a Don’t fail to disinfect all parts where sick hogs have been. A close watch and a little time spent among the hogs i is” of great value and proht. ‘4 Often a farmer wants to take a sow away to breed. A crate and a spring wagon is the proper thing where the dis- tance is not too great. The practice of leading the hog bia = a rope around one hind leg is a bad thing. Better make < saddle harness, or rather a lead or driving hog harness: me, BY M. L: BOWERSOX 117 the end of a rope around her neck against the shoulder—not too tight to choke her; tie it to the main rope on top of her neck so it will not draw shut; then take the rope around back of her for the legs, allowing it to come around and meet the rope going back from the neck, allowing the proper distance between the two rings around the sow; tie a knot in this where the ring come up back of her shoulders, and you have her in harness and can be driven with ease. A ropeon the hind leg is cruel and dangerous. Give this a test for a short distance and see how it works. Chicken-Eating Hog ‘This is a subject we hear a great deal about. It has ~ been the case, seemingly, from early history. I must truth- fully say that in all my experience I had very little conten- tion along this line with any of my own hogs. But being in the breeding business, I am obliged to hold brood sows here until in heat, and in this line 1 have learned a great deal to the chickens’ sorrow. My chickens and my hogs are friends _ and I pay very little attention to them at all if amongst the 4 hogs. They often lay eggs in the hog nests and, of course, in this case the fellow that finds or gets the egg first is the owner, and that generally is the hog. But an egg does not hurt a hog; on the other hand it is good medicine. Rather f expensive, but raw eggs in slop to the brood sow in case of 4 _ scours in pigs generally checks it; and for a hog to eat eges : : does not create in them a desire for the old hen, for I person- ally had the pleasure to watch the brood sow wait patiently — on the old hen in her nest to lay the egg, then the egg was quickly disposed of, and the old hen invited back the next y day by a thankful grunt. f watched this with much interest § for personal knowledge, for I had heard some one say that 4 | for a hog to eat eggs would create an appetite for chicken _ meat. Well, this is wrong; for if it were a fact my O.1.C.’s a = 4 e3 Rats ox a oa ore ee Fl et tl 8 re Ste 4 ’ 4 BY M:. L. BOWERSOX 119 certainly would all have a desire for the meat, for during the Summer season they get eggs, more or less, by the old hen laying in their nests or houses. I will not state that it is the proper thing for chickens to be allowed too much with the hogs, forit is a bad idea and wrong, especially where the hogs or hog is confined, for often a hog steps on a chicken’s leg and holds it fast; then the howl of the chicken, and other hogs coming along causes a snap at the chicken, and often in this way a hog is started. Often where hogs are confined and chickens are allowed in pen. hogs, especially shoats, will undertake to start a play with the chicken and the smell of feathers too close gives them their first lesson. I fully favor the out-of-door lots for hogs, where the chicken has a chance to escape from the frolics in lhe hog pen. It is a hard matter to keep chickens away from the hogs; so great care should be taken not to confine chickens with hogs. When a hog is once properly started in the chicken-eating business very little is to done but to get her to the slaughter house on quick terms, for a hog with chicken feathers in his stomach will not . fatten—feathers will not digest. But my experience has been where hogs are properly fed and cared for there is very little trouble. A confined hog in close quarters is generally the chicken eater. There is always a cause to start this. Too close and too long confinement is the greatest cause of any. Then another is careless habits—not feeding the chickens regularly in their own quarters and allowing them to get started and compelled to follow the hog for a little to eat out of their droppings, and I have noticed that chickens in large droves follow up the hog for a long time for this purpose and often pick the hog by getting impatient waiting on droppings, and have also noticed as high as three hungry old hens pick the hog when droppings would start—this hurts; and I have seen 120 RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT in these cases, when a hog aggravated to fierceness, turns on the chicken, and when such a terror happens to get a chick- en’s head there is one chicken less, that is sure, and I would not give much for the hog, yet the hog could not be blamed, for we would turn on a chicken in similar circumstances. So the hog is often blamed for many things that are really not her fault. This is generally the case with brood sows, for the old mammy sow has a good deal of care in looking after _her brood, and her nerves are often tested, and is of a more or less nervous disposition. Care should be taken not to depend on the chickens’ living, or getting their corn generally among the hogs. JI hardly ever leave my chickens at liberty in the morning until some time after the hogs are fed. Besides my chickens are fed in their own quarters, and I do not allow any chickens to roost in hog pens—a bad fault and a great wrong to permit this. There is alway a cause, as stated before; here is one, and how often we see this in hoglots: Anold ‘‘cluck’’ with a large bunch of chicks, who stole here nest away and inakes her appearance in the early fall with a pile of young- sters, and she is left to run with the hogs, and when a hog comes close to her little ones of course there is a fuss, picking and flapping occurs. ‘This hardly ever ends well, and should not be permitted. Better take Mrs. Hen and her family to proper quarters, coop and care for her; that will stop the danger of losing her and the chicks, and save you the loss from having a chicken-eating hog. ‘There are many causes, but thes mentioned are the strongest in my judgment and ex- perience, while we can see many others if we keep our eyes open. At one time I had a fine male terribly close quartered for lack of room; he was very gentle and quiet, but a crabbed, fussy old hen with six youngsters as fussy as herself, hatched out close by his house, thought they owned the whole ranch, ~ , : oe Gre Ce BY M. L. BOWERSOX 121 and the old hen flapped and picked him. While I noticed this several times and the results, I could not get the old hen in my fingers, and at one time I saw her actually drive the hog from his trough and then call her little fellows to the feast. Well, the outcome was the little fellows were taken for the whole cause, aud it became too aggravating for him, so he just wheeled on thei and cleaned up allsix. I guess he swal- lowed them whole, for he certainly made quick work of it, the old hen left the pen, and that was the last of the fuss. But he had no desire for chicken meat after this; it did not phase him at all; it was peace that he wanted, and I do not think he knew what he ate—they went down so fast. It was actually amusing to me, for I tried to catch her at different times and coop her, but she always escaped me. So we plainly see there is a cause for a chicken-eating hog, and, as a rule, we can blame it to carelessness on our part; so let us be more on the watch. Charcoal and ashes are said to be a good remedy to assist in keeping down the craving for chicken meat, while careful watching and keeping our chickens undér check, by not allowing them to depend solely on obtaining their living amongst the hogs, is certainly the best preventa- tive for this trouble. Worms In Hogs 7 This is undoubtedly the greatest destructive disease, as it may be called, in the hog, and is often mistaken for cholera, or a case of “I do not know.’’ Often they become so poluted with them that they crawl up in the hog’s throat and choke them. This is certainly one great point, and most important to be guarded against to make hogs profitable. I have before me just at this time a firm that has a guar- anteed remedy. I have never tested it, but it is open to the public to test under a full guarantee, and it costs you nothing to test this highly recommended worm remedy, and I give it in this book fer my readers’ benefit, not as an advertisement, but ask that my reader, for his on benefit and profit, make inquiry of these people. They come to me highly recommended. MI-CRO-BENE is a liquid, easy to give—requires no drenching—just put in in feed. It witl save your hogs. H:. G. “HARTER: & (ae 609 S. St. Clair St., Toledo; (inte A Little More About the Hog House, Floors, etc. We cannot be too careful about this. A brood sow, as previously stated in this book, is best off out by herself for best results, and a ground floor, on an elevated spot, for the far- rowing house is all right if it is watched and not allowed to be rooted up in a hole. JI find, however, that the best and safest way is to floor them. But be careful about this; do not elevate the floor, better get a small load of cinders and place your nailing sills, 2x4, flat side down and dig them in the cinders and dirt so that the floor is perfectly tight and down solid on the earth so no wind or frost can get under it. This keeps it dry and warm in winter and cooler in sum- mer than if allowed open. It takes less bedding- and no fear of disease germs collecting. A hog house that is elevated to allow air under the floor, as is so often the case in new houses, is one of the worst things that can be done in a hog house. Always have your hog house right down on the solid earth, using cinders under the floor, and your floors. will last longer than if elevated. In fact, a hog house where the air, wind and filth can collect under the floor is a good-for-nothing trap. It is bound to injure hogs, breed diseases, and all kinds of trouble. Take yourself. Why is that we have mattresses, 124 - RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT featherbeds, strawticks and comforts to lie on? Why dowe | not just lie on the floor, where there are cracks and the air passes underneath us? How often we see a hog house up about two feet from the ground and bridges for the hogs to walk up on and, the hog is given a nest where the wind blowsright underneath her,’ and she would be far better off out in a fence i; i corner with a board or straw roof; she would thrive better. “at You can find to this’ day new ‘hog houses erected; they call - them hog pens. Well, they should be called hog killers by the inch, germ disease breeders. ‘hese houses are placed on pillars at least twelve feet fromthe ground to save the floor from rotting, it does not make any difference about the hog, whether it is comfortable or not. Then, of course, there is an outside pen, generally, where straw, corn-cobs, bedding and ~ such things collect. I have seen hogs lie out in these outside pens. Why dothey dothis? Because they are comfortable there and can keep warm; because they do not become chilled from the bottom. By all means keep you hogs on the solid earth; no draft or circulation under them; if the floor rots out ~ you will have enough gained by keeping them warm and cool to replace all your floors at the proper time, and a snug profit left. Where a floor is laid on a cinder foundation, it lasts _ longer than elevated, cement or concrete floors. Some think this the ideal floor. Well, it is better than an elevated floor, — but it is not the floor for a hog to sleep on—it is the nature of dampuess. There is no better floor put under a hog than wood laid on.cinders. Outside pen feeding houses are all *. right cemented, but not to sleep on, unless covered with boards. I have seen large hog houses nicely arranged all cemented, troughs and all completed, but their nests were floored tight with boards over the cement. This is all right — . ) = si roe “a aa Me ae | r i le ee A ee « 3 is o tate Sea eae RT —s eT ee hae ee a a ee ee ee ee ae Did ald ~~ ee Bs we oe BY M. L. BOWERSOX 125 and readily replaced when rctted out, but it is not as good as the floor placed on cinders, for it is more or less damp; and I never saw a damp nest, if properly cared for, where floor was laid tight over eight or ten inches of cinders underneath it. As stated, feeding room or drive-way in a hog house should be concrete, outside pens for dropping and litter. should be cement so it can be kept perfectly clean, and the urine and the droppings held together, and thereby make the best of manure, and all can be saved, which will result in a large profit in favor of the keeping of the hog in a proper place, and will soon pay for the best hog house in extra product in grain on the farm. It is really amazing how many farmers who could well afford a splendid hog house and save their hog manure during the winter season, leave it absolutely go to waste. It may sound ridiculous, but there are score of places where enough hog manure is going to waste in two years that, if the hogs were properly bedded and housed and the manure eared for, the profit out of the mauure alone would build the proper house or houses, let alone the extra profit on the hogs for their care. There are many things to consider for profit in the hog raising, and all parts should be watched with utmost care. The style of a farrowing house, as given om a previous page in this book, is without a doubt the best plan that can be obtained. This house does not require railing or shelfing to keep sow from lying on her pigs, the little fellows can es- cape her tramping feet by scampering out to the edge where she cannot walk on them. This house can, of course, be erected out of wood, where timber is plentiful, and in any size desired; but I doubt whether it can be erected any cheaper in most localities than this house can be bought for. 126 RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT These people will, no doubt, will furnish larger houses. [I know I shall want larger ones. But for ordinary hogs, brood — sows especially, this house—5x6—is large enough. Care must be taken in putting a floor under this house, not to let it project out to allow the water run in; this can easily be avoided; as a rule, a high or elevated place with solid dirt — 2 under it is a good floor for it. Many different stvles of cheap hog shelters can be erected, but, by all means, stay on the ground; old mother earth is a ereat thing for the hogs, and when you elevate them from it and allow drafts under them, you are doing the wrong thing, and you cannot bed them heavy enough to keep them com- fortable on an elevated floor. Swinging doors, stiffly made, are a nuisance and often cause dead pigs or hunchbacks: — better .make a cast-iron door, flexible, if any; the steel house has a flexible cast-iron door. A house properly faced and good bedding has very little use for a door, only in farrow- ing time, when weather is cold; then a blanket can be hung up for a few days or nights. In my experience, little pigs when four to five days old want free access—no hindrance by doors and so on. Give the pig plenty of room and half a chance, for he is of a roving disposition and should not be obstructed to his injury by flapping doors and the like, or per- mit him to crawl through a fence where he has to scratch and ~ push to get though and thereby injure his back. Give them — plenty of room and free access in their quarters. As previously stated, my ambition to help my fellow- i beat Dg pl MPL a Mien oe brother in the hog line along has led me to write this book, zi and the cost of printing and advertising to bring it to the man where it belongs on every farm costs hundreds of dollars. So I 4 fully trust that none of my readers wlll consider this a money- a | ————Vs_ iO re hk ee i, ei te 4 4 BY M. L. BOWERSOX 127 making proposition; the fact is I have placed the price too low to even give me a profit, figuring the cost to properly dis- tribute this book. So I ask that as many as can assist in the work of placing it among the farmers direct, so the cost of advertising may be reduced in a large measure. ‘The price of the first thousand of these books should be at least $3 instead of $2. Again my aim and object in this most needed work for our great country is to put this book before our people at about actual cost of publication and mailing. So let us not be sel- fish and work together and assist our neighbors in this great hog question with this book. ' And as my time is very much limited and none of us are perfect, I trust you will pardon any error made in this first publication, and any reader not understanding any part that he is especially interested in I shall be pleased to hear from such a one and do all in my power to assist him in that part, for I am the most liberal bigoted-headed Dutchman you ever met. Again, anyone of my readers in this book having any better plans and methods of caring for hogs and rearing them for profit, or any part that was overlooked, shall most cer- tainly appreciate his idea of the same and publish it. What we need and want is better hogs, more of them and more profit, no matter what breed. Let us stand together and put this selfish, hateful, begrudging spirit from us and do unto others as we wish to be done by them and we certainly will live happier and have less contention with our fellow-man. I have nothing but the best wishes for my brother-breeder, no matter what ‘breed he favors, and for him to meet with the LWlOUd WOA LY WIV AN : BY M. L. BOWERSOX 129 highest success is my best and highest wish and favor for him. Trusting that this book will aid and assist thousands of farmers atid breeders to a higher profit with and in this high grade industry, I remain Respectfully yours, M. L. BOWERSOX. = The O. I. C. Swine Breeders’ Stondaed of Perfection This. description can be largely practiced on any breed for form and type and is a great help in selection. lS OVEN ahs Wien Meal We Head and Face. PLA TOU She eS daee ce Ieee Jowl Pe de ee are De 4. i ae aE nage eee" SPATE Shoulders . Chest and Heart Girth. “ick Back 5 \c. OOF ES Ee eS are Ls, Snare See See see. ho Ss cin aid 8 lo SO 0 Ww lo ko Ot jd —) a ol 4) wow Loin hy 7 Belly «S522 Mia Flank :. ...< o\ac Gene Ham and Rump’. :c3aee Daves 6s Action .. Symmetry ...- 5 8 Coat . ... >. . 20 3 4 Total . .-&..u ae BY M. L. BOWERSOX 131 DETAILED DESCRIPTION CoLoR—White. Black spots in hair disqualify, but blue spots in hide (commonly known as freckles) while objec- tionable, do not argue impurity of blood. Objections—Color any other than white. HEAD AND FacE—Head short and wide: cheeks neat (not too full); jaws broad and strong; forehead medium, high and wide; face short and smooth; wide between the eyes, which should be prominent, clear and bright, and free from fat surroundings; nose neat, tapering and slightly dished. Objections— Head long, narrow or coarse; forehead low and narrow; jaws contracted and weak; face long, narrow and straight; nose coarse, clumsy or dished like a Berkshire: eyes small, deeply sunken or ob- scure: impaired vision. Ears — Medium size; soft, not too thick; not clumsy; pointing forward and slightly outward; drooping gracefully and fully under control of the animal. Objection—Too large or too small; coarse; thick; stiff or upright; drooping too close to face; not under control. BRISKET—Full: well let down; joined well to jowl in line with belly. | Objections — Narrow; tucked up or depressed. Jowt — Smooth; neat; firm; full; carrying fullness well back to shoulders and brisket when head is carried up level. Objections— Light; rough and deeply wrinkled; too large and flabby: not carrying fullness back to shoulders and brisket. ; #32 | RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT Nick —- Wide; deep; short and nicely arched; neatly tapering from head to shoulder. Objections—Narrow; thin; long; flat on top; tucked up; not extending down to breast bone. | SHOULDERS—Broad; deep and full; extending in line with the side and carrying size down to line of belly. Objections—Deficient in width or depth; extending above line of back; thick beyond line of sides and hams; shields on boars too coarse and prominent. CHEST AND HEART GIRTH—Full around the heart and back of the shoulders; ribs extcnding well down; wide aud full back of fore legs. Objections—N arrow; pinched; heart girth less than flank measure or length of body from top of head to root of tail, or ereased back of shoulders. | Back — Broad; straight or slightly arched; uniform width; free from lumps or rolls; same height and width at shoulder as at ham. Objections—Narrow, swayed, humped, creasing back of shoulders, sun-fish shaped, uneven width, lumps or rolls. SIDES — Full; smooth; deep; carrying size down to line of : belly; even with line of ham and shoulders. Objections—Flat, thin, flabby, uneven surface, com- pressed at bottom, shrunken at shoulder and ham. RIBS— Long; well sprung at top and bottom; giving animal a square form. Objections—Too short, flat. I,o1N--Broad and full. Objections—Narrow, depressed. BY M. L. BOWERSOX 133 BELLY—Sanie width as back; full; straight; drooping as low at flank as at bottom of chest; line of lower edge running parallel with sides. Objections—N arrow, pinched, sagging or flabby. FLANK—Full and even with body. Objections—Thin, tucked up or drawn in. HAM AND Rump—Broad; full; long; wide and deep; admit- ting of no swell; buttock full, neat and clean; stifle well covered with flesh, nicely tapering toward the hock; rump slightly rounding from loin to root of tail, same width as back, making an even line with sides. Objections—Narrow, short, not filled out to stifle, too much cut up in crotch or twist, not coming down to hock, buttocks flabby, rump flat, narrow, too long, too sharp or peaked at root of tail. TArIL— Small, smooth, nicely tapering, root slightly covered with flesh, carried in a curl. Objections—Coarse, too long, clumsy, straight. LEGS—Medium length, strong and straight, set well apart and well under body, bone of good size, firm, well muscled, wide above knee and hock, round and tapering below knee and hock, enabling the animal to cary its weight with ease, pasterns short and nearly upright. Objections—Too short or too long, weak, crooked, too close together, muscles weak, bone too large and coarse without taper, pasterns long, crooked or slim. FRET — Short, firm, tough, animal standing well on toes. Objections—Hoofs long, slim, weak; toes spreading, crooked or turned up. 134 RAISING HOGS FOR PROFIT Coat — Fine; either straight or wavy with preference for straight; evenly distributed and covering the body; nicely clipped coats no objection. | Objections—Bristles; swirls, hair coarse, thin, standing up, not evenly distributed over all the body except the belly. 7 ACTION—Easy and graceful; high carriage; active; gentle and easily handled. In males testicles should be readily seen, and of same size and carriage. — Objections—Sluggish, awkward, low carriage, wild, vicious. In males testicles not distinctly visible, or not of same size and carriage. | SYMMETRY—A fit proportion of the several parts of the body to.each other, forming a harmonious combination. Objections—A disproportionate development in one or more points; or lack of proper development in any point. Profits Does it pay to raise pork and be in the pork business‘ Well, I would certainly think so. Sidemeat or bacon, as we hear so much about now-a-days, the bacon hog. What is the bacon hog? How do we manage to get the bacon that is most in demand? We can breed and feed for it. But there is more in feeding for it than in breeding. Lots of bran and oats in the fattening process makes the streak of lean and the steak of fat, and this is what is termed a choice No. 1 bacon, A price of eight or ten cents per pound, most especially, has been considered a good fair price for bacon. Well, what about the present price? I just delivered today, at this writ- ing, March, 1911, a bunch of bacon at twenty-five cents per pound. Doesit pay toraise pork? Does it pay to take care of our hogs? Does it pay to know how tocare for them for prof- fit? Itcertainly does. For that purpose this book is published. Take up the hog business; do not delay; stay with it; give them the best of care; stay with it—prices up or down—and you are sure to make money. Does it pay to be prepared for breeding custom sows? It certainly does. Today I have a young sow, brought thir- teen miles, because the man knew I was fixed for it and he wanted to breed to a large and somewhat aged boar. wu ’ | =) r 7 | on i. | eer ~@ais yn ra (ae) “ee \ &yY | \' a \ 7 4 ~ #, ‘| ~~ ‘| AT bead y HIM eS < Bn //)\ ys i Pia 20 7] . 4 ee i ° . wy N 7 De < re & mi oui: ae S re ait ie C Jit 4 "i 4 % * ha N e ai iy Hed ay yy i q Nas) : © ae i : > : a A 1} a \a He Al — Hts aed ~_— STUY a x ‘ A Nn ff Vi ft Jai) / eK \iI / &e = 1] ee rh Le ) D> aay 4 om | = th ™ } ve | i 4 4 tdi Wish a ae Pans é a ae , | Dian aii ; « >) AS ( A\\ § ; AY WAN om a WY, SY YW SSE _— 1! — t a { v HUN ™ " / ’ " f a. 4 4? lan Le ¥ f ; : WAP te | i a . a i (2 il y ' FS a -, q f f Bot ee wa. ao | ian | ie 4 . t : 2 4| bd = PN 4 Peds \ } va : Hh | ix 2%. \) Re | # . {| 4 i Ry » 7 Pay > ? vie { ww } = wt j ti oe " * ‘ a $ re) - ij | ; f i| ; | ’ | ia o.)| , ‘ } ia 4 7 i | é < } ' i525 $34 + 14