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SWillE PROFITABLE Oil SOUTHERN FARMS
HOW TO HANDLE PP.IZE-W1II1IIHG POULTRY
FARM
New Wrinkles
"" In ' .
Progressive
( Agriculture
Making the
Farmers'
Business
Profitable
- . ' . ...
AND .
F IE L D
TCLO II AM IXTEEESTlXa &UXXE1 EXPEESSLY FC8 CUB HEADERS
BEST TIME FOR FRESHENING PRUDENT TREATMENT OF EWE
8everal Good Jteasons for Having
In Winter Keep Her on Clover or Al
if
Cows Drop Calves During Months
of September and October.
It Is generally held by breeders that
falfa Hay Until After Lamb
ComesGive Some Wheat Bran.
A sensible treatment of the ewe
A Champion Poland China Sow From Missouri.
' (Prepared by the United States Depart-
' meDt of Agriculture.)
Tba farmer who la chiefly concerned
' with 'making a living for- hla family
will flnd it cheaper to grow a large
portion of his own meat than to buy it
all from the store with the cash pro
; ceeds of some money crop. Hogs may '
1 be raised profitably on practically
erery, southern farm, and If properly
managed, should supply money as well
food. Early settlers in the corn belt
gate the name of "mortgage litters" to
their hogs; they can raise a mortgage
in ue soutn as weu as in tne corn
belt
Four thinn - are necessary if the
southern farmer wishes to get a start
1. A place to raise and fatten pigs.
t. A pig worth raising and fattening.
3. Feed on which to raise and fatten
them.
4, The necessary funds.
Let us consider these points in re
Terse order. ' .
t L This article la written for the
' man whose principal concern is to sup
ply food for his family. For such a
, man one or two sows will be enough.
. Good grade -sows can be bought for
. $10 6r $15 each; raxorbacks can be
bought for less and will produce good
pigs If bred to a good pure-bred boar.
If there Is no pure-bred boar in the
neighborhood whose services can be
obtained, enough men should club to-
gather to represent the ownership of
20 " to 25 sows and buy a good boar,
paying pro rata for the boar, depend
ing on the number of sows owned by
each. Boars can be bought for from
$10 to $25 fot weaned pigs, and from
$50 to $100 for yearling and two-year
old hogs. If 20 men owning 20 sows
bought a yearling boar for $50, each
man would pay $2.50 toward the price
of the boar. Put the boar in the hands
of one of the members of the club
and let each other member agree to
pay him one pig at weaning time for
the care of the boar for one year, for
attending to the breeding, etc. When
sows come in heat, thev can be loaded
ol a wagon and carried to the farm
where the boar Is kept for service.
2. Sows farrow almost exactly 16
weeks after they are bred. When the
sow farrows try to be near at hand.
Do. not worry her with attention, but
be there if she needs it. Watch that
the buzzards do not carry oft the little
pigs or Injure the sow. Give her a
warm, thin slop as soon as she begins
to move around. Then leave her alone
for a while. That evening give her a
slop with a little bran or cornmoal in
It Feed lightly for a few days and
Increase her feed gradually until the
sow Is getting abrvt four pounds of
grain each day for each 100 pounds of
her weight. This will be within a week
or ten days after she has farrowed.
She should be fed morning and eve
ning. Kitchen scrapa and slops will
be good for her and will reduce the
grain needed somewhat These slops
must not contain any soap or glass,
As corn Is the most available grain
in most sections of the South, it will
have to be relied on for feeding both
the sows and pigs. With the grazing
crops, which are. suggested for hogs a
fairly well-balanced ration will be ob
tained. When you are about ready to wean
the pigs reduce the sow's feed so that
by the time the pigs are weaned she
will have only about two pounds of
grain each day for each 100 pounds of
her weight. Keep her on a Bermuda
pasture and let her have-this ration
until she Is in good condition.
Sows can be made to produce two
litters each year. When thls is de
sired they should be bred at the first
period of heat after the pigs are
weaned. Sows bred twice each year
will not produce so many pigs In each
litter as when bred only once a year,
but more pigs should be raised in a
year from each sow.
It does not pay to try to raise hogs
on grain alonei. In fact the profit in
pig raising, especially in the South,
depends directly on the amount of pas
ture of some kind used to enable the
pig to make Its gain in weight Of the
southern forage cvops peanuts, soy
beans,: rape and cowpeas are especially
valuable. Now. these are not avail
.able al through the, year, therefore we
Advlea to Reader..
; Very ready, are - we, to say, of. a
j book, "How good this is that's ex
actly what I think P But the rieht
Reeling U "How strange that 'is! I
, never tnougnt or mat oerore, ana yet
I see It is true, or if I do not now, J
. hone 1 shall ome- day." ' But wheth-
er tbhs ftubmlsslvely or hot at least
J be sure that you go to the author to
4. ge.bJa, -meaning. , jop Ja..flnd jrqurs,
; ufi ire it. saiLHrwis.ru ia vuu luiuav vuui'
.self qualified t6 do so; but ascertain
it nrsc 1 Ana do sure -aiso u . mo i wsr... . '' : ' :''' ?' : i annnna with a now or mux lar in ex-1 .v ... . .
v.'- cess of'that she gives hen she la u . ;;.; I
7 "''": '"""r-""'" u7.-2', . jwtmfArtahU anil IrritatanV :.y .V !. . v T ,.".;:'1a ,....
use a series of crops For example,
have some winter oats on which the
sows can turned as soon as the pigs
are a week or two old. When these
are gone put the pigs on . good Ber
muda and lespedeza pasture. Have a
crop of soy beans or cowpeas coming
and turn the pigs on this after wean
ing, keeping the sows on the Ber
muda When these are gone put the
pigs in a peanut patch, and finish fat
tening them on rape.
, The pigs should "be weaned at ten or
twelve weeks of age and should then
weigh about 30 pounds. They should
have learned to eat a little grain by
going to the sow's trough. Then be
gin to feed them. Give them every
day grain equal to 2 per cent of their
weight. A pig weighing 30 pounds
should have 3-5 pound of grain; ten
pigs of this weight tlx pounds, etc.
Divide this into two feeds, morning
and evening. This amount of 'grain
will make them grow nicely on good
pasture. As they grow, Increase the
amount of grain. When they weigh
about 125 pounds give them 3 per cent
of their weight in grain, and when
they weigh about 150 pounds each give
them 4 per cent and finish them off,
slaughtering in the winter on a cool
day. Pigs properly fed should weigh
200 pounds at nine months old. Do not
feed cottonseed meal to hogs.
It is not necessary to spend a lot of
money to carry out such a plan. Of
course, the Bermuda pasture where
the sows are turned should have a
good fence. The crops on which the
pigs are grazed can be fenced with
homemade hurdles of lumber or woven
wire, which may be moved as desired,
and the pigs will stay In it while the
pasture is good. Ten pigs can be
kept on half an acre of one of the
crops mentioned above -from four to
eight weeks, depending on their size.
3. A poor pig is not worth raising or
feeding. Tour pigs should be sired
by a good pure-bred Duroo Jersey,
Berkshire, or Poland China boar. After
you have decided which of the three
you want, stick to the same breed and
In a little while you will have pigs
which are very much alike, a model
for others, and an advertisement' for
your community. If you can, afford It,
start with good grade sows. If not
natives (razorbacks) will do. White
pigs should not be used in the South,
as they sunburn badly.
4. Expensive houses are not neces
sary for hogs in the South. Give the
sow a dry place to farrow, a pen well
bedded and sheltered from cold winds
and storms, and both she and the pigs
will do well. Little pigs that get
chilled or wet soon after birth often
die or grow into ."runts." If there is
no suitable place around the farm for
the spw, make a lean-to with poles,
about 10 by 12 feet, six feet high in
front and four feet high behind, facing
It to the south, and thatch it with
straw, cheap hay, or even cornstalks.
and the litter will be well housed,
Make the thatch roof higher in the
middle than at the sides and smooth
it down so that rain will run off.
Two bows should raise five pigs
each, giving the farmer ten pigs to
slaughter. These pigs should weigh,
when slaughtered, 200 pounds each,
making 2,000 pounds of live weight.
This costs about 3 cents per pound
to make in the South under the system
described abbve, which Is an original
cost of $70. Kilting will cost not over
$6. The loss In dressing is about 30
per cent of the live weight or 600
pounds on ten pigs, so that 1,400
pounds of dressed pork is on hand aft
er slaughtering. If you can get a local
ice plant to chill and cure the meat
for you, the manager should charge
not over four cents per pound, which
Is $56. Then the meat loses weight
In curing, amounting to about one cent
per pound, or $14. The total cost of
the meat Is about as follows:
Raising 2,000 pounds, at 84 cents
per pound $ 70
Killing .
Curing 1,400 pounds, at 4 cents
per pound 66
Shrinkage on 1,400 pounds, at 1
cent per pound 14
Total
...$146
author Is worth anything, that you
will not get at, his meaning all at
once; nay at his whole meaning you
will not for a Wng time arrive In
any wlse.rRuskln. f,: ; . -
"y v Ont of the Rarest Gifts.'
li What -a rare gift la that Of man
nei: How-, difficult to define; how
much more difficult to 'Impart! . Bet
ter , for, .Wan tff Mssessheni than
to nave weaiio, oeauiy, ot laiem.
they' IU mors than zupply alLBul
it is best to have cows freshen in the
months of September and October.
There are several reasons for having
cows calve at this time. First the cot
will produce more milk when she
freshens m the fall instead of In the
spring; second, the prices for dairy
products are higher during the winter
months than In summer; third, calves
born in the fall may be turned out to
We Should Keep Cows Adapted to
Our" Needs.
pasture to better advantage than those
btrn in the spring; they are older and
more capable of protecting themselves
from files. When cows freshen at this
season of the year, and it is desired to
have them freshen the following year
at the same time, it is necessary to
carry them for threo months before
breeding. This is the usual practice
among the best dairymen.
We would say that it would be bet
ter to begin breeding the animals the
first of January if it la desired to have
them freshen in the fall, for It is quite
possible that it sill require more than
one breeding. Hoard's Dairyman.
CLEAN WATER IS NECESSARY
Artificial Pond Erected by Illinois
Farmer Proves Quite Adequate
for All Needs of Farm.
Good clean water Is an essential
necessary for the comfort and well
being of the dairy herd. Spring or
well water, if: good, is possibly the
best but when there is not a sufficient
supply a good deep pond does not
come amiss. -
We have an artificial pond which
supplies our needs in this direction,
which is ordinarily from twelve to
fourteen feet deep, cool and clean.
This pond was made by building a
dam across a hollow in the pasture
45 feet wide at the bottom and wide
enough at the top so a team could be
driven across, says an Illinois writer
In Farmers' Review. A wall on the in
side of the dam was constructed of
two-inch white oak boards to keep the
wash from breaking the dam. The
outlet is not over the dam, but on the
side.
To accomplish this task three teams
and four or five men were kept busy
for three weeks. After the dam had
settled It was built up to the neces
sary height twice at different inter
vals.
Here we row with a skiff at
leisure, and have a good old-fashioned
swim when we so desire. In the winter
we have a place to skate, and a most
excellent place to get an abundance of
ice for the Icehouse. Not only this,
but the neighborhood at threshing
time has the privilege of securing all
the water they wish to use. When the
wells go dry there is plenty there to
fill the demand. It took a lot ot hard
labor and backache, but it has given
us 12 years or more of service.
JUDGMENT IN BUYING COWS
If Animal Has Characteristic Color
Markings for Her Breed She Is
Always Easily Salable.
When buying cows, don't buy any
thing that won't sell well again in
case you should want to do so. The
best demand is tor grade cows of the
leading breeds, and, it a cow ot the
characteristic color markings for her
breed, she is easily salable. Ot course,
to sell a cow on the strength ot her
color alone Is hardly fair to the buyer,
Get them with' color combined with
production. ' The chances , are, how
ever, that once you have a nice look
ing oow that is a persistent milker you
will not be tempted to part with her,
no matter how short of money you
may M.v
''Touchstones of Success.
,v Comfort , and ,ontentment are the
touchstones of success. When a cow
Is comfortable and contented, she re-
that lambs In winter is to keep her
mostly on clover or alfalfa hay until
after her lamb cornea There will be
no need to limit the amount of hay
that she consumes after lambing and
then when her lamb takes all her
milk and wishes more, begin feeding
her a little wheat bran. For a week
bran will suffice, gradually increasing
the amount fed, then there may be
added to it a little chopped corn or
barley and a little later some oil-meal.
A pound a day of this mixture will
keep her in good milk flow and it
must be gradually led up to for about
ten days.
About the right proportions of this
mixture are lOo pounds of wheat bran,
100 pounds of chopped com and 20
pounds of oil-meal. This with clover
or alfalfa hay will push her to a very
heavy milk flow. If she is a large
ewe she may consume more than a
pound to advantage, as much as two
pounds being consumed by some large
Dorset ewes.
If this feed is so gradually Intro
duced to the ewe that her digestion is
not disturbed nor her milk flow stim
ulated too much at first, there is small
danger of overfeeding her, supposing
that the lamb is to be pushed for
early market Her unselfish nature
turns the feed quickly into milk and
little of it goes to nourish her own
body.
HORSES IN STORMY WEATHER
Sufficient Care Not Always Observed
When Animal Has Been Heated
After Strenuous Drive.
It is not generally realized to what
an extent loss in horseflesh is suf
fered on account of exposure in stormy
and cold weather, not only In cities,
but also on farms. When the horse Is
driven rapidly or required to draw
heavy loads, the action of the heart Is
Increased, the blood circulates more
freely and rapidly to the lungs and
the surface, of the body, and he be
comes hWated. Then the horse Bweats
more or less, and when In this condi
tion is more sensitive and more liable
to be Injured by currents of cold air or
by exposure to rain. This is not suf
ficiently considered, and it is a very
common occurrence to see such a
horse left by his driver to stand in the
street without any protection what
ever until he is chilled through. Even
where there is some appearance of
care, in the way of providing a blanket
for use on such occasions, this is fre
quently put on in Buch a way as to
leave the most sensitive portions of
the body exposed. When a horse is
allowed to stand so the currents of
cold air strike the breast the result
is likely to be more or less serious
lung trouble, and this may be brought
about in much lees time than -many
suppose.
SLAUGHTER HOGS IN WINTER
Good Plan to Provide Double Hook,
Bent Into "U" Shape, to Sup
port Gambrel Stick.
Farmers use a pole to hang the
hogs on at slaughtering time in win
ter. On this pole a gambrel stick is
placed, the ends being inserted in
the hock of the animal's leg. It Is
always a hard job to do the hanging
and place the gambrel stick at the
same time, writes Leslie R. Sutter of
Towanda, 111., In Popular Mechanics.
A better way is to provide a double
hook of metal, heavy enough to sup
port the animal, and hang the gam
brel stick on this hook, as shown.
The metal may be square or round,
bent Into a U-shape of such dimen
slons that it will fit over the timber
Used in hanging the hogs and with a
hook formed on each end. It is an
easy matter to insert the gambrel
while the hog is lying on the work
table, then lift it by the gambrel and
place the latter on the hooks.
Winter Shed for Wagons.
If there is no room In the barn for
the wagons during Winter time, a few
dollars will build a shed in which to
shelter them from the storms. The
saving in paint and strength ot wood
would astonish you If there was any
way to estimate It
Fresh Pork Is Relished.
Have you got a pig in the pen for
fattening? Fresh pork is relished at
this time of the year and there is no
reason why the farmer should not be
entitled to. the best that may be had.
The farmer's wife has plenty of work
to do this time of year without dress
ing chickens.
kook Over 8eed Corn.
Now Is the time to begin looking
over the seed corn. Test It carefully
with some of the Improved seed test
ers. ' It Is much better to test your
seed corn In the house than to test It
Black Langahans.
First, know what sort of a bird is a
prise winner. To do this study the
pictures of winning birds that are
showu in the farm papers and poultry
journals. Compare the best of your
flock with these. When you go among
the flock to pick your birds, look for
thoee that have grown rapidly, and are
well feathered,
Dont take those that have dull, life
less feathers.
Don't take any that are out of pro
portion, or that show any sort of a
malformation, as a crooked back or
breastbone.
Don't take birds which are sup
posed to have clean legs and feet and
which have feathers there Instead. It
doesn't pay to show fowls which will
be disqualified.
There are minor faults, however.
which may be overlooked. For it
doesn't matter greatly whether a cock
erel has one too many points on his
comb. Too much stress should not be
laid on faults which do not really dis
qualify. After the birds are selected, they
should be tamed. Tame birds act bet
ter in the show room. Take them up
and handle them. Practice putting
them into show coops, handling them
carefully so as not to frighten them.
Never take a bird up by Its feet. Put
It into the coop head first and take it
MOLDY FEED BAD FOR HENS
Cause of Many Deaths Among Poultry,
Particularly Among Young Chicks,
Can Be Prevented.
Don't give poultry moldy feed. It
causes aspergillosis and chickens af
flicted with this are "lungers."
Moldy feed and moldy litter in
nmiltrv houses are the cause of many
deaths among poultry, and particularly
amone your chicks." says J. B. Hayes
of the poultry department of the Uni
versity of Wisconsin. These mows
taken into the body of the fowl cause
a disease known as aspergillosis wnicn
is as fatal as the name sounds. Among
poultry men, the chicks affected with
this trouble are commonly spoken or
as 'lungers."
The chick stands around In a drowsy
manner and shows little desire to
eat. The wings hang down, the breath
is rapid, and white diarrhea is pres
ent Indeed, the disease Is many
times mistaken for white diarrhea
Older birds, when attacked, are inac
tive and sleepy. If forced to run, they
will fall from exhaustion. The breath
ing is rapid, the appetite is diminished
and more or less catarrh is present.
An affected chick will be found to
have soft yellow growths from the size
of a pinhead to that of a pea. mainly
in the lungs but sometimes in the in
testines and mesentery. These growths
clog tho air passages of the lungs and
so cause the death of the birds. In
mature fowls there are two forms ot
the disease. The membranes lining
the air sacs and tubes may be covered
with a membranous formation whlcn
is soft and yellowish and has an of
fensive odor. Or there may be white
or yellowish nodules imbedded In the
tissues of the lunsrs. In either case
the disease is incurable.
But since it is caused by moldy feed
or moldy litter it can be entirely pre
vented by cleaning up the poultry
house once in a while and keeping
moldy feed and litter away from the
flock. This is only one of the many
poultry troubles that can be avoided
by clean feed and clean pens and
yards.
Indication of Fowl's Health.
The condition of the bowels Is the
best indication of the fowl's health.
When the droppings are more or less
hard, ot a dark brown color, capped
with white, we know the fowl Is enjoy
ing the best of health. But when they
are watery and yellow, Indigestion, If
not liver trouble, Is the cause.
Persistence Mskes Sucsest.
, Those who become . discouraged at
a tew failures will seldom succeed
with poultry. Failures are often met
In any line, and poultry la no excep
tion to this rule. ; It takes persistence
to make a success at anything.
out by grasping It by the thighs, over
the wing and under the breast ln
this way the bird cannot flap its wings
and break them, and you cause it no
discomfort Practice up on some of
your common stock before you tackle
your show birds. When you hava
learned how to do it you can handle
them all you wish.
Do not overfeed your birds before
shipping. If you are going to ship to
a show where the birds are weighed
in, see to it that they arrive at the
show rooms with good appetites. The
show management will see to It that
they are properly fed before being .
weighed. Feed just what they will
clean up and remove the rest It'
doesn't pay to cram before shipping.
When they arrive, ihey have no appe
tites, and are weighed in to poor ad
vantage. The male birds should be kept sepa
rate. Otherwise the two best ones
are almost sure to get to fighting Just
before the show, and will thus be out
of condition. If you must keep them
together, be sure that your show bird
is master of the coop. Otherwise he
becomes cowed and will not show to
good advantage.
If In doubt in regard to any points'
about your birds, consult some local
authority who can tell you just which
Is the best bird.
VARIETY FOR . WINTER EGGS
Best Results Secured From Laying
Fowls by Using Ground Food,
Meat and Green Stuff.
Variety of feed Is what makes the
winter eggs. Corn three times a day
as a rule builds up fatty tissue, makes
hens lazy and reduces profit
"Animal food,- ground food and a
generous supply ot green stuff pro
duce the best results for laying fowls."
says J. Q. Halpln, head of the poultry
department of the UniversityXot Wis
consin. .
The exercise so needful for poultry
can be provided In winter by working
the grain ration well Into the litter of
fresh straw that should be provided as ;
a carpet on the feeding floors. A good
variety of grain should be provided; .
some corn, wheat oats and , barley
mixed together, or fed alternately,
makes a satisfactory ration.
' A grain ration for winter use that
has given good results at the experi
ment station farm consists of two
parts corn, two parts wheat one part
oats and one part barley.
It Is recommended that the ground ,,
feed be placed In a Bmall mash box
or trough where the hen can have
ready access to it. The following mix
ture of ground feeds Is considered to
be quite satisfactory: One hundred
pounds bran, 100 pounds middlings,
100 pounds ground corn, 60 pounds
malt sprouts, 50 pounds meat Scraps
and sufficient salt '
Green Bone for Fowls.
Green bone can be fed advanta
geously to fowls intended for different
purposes and kept under different
conditions. It is a great help in has
tening the growth of young birds, but
the greatest help of this food to the
average poultry raiser Is In feeding it
during the winter months to supply
animal food. When fed to laying
hens the yield will be Increased won
derfully, and the poultry raiser will
be well paid for the labor expended
in cutting. It Is a food which all
fowls eat readily, and one that must
be ted judiciously.
Care of Details Important
As a rule it is the taking care of the
little things that goes furthest, toward
making a success of any business.
This is especially true in the poultry
business. Until one masters this fea
ture ot the work he cannot hope to be
a real success. This is one reason why
many -women are really successful in
the raising ot chickens. They have the
Inborn faculty for detail In their work.
Increase the Meat Ration.
Remember, in cold weather: to In
crease the meat ration, aa the hens
need It to keep up the heist tor the
body. ... .