-----------------------------------------------------------------
_Treatment._--Remove the shoe, and soak the feet in warm water for six
or eight hours and repeat in two or three days. Also apply Pratts
Peerless Hoof Ointment at night all over the bottom of the foot and to
all parts of the frog and at top of hoof joining the hair, and cover the
entire wall of the foot. The horse should stand on a deep, soft bed.
Cover with blankets. Feed bran mashes, vegetables and hay; no grain. Use
wide-webbed shoes two weeks after recovery.
~Heaves~
The symptoms of this disease are chronic, spasmodic cough and
simultaneous passage of gas from the rectum; double bellowslike action
of the abdominal muscles in breathing; harsh staring coat; hide-bound
skin; weakness, and ill-health in general. Over-burdening of the stomach
with coarse, bulky, dusty, or woody hay or other roughage, and working
the horse immediately after such a meal induces heaves. The horse that
has inherited a gluttonous appetite is especially subject to the
disease. Probably the most effective remedy for this disease is Pratts
Heave Remedy. In addition to using the Remedy as directed, we would
suggest wetting all food with lime water, feeding wet oat straw in
winter and grass in summer in preference to hay; allowing double the
customary rest period after meals and keeping the bowels freely open by
feeding bran mashes containing raw linseed oil or flaxseed meal.
~Itch~
This is the name given to mange, eczema and other skin diseases. It is
usually prevalent in summer and from a small beginning on an animal,
will rapidly spread all over the body.
_Treatment._--Wash the parts thoroughly with a solution of one part of
Pratts Disinfectant to 20 parts water. Let it dry and then apply Pratts
Healing Ointment or Healing Powder two or three times a day.
~Lice~
Sprinkle Pratts Disinfectant on an old blanket and tie it around the
animal for two or three hours. This will quickly kill all vermin. Spray
lightly upon the legs and such places that the blanket will not cover.
Then spray thoroughly the stable and all poultry houses near with the
Disinfectant, according to directions. Give Pratts Animal Regulator to
build up the animals that have been affected.
~Puncture and Wounds in the Foot~
In all cases, the opening or puncture in the hoof must be made larger,
so as to give free vent for the matter which is sure to form. If this is
not done, quittor will follow. Then dress with Pratts Peerless Hoof
Ointment.
While working the horse, a pledget of tow, covered with Pratts Peerless
Hoof Ointment, may be placed in and over the puncture and confined; but
it must not be allowed to remain after the horse returns to the stable.
Soak the feet for eight or ten hours a day for two or three days in a 5%
solution of Pratts Disinfectant and apply the Ointment. Horse will not
have proud flesh when this remedy is used.
~Quarter Cracks~
Cut top of hoof above the crack deep enough to draw blood. Soak foot in
hot water, apply Pratts Peerless Hoof Ointment and cover with oakum.
Pare out sole and open heel--blacksmith must use care in expanding.
Apply Pratts Peerless Hoof Ointment daily to the coronet and frogs--this
is very important. Use bar shoe.
~Thin Flesh~
Animal needs a good tonic. Use Pratts Animal Regulator daily with the
feed according to directions. This is a regulator, tonic and digestive
and so works upon the blood, liver, bowels and digestive organs that the
animal is quickly built up, and is given strength, health and flesh.
~Thrush~
_Symptoms._--Shown by a foul discharge issuing from the cleft of the
foot, and usually attended with decay of the horn and a vile odor. The
foot is hot and hard.
_Cause._--In the fore feet, it is generally the result of navicular
disease or contraction of the feet. In the hind feet it is entirely
caused by filthy stables, allowing the feet to stand in decaying manure.
_Treatment._--Have absolute cleanliness in the stable and stalls,
disinfecting with Pratts Disinfectant. Wash the foot thoroughly with
soap and water, and cut away all diseased and ragged parts as well as
the white, powdery decayed horn and substance, even if the flesh is
exposed and the frog much reduced. Then pour Pratts Liniment over the
affected parts. Dress daily until cured. Another excellent remedy is to
wash out diseased portion of hoof with one part Pratts Disinfectant and
20 parts of water three times a day.
~Worms~
Horses take in worm eggs on pasture, in hay, and in drinking water from
contaminated troughs or ponds. Marsh or swale hay is particularly liable
to infest with worms. Avoid sources of worms. Cleanliness is imperative.
Cut down feed one-half, mix bran with feed and dampen it. Give one dose
of Pratts Specially Prepared Worm Powder with the feed twice a day for
four days. After fourth day give large, soft, well-scalded bran mash to
loosen bowels freely. Repeat the bran mashes if necessary, as the bowels
must be moved freely. Should the horse refuse to eat the bran mash, it
will be necessary to give him a dose of Glauber's salts, or some other
purge to loosen the bowels.
_Pin Worms._--Sometimes pin worms remain just inside the rectum, and are
very hard and stubborn to cure. In cases of this kind, if the desired
result is not obtained by feeding Pratts Worm Powder, dissolve one of
the powders in a quart of water and inject in the rectum. Repeat this
once a day in the evening, and continue for four or five days. Do not
fail in this case, as in all other cases of worms, to feed bran mashes
until the bowels are freely moved, and should the horse refuse the bran
mash or should it fail to move the bowels, give the horse a dose of
Glauber's salts.
Pratts Worm Powder is a special preparation for the destruction of all
kinds of worms in horses, hogs, and sheep. It is purely vegetable, has a
strong tonic effect that builds up and helps the animal to regain
strength, and is the quickest and most thorough worm destroyer on the
market.
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
|~Every PRATT PREPARATION is sold with a positive and absolute|
|GUARANTEE--"Your Money Back If You Are Not Satisfied."~ |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
[Illustration: Care of Cows]
~CATTLE~
Cows will bring large or small profits in proportion to the care they
receive. If properly housed, properly fed, properly bred, and properly
protected against disease they will fully repay the little extra
attention required. Strive intelligently to secure the greatest possible
regular production. Keep a sharp lookout for unfavorable symptoms and be
prompt in finding a cause for poor condition and remedying it. Cows kept
in perfect health are the least expense, least trouble, and the greatest
profit-earners.
You do not need to be a veterinarian to know that the health of a cow
depends on a good healthy appetite with complete digestion and perfect
assimilation of the daily ration.
That is just plain common sense. No cow which is not a big eater can be
profitable. But appetite is not of itself sufficient to make a cow a
money maker. There must be sound digestion.
Once establish and maintain good digestion, food performs its natural
functions. Bodily waste is repaired. Strength and growth are noticed and
the cow gives the utmost possible amount of milk. See then, that your
cows have hearty, healthy appetites and good digestion. Good digestion
does not always follow a large appetite. A cow giving only a few quarts
of milk a day will often eat as much as one giving gallons. She requires
the same amount of care and attention.
The trouble is that she does not have good digestion to convert food
into milk. Of course there are cows which will always be small milkers,
but there are many many more cows which can be made to give substantial,
paying increase of milk production if proper attention is given them.
Perhaps there are such cows in your herd. Without your even realizing
it, they are out of condition. A little help and they would give enough
more milk to pay you a satisfactory profit.
This "help" can easily be given. Your own dealer has it. We mean Pratts
Cow Remedy, for cows only.
We all know how, when we are well, the sight or smell of pleasant
tasting food, "makes the mouth water." This is literally true because
the digestive glands of the mouth and stomach pour out their secretions
and are ready to begin digesting the food.
When, however, the nerves fail to send their messages to the glands or
the glands fail to respond, we have a diseased condition and we take
medicine to assist in recovery.
Thus the sensation known as appetite is really at the basis of sound
health. Without it, it is doubtful if animals would eat enough to supply
their bodily needs.
The mere forcing of food into the stomach would avail little. There must
be desire for food, and restoring the appetite is the first step in
bringing the health back. In other words an appetizer is often required
to induce us to eat. Then thorough digestion builds up bodily strength.
Pratts Cow Remedy does all this for the cow, assisting Nature in
bringing up the appetite, stimulating digestion, restoring and
maintaining health.
Cattle is generally divided into dairy, beef and dual purpose breeds.
The names signify the advantages claimed for them. In the dairy breeds,
the Holstein, Jersey, Guernseys, French Canadian and Ayrshire are
leaders.
Shorthorns, Herefords, Polled Durhams are the best-known beef breeds.
While among the dual purpose breeds, Milking Shorthorns, Red Polls,
Brown Swiss and Devons have many admirers.
The indications when selecting dairy females, and important in the order
given, are: (1) Much length or depth in the barrel or coupling,
indicating a large possible consumption and utilization of food. (2)
Refinement of form, as evidenced more particularly in the head, neck,
withers, thighs, and limbs. (3) Good development of udder and milk
veins. (4) Constitution, as indicated by a capacious chest, much width
through the heart, a broad loin, a full, clear eye, and an active
carriage. (5) Downward and yet outward spring and open-spaced ribs,
covered with a soft, pliable and elastic skin.
The essential indications of correct form in beef cattle are: (1) A
compact form wide and deep throughout, and but moderately long in the
coupling. (2) A good back, wide from neck to tail, well fleshed, and
straight. (3) A good front quarter, wide, deep, and full. (4) A good
hind quarter, long, wide, and deep. (5) Good handling qualities, as
indicated in elastic flesh and pliant skin.
[Illustration: ~GUERNSEY COW~]
The important indications of good form in dual females are: (1) Medium
to large size for the breed or grade. (2) Good length and depth in the
coupling. (3) Good development of udder and milk veins. (4) Good
constitution, as indicated by good width through the heart. (5) Head and
neck inclining to long and fine. (6) Ribs of medium spring, open spaced,
and covered with a good handling skin. The dual types have an absence of
extreme development in the direction of either the dairy or the beef
form.
In males selected for breeding, the evidences of masculinity should be
markedly present. These include increased strength as shown in the head,
neck, breast, shoulders, back and limbs.
The advantage of having pure blood stock over "scrubs" is apparent. For
those, however, who want something better than scrubstock and cannot pay
the high price which pure blood commands, the ownership of grade cattle
offers a satisfactory solution of the problem.
Grading consists in mating thoroughbred sires with common females and
with the female progeny for a number of generations. Where the work is
wisely done by the use of good sires, accompanied by the rejection of
all inferior animals for future breeding, the progeny of beef sires may
be brought up to the level of the pure breed for beef making from which
the sires have been selected in four generations. To bring milking
qualities up to the level may call for one or two more generations of
such breeding. Not only do these grade animals answer almost equally
well, with pure breeds, but they may be bought for much less.
If cows are to produce a maximum return in milk, they must be kept in
comfort. In winter they are usually tied in the stall. The light should
be ample and the ventilation thorough. Lack of proper ventilation causes
the spread of tuberculosis in cattle.
Cows must be allowed exercise, even in winter.
They should be allowed to go out daily for an hour or more into a
sheltered yard, save on days when the weather is extreme; or, better
still, be given the liberty of a closed and well-ventilated shed during
a portion of the day. It should be supplied with a fodder rack.
In summer, cows in milk must be protected from storms, from excessive
sunshine, and from flies, as far as this may be practicable. Pratts Fly
Chaser is unequalled as a fly repellant. It is perfectly safe to use,
does not injure or gum the hair, and is economical. A light spray is
both lasting and effective.
Cows in milk should be driven gently. The pasture should not be too
distant from the stable, and driving during the heat of the day should
be avoided.
The quality of milk is easily injured by coming in direct contact with
foreign substances or by imbibing odors. The milk must be drawn from
clean udders, with clean hands, into clean pails, and amid clean
surroundings. The stables must have attention. The udder and teats
should be wiped off by using a damp cloth. Milking should be done with
dry hands into metal pails, kept clean by scalding. Milking before
feeding prevents dust particles from getting into the milk. Noxious
odors are kept down by the prompt removal of droppings and by strewing
sand, plaster, rock phosphate, or dry earth in the manure gutters.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_Elderton, Pa.
"I have used Pratts Cow Remedy with best results. I fully believe
it cannot be surpassed for increasing the flow of milk."
JAS. YOUNG._
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Unless milking is done at stated times, and by the same person, there
will be a loss in the production. When milking is delayed, a decreased
flow is noticeable the following morning. When a change of milkers is
made, some cows resent it by withholding a part of the milk.
It is not easy to dry some dairy cows prior to the birth of the next
calf, and yet, as a rule, it ought to be done. When they are to be dried
the process should begin by milking them once a day and putting them on
dry food. The food may also be reduced somewhat in quantity. Later the
milk is taken out at intervals which constantly increase in length until
the cow is dry. The udder should be carefully watched during the later
stages of the drying process.
Where suitable pasture may be obtained, it is usually a cheaper source
of food for cows than soiling food or cured fodders, as the element of
labor in giving the food is largely eliminated. The best pastures,
viewed from the standpoint of production, are those grown on lands that
may be irrigated during the season of growth. These consist of clover
and certain grasses. Permanent pastures which are grown on moist land,
and which contain a number of grasses, are usually satisfactory, but the
nature of the pasture must, of course, be largely determined by the
attendant conditions. Blue grass pastures are excellent while succulent
and abundant, but in midsummer they lose their succulence for weeks in
succession. Brouer grass is a favorite pasture in northwestern areas,
and Bermuda grass in the South. In the Eastern and Central States, the
most suitable pastures are made up of blue grass, timothy, and orchard
grass, and of the common red, white and alsike clovers.
There is more or less of hazard to cows when grazing on
alfalfa--liability to bloating, which may result fatally. Likewise
second growth sorghum or the second growth of the non-saccharine
sorghums is full of hazard, especially in dry seasons when it has become
stunted in growth. Nor should rape and rye be grazed, save for a short
time after the cows have been milked, lest they give a taint to the
milk.
The change from winter rations to grazing should never be suddenly made,
or purging caused by the fresh grass will lead to loss in weight and
loss of milk, though at first there will probably be an advance in the
same. The change may be made in outline as follows:
(1) The cows will not be turned out until after the food given in the
morning has been sufficiently consumed.
(2) They will be kept out an hour, or two the first day, and the time
increased.
(3) The time called for to effect the change should never be less than
one week or more than three.
(4) As soon as the change begins, the reduction in succulent food,
ensilage, and field roots should also begin.
(5) The dry fodder should be continued morning and evening as long as
the cows will take it.
[Illustration: ~AYRSHIRE COW~]
(6) There should be some reduction and it may be modification in the
grain for a short time.
After turning out a full supply may be necessary. Should the pasture be
composed mainly of grasses, food rich in protein, as wheat bran, should
be fed, but if it is composed mainly of clover, then more carbonaceous
grain, as corn, should be fed.
When pasture is succulent and abundant, it is a disputed point as to
whether it will pay to feed meal of any kind in addition. The following
conclusion in regard to this question would seem safe:
When cows are fed grain on pastures succulent and abundant, the tendency
is to increase the yield in the milk and also to increase flesh.
The quality of the milk is not materially influenced.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_Millsboro, Del.
Pratts Cow Remedy was fed to the cow from the receipt of Remedy
until the calf was eight weeks old and the calf weighed 234 pounds
and was acknowledged unanimously to be the nicest calf that was
ever shipped from this depot.
W.R. ATKINS._
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Some saving is effected in the grazing, and the resultant fertilizer
from the grain fed has a tangible value. It is certain, therefore, that
full value will be obtained for a small grain ration thus fed.
[Illustration: PRATTS PRACTICAL POINTERS]
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~GET MORE MILK MONEY~ |
| |
|Help your cows, every one, to give the largest possible amount of milk |
|and to produce big, strong, husky calves each season. The _extra_ pounds|
|of milk, the _extra_ value of the calves are all clear profit. |
| |
|[Illustration: Pratts Cow Remedy] |
| |
|It costs as much to house and care for and nearly as much to feed a poor|
|producer as a good one. The first may be kept at a loss. The latter is a|
|sure profit-payer. The difference is generally merely a matter of |
|physical condition. And this _you_ can control. |
| |
|Pratts Cow Remedy makes cows healthy and productive. It is not a |
|food--it is _all medicine_, preventive and curative. It is absolutely |
|safe to use because free from arsenic, antimony and other dangerous |
|ingredients. |
| |
| ~PRATTS COW REMEDY~ |
| |
|is nature's able assistant. It not only improves appetite and assists |
|digestion, increases milk yield and percentage of butter fat, but in |
|large measure prevents and overcomes such disorders as barrenness and |
|abortion, garget, milk fever, scours, indigestion, liver and kidney |
|troubles. |
| |
|The reason is plain when you know the ingredients. Here they |
|are--gentian root, Epsom salts, capsicum, oxide of iron, fenugreek, nux |
|vomica, ginger root, charcoal, soda, salt. All of superior quality and |
|properly proportioned and combined. |
| |
|You may _think_ your cows are doing their best when they are not. _Now |
|find out_. Secure a supply of the original and genuine Pratts Cow |
|Remedy. Use it and watch results. You will be astonished and delighted. |
|But if for any reason you are not-- |
| |
| "~YOUR MONEY BACK IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED~" |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
[Illustration: PRATTS PRACTICAL POINTERS]
As soon as the supply of pasture becomes insufficient in quantity or
lacking in succulence, it should be supplemented with food cut and fed
in the green form, as winter rye, oats and peas, and oats and vetches
grown together, millet in several varieties, grasses, perennial and
Italian rye, especially the latter, alfalfa, the medium red, the
mammoth, alsike and crimson clovers, corn of many varieties, and the
sorghums. Alfalfa, where it can be freely grown, is king among soiling
foods. Peas and oats grown together are excellent, the bulk being peas.
Corn is more commonly used, and in some sections sweet sorghum is given
an important place. The aim should be to grow soiling foods that will be
ready for feeding in that succession that will provide food through all
the summer and autumn. Soiling furnished by grains, grasses, and clovers
are usually fed in the stables or feed yards, and corn and sorghum are
usually strewn over the pastures, as much as is needed from day to day.
Where much soiling food is wanted from year to year, it would seem safe
to say that it can be most cheaply supplied in the form of silage. Even
when grass is abundant, cows will eat with avidity more or less of
ensilage well made. They should not be fed in winter more than 25 pounds
per animal per day, but the quantity needed is determined largely by the
condition of the pastures. Because of the less quantity of the silage
called for in summer, the silo that contains the silage should be of
less diameter than the silo that holds food for winter use, otherwise
the exposed silage will dry out too much between the times of feeding
it.
In autumn soiling foods may be fed with profit that are possessed of
less succulence than would suffice at an earlier period, as in the
autumn the pastures are usually more succulent than in the summer. Corn
may be fed at such a time with much advantage from the shock, and
sorghum that has been harvested may likewise be fed from the shock or
from the cocks. Pumpkins may be thrown into the pasture and broken when
fed.
Viewed from the standpoint of milk production, the legumes (clover, cow
peas, soy beans, etc.) must be assigned first rank. After these come
grain fodders, corn and sorghum fodders, and fodders from grasses,
suitable in the order named. Lowest of all is straw furnished by the
small cereals. Fodders when fed are not restricted in quantity as
concentrates are.
Among legumes, hay furnished by alfalfa, any of the clovers, cow peas,
soy beans and vetches, is excellent for producing milk when these are
cut at the proper stage and properly cured. Alfalfa should be cut for
such feeding when only a small per cent. of blooms have been formed,
clovers when in full bloom, and cow peas, soy beans, and vetches when
the first forward pods are filling. Proper curing means by the aid of
wind stirring through the mass rather than sun bleaching it.
When good leguminous fodders are fed, from 33 to 50 per cent. less grain
will suffice than would be called for when non-leguminous fodders only
are fed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_Leavenworth, Kansas.
When two veterinarians had given up a cow to die, I gave her Pratts
Animal Regulator with the result that she was on her feed in about
a week. I am a constant user of Pratt Products.
J.D. WATSON._
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fodder may usually be cheaply furnished from corn and sorghum, when
grown so that the stalks are fine and leafy, and if cut when nearing
completed maturity and well cured. Such food is excellent for milk
production when fed with suitable adjuncts, even though the fodder is
grown so thickly that nubbins do not form. The aim should be to feed the
sorghums in the autumn and early winter and the corn so that it may be
supplemented by other hay when the winter is past, as later than the
time specified these foods deteriorate.
[Illustration: ~JERSEY COW~]
Rye and wheat straw are of little use in making milk, oat straw is
better, and good bright pea straw is still more valuable. When fodder is
scarce, these may be fed to advantage if run through a cutting box and
mixed with cut hay.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_Thomaston, Ga.
Since I started feeding her Pratts Cow Remedy, my cow has shown an
increase in her daily flow of milk of over one gallon and is now in
better condition than she has ever been. I give all the credit for
this remarkable improvement to Pratts Cow remedy.
O.W. JONES._
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The necessity for feeding succulent food in some form where maximum milk
yields are to be attained has come to be recognized by all dairy-men.
The plants that furnish succulence in winter are corn in all its
varieties, field roots of certain kinds, and the sorghums. Corn and
sorghum to furnish the necessary succulence must be ensiled. Corn
ensilage is without a rival in providing winter succulence for cows.
Field roots furnish succulence that, pound for pound, is more valuable
than corn, because of the more favorable influence which it exerts on
the digestion. But roots cost more to grow than corn. Rutabagas and
turnips will give the milk an offensive taint if fed freely at any other
time than just after the milk has been withdrawn, but that is not true
of mangel wurtzel, sugar beets, or carrots.
The necessity for giving grain feed containing high percentage of
digestible matter (known as concentrates) to dairy cows is based on the
inability of the cow to consume and digest enough coarse fodders to
result in maximum production, even though the fodders should be in
balance as to their constituents.
Concentrates are purchased or home grown. It matters not from which
source they are obtained, but the values of those purchased are becoming
so high as to force upon dairy-men the necessity of growing them at home
as far as this may be practicable, and of insuring sound digestion by
giving some such tonic and appetizer as Pratts Cow Remedy. This splendid
prescription should be kept on hand the year round, and should be given
with every feeding, especially in winter. Its value in keeping up milk
production and for maintaining health is unequalled.
The method of furnishing concentrates by growing certain of the small
grains in combination is growing in favor. These combinations may
include wheat, barley, outs, peas, and flax. Frequently but two
varieties are grown together. They are grown thus, in the first place,
to secure better yields, and, in the second, to furnish concentrates in
approximate balance. Such a food, for instance, is obtained from
growing wheat and oats together, and if some flax is grown in the
mixture it will be further improved.
When choosing concentrates for feeding cows, the aim should be to select
them so that when fed along with the roughage on hand, they will be in
approximate balance, that is, the elements in them will best meet the
needs of the cows.
If a flesh and milk-making food, like clover, is the source of the
fodder, then a fat and heat-producing food, like corn, should furnish a
large proportion of the grain fed. But it is not more profitable in all
instances to feed foods in exact balance. Some of the factors may be so
high priced and others so cheap that it will pay better to feed them
more or less out of balance.
When good clover hay or alfalfa is being fed to cows in milk, any one of
the following grain supplements will give satisfactory results.
(1) Corn meal and wheat bran, equal parts by weight.
(2) Corn meal, wheat bran, and ground oats in the proportions of 2, 1,
and 1 parts.
(3) Corn meal, wheat bran, and cottonseed meal in the proportion of 2,
1, and 1 parts. Whether corn meal or corn and cob meals is fed is not
very material. Barley meal may be fed instead of corn.
Should corn ensilage be fed to the extent of, say, 40 pounds per day
along with clover or alfalfa, any one of the following grain supplements
should suffice:
(1) Corn or barley meal, wheat bran, and ground oats, fed in equal parts
by weight.
(2) Corn or barley meal and wheat bran, fed in the proportions of 1 and
2 parts.
(3) Corn or barley meal, cottonseed meal, and wheat or rice bran, fed in
equal proportions.
(4) Ground peas and oats, also fed in equal proportions. The succotash
mixture may be fed alone or in conjunction with other meal added to make
the food still more in balance.
It is preferable to feed meal admixed with cut fodders. The mastication
that follows will then be more thorough and the digestion more complete.
When ensilage is fed, admixture will result sufficiently if the meal is
thrown over the ensilage where it has been put into the mangers.
In order to insure the animal obtaining full benefit of all its feed, it
will be found highly profitable to include Pratts Cow Remedy with the
daily ration. It acts as a digestive and at the same time insures a
healthy and natural action of the bowels.
Bulls should be fed and managed with a view to secure good, large and
robust physical development and the retention of begetting powers
unimpaired to a good old age. The aim should be to avoid tying bulls in
the stall continuously for any prolonged period, but to give them
opportunity to take exercise in box stalls, paddocks, and pastures to
the greatest extent that may be practicable.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_Jacksonville, Fla.
Have used Pratts Cow Remedy with good success as a general tonic
and for increasing milk. Omitting it at intervals as a test showed
a falling off of about a pint for each cow, which was always made
up when the remedy was added.
T.C. JOHNSTON._
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A ring should be inserted in the nose when not yet one year old. Rings
most commonly used are two and one-half to three inches in diameter.
When inserting them the head of the animal should be drawn tightly up to
a post or other firm objects, so that the muzzle points upward at a
suitable angle. A hole is then made with a suitable implement through
the cartilage between the nasal passages, and forward rather than
backward in the cartilage. The ring is then inserted, the two parts are
brought together again, and they are held in place by a small screw.
When ringed, a strap or rope with a spring attached will suffice for a
time when leading them, but later they should be led with a lead, which
is a strong, tough circular piece of wood, four to five feet long, with
a snap attached to one end.
[Illustration: PRATTS PRACTICAL POINTERS]
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~SELL THE MILK BUT GROW THE CALVES~ |
| |
|Whole milk is too valuable to use as calf feed, even if calves--both |
|veals and those kept for dairy purposes--are selling at such high |
|prices. Sell the milk, get all the cash out of it, but grow the calves|
|just the same. Merely feed the perfect milk substitute-- |
| |
| ~PRATTS CALF MEAL |
| "BABY FOOD FOR BABY CALVES"~ |
| |
|When prepared and fed in accordance with the simple directions, Pratts|
|Calf Meal will grow calves _equal to those grown on whole or skim-milk|
|and at less cost_. |
| |
|This truly wonderful calf feed has practically the same chemical |
|composition as the solids of whole milk. It is made of superior |
|materials, carefully selected and especially adapted to calf feeding. |
|These are milled separately and bolted to remove hulls and coarse |
|particles, which insures perfect digestion. Finally, the mixture is |
|thoroughly steam-cooked, in a sense pre-digested. |
| |
|Calves fed Pratts way thrive and grow rapidly and are not subject to |
|scours and other calf disorders. Just make a test. Feed some calves |
|_your_ way and some _Pratts_ way. Let your eye and the scales tell the|
|story. Learn how easy it is to grow the best of calves at less cost. |
| |
| "YOUR MONEY BACK IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED" |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
[Illustration: PRATTS PRACTICAL POINTERS]
Avoid using in service bulls under one year. During the one-year form
they should not be allowed to serve more than a score of cows; after
they have reached the age of 24 to 30 months they may be used with much
freedom in service until the vital forces begin to weaken with age. When
properly managed, waning should not begin before the age of 7 or 8
years. It has been found that the bull's service can be made more sure
by the use of Pratts Cow Remedy, because of its mild and safe tonic
properties. Bulls should he able to serve from 75 to 300 cows a year
without injury when the times of service spread over much of the year.
Calves reared to be made into meat at a later period are very frequently
allowed to nurse from their dams. This should never be done in the
dairy. Such a method of raising them is adverse to maximum milk giving,
as the calves when young cannot take all the milk the cows are capable
of giving; hence the stimulus is absent that would lead her to give
more.
At no time in the life of a dairy cow should she be allowed to suckle
her calf longer than the third day of its existence.
In certain parts of the country, especially where whole milk is sold for
consumption in the cities, dairy-men frequently kill calves at birth
because of lack of milk for feeding them. This practice is wrong and
unnecessary. All strong calves should be grown, either for milking
animals or veal. And this can now be done, easily and cheaply, by
feeding Pratts Calf Meal, the perfect milk substitute, the guaranteed
"baby food for baby calves." When this scientific food is used, calves
of really superior quality, big, sturdy, vigorous, are grown practically
without milk.
Pratts Calf Meal must not be confused with coarse mixtures of mill
by-products sometimes sold as "calf meal" or "calf food." Pratts is as
carefully made as the baby foods which are so widely used for children.
It appeals to the calf's appetite, is easily and quickly digested,
produces rapid growth and even development. It does not cause scours and
other digestive troubles. And it is easy to prepare and feed.
[Illustration: ~SHORT HORN COW~]
In chemical composition, Pratts Calf Meal is practically identical with
the solids of whole milk. It is made exclusively of materials especially
suited to calf feeding and these are always of the highest quality
obtainable. This is one secret of the great success of this truly
remarkable feed.
The various materials are ground very fine, milled separately, and are
then bolted to remove any coarse particles. They are then combined in
exact proportions and thoroughly mixed.
Finally, the mixture is steam-cooked, which makes the feed easy to
digest and assimilate. This expensive, but most necessary process,
prevents indigestion and bowel troubles which accompany the use of
unbolted, uncooked meals.
Where milk is available for calf feeding the following plan may be used:
The young calf should take milk from its dam for, say, three days.
During that period the milk is only fit for feeding purposes. It is very
important that the calf shall be started right, and in no way can this
be done so well as by Nature's method, that is, by allowing it to take
milk from the dam at will. At the end of that time it should be taught
to drink. This can usually be accomplished without difficulty by
allowing the calf to become hungry before its first lesson in drinking.
It should be given all whole milk, for say, two weeks. This given in
three feeds per day, and not more in quantity, as a rule, than two
quarts at a feed.
The change from whole to skim-milk should be made gradually. A small
amount of skim-milk should be added to the whole milk the first day, and
a corresponding amount of whole milk withheld. The amount of skim-milk
increased from day to day, and the whole milk fed decreased
correspondingly. The time covered in making the change from all whole to
all skim-milk should be from one to two weeks. Any skim-milk that is
sweet will answer, but it should not be fed to young calves at a lower
temperature than about 98 degrees in winter. Milk obtained by cream
separators, soon after drawn from the cow, is particularly suitable.
[Illustration: ~HOLSTEIN COW~]
As soon as the change from whole to skim-milk is begun, some substitute
should be added to replace the fat withheld by reducing the amount of
whole milk fed. Ground flax or oil-meal is the best. It is generally fed
in the latter form. In some instances the oil-meal is put directly into
the milk beginning with a heaping teaspoonful and gradually increasing
the quantity. A too lax condition of the digestion would indicate that
an excessive amount was being fed. Later the meal may be more
conveniently fed when mixed with other meal.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_Riverdale, Md.
Very much pleased with results of Pratts Animal Regulator during
the present period of my cows breeding. An extraordinary strong
calf and the mother in fine condition.
WM. C. GRAY._
-----------------------------------------------------------------
As soon as the calves will eat meal it should be given to them. No meal
is more suitable at the first than ground oats and wheat bran. A little
later whole oats will answer quite well. To calves grown for dairy uses
they may form the sole grain food. If the calves are to be grown for
beef, some more fattening food, as ground corn, or ground barley, should
be added to the meal. For such calves, equal parts of bran, oats whole
or ground, and ground corn, barley, rye, or speltz are excellent. Until
three months old they may be allowed to take all the grain that they
will eat. Later it may be necessary to restrict the quantity fed. Calves
for the dairy must be kept in a good growing condition, but without an
excess of fat. The meal should be kept in a box at all times accessible
to the calves and should be frequently renewed. Grain feeding may cease
when the calves are put upon pasture.
As soon as the calves will eat fodder it should be given to them. Fodder
gives the necessary distention to the digestive organs, which makes the
animals capable of taking a sufficient quantity of food to result in
high production. Alfalfa, clover-hay, and pea and oat hay are excellent,
provided they are of fine growth and cut before they are too advanced in
growth. If field roots can be added to the fodder the result in
development and good digestion will be excellent. Any kind of field
roots are good, but mangels, sugar beets, and rutabagas are the most
suitable because of their good keeping qualities. They should be fed
sliced, preferably with a root slicer, and the calves may be given all
that they will eat without harm resulting.
The duration of the milk period more commonly covers three to four
months with calves that are hand fed, but it may be extended
indefinitely providing skim-milk may be spared for such a use. Such
feeding is costly. Calves reared on their dams are seldom allowed milk
for more than six or seven months, save when they are reared for show
purposes.
(1) The amount should be determined by the observed capacity of the calf
to take milk and by the relative cost of the skim-milk and the adjuncts
fed along with it.
(2) During the first weeks until it begins to eat other food freely, it
should be given all the milk that it will take without disturbing the
digestion.
(3) Usually it would be safe to begin with six pounds of milk per day,
giving eight pounds at the end of the first week, and to add one pound
each week subsequently until the age of 10 to 12 weeks. Any excess of
milk given at one time usually disturbs the digestion and is followed by
too lax a condition of the bowels.
When milk has been the chief food, and the weaning is sudden, usually
growth will be more or less arrested. When sustained largely on other
foods, the change may be made without any check to the growth, even in
the case of calves that suck their dams. When hand raised, the quantity
of milk is gradually reduced until none is given. In the case of sucking
calves they should be allowed to take milk once a day for a time before
being shut entirely away from the dams. The supplementary food should be
strengthened as the milk is withheld.
Calves should have constant access to good water, even during the milk
period, and also to salt.
Where many are fed simultaneously, the milk should be given in pails
kept scrupulously clean. The pails should be set in a manger, but not
until the calves have been secured by the neck in suitable stanchions.
As soon as they have taken the milk, a little meal should be thrown into
each pail. Eating the dry meal takes away the desire to suck one
another.
Calves of the dairy, dual purpose, and beef breeds may be reared by hand
along the same lines, but with the following points of difference:
(1) The dual types want to carry more flesh than the dairy types, and
the beef types more than either.
(2) To secure this end, more and richer milk must be given to calves of
the beef type, especially during the first weeks of growth. Forcing
calves of the beef type would be against the highest development
attainable. Until the milking period is reached, the food and general
treatment for the three classes is the same. They should be in fair
flesh until they begin to furnish milk.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_Coshocton, Ohio.
With good care and Pratts Animal Regulator (which I have used for
two years) this Jersey calf grew like a weed. I can prove what it
has done for my cow and calves.
MRS. ELLEN BUTZ._
-----------------------------------------------------------------
When calves come in the autumn, the heifers enter the first winter
strong and vigorous. They should be so fed that growth will be
continuous right through the winter, but on cheap foods. It is different
with animals for the block, which should have grain every winter until
sold, when reared on the arable farm, unless roots are freely fed, when
they may be carried through the winter in fine form on straw and
cornstalks, feeding some hay toward spring. They may be fed in an open
or a closed shed, and without being tied when dehorned as they ought to
be when not purely bred. It is a good time to dehorn them when about one
year old, as they will be more peaceful subsequently than if the horns
had never been allowed to grow. The bedding should be plentiful and they
should have free access to water and salt.
[Illustration: ~HEREFORD BULL~]
To carry growing animals through the winter so that they make no
increase and in some instances lose weight, to be made up the following
summer, is short-sighted policy and wasteful of food. If a stunted
condition is allowed at any time, increase is not only retarded, but the
capacity for future increase is also lessened.
The pastures for heifers should be abundant, or supplemented by soiling
food where they are short. This is specially necessary because the
heifers will then be pregnant, and because of the burden thus put upon
them in addition to that of growth, certain evils will follow.
In some instances calves are grown on whole milk and adjuncts, and are
sold at the age of 6 to 9 months. This is practicable when two or three
calves are reared on one cow. The meal adjuncts to accompany such
feeding may consist of ground corn, oats, bran, and oil meal, fed in the
proportions of, say 4, 2, 1, and 1 parts by weight. In some instances
they are kept two or three months longer, and when sold such calves well
fattened bring high prices.
The growing of baby beef is coming into much favor. Baby beef means beef
put upon the market when it can no longer be called veal and when
considerably short of maturity, usually under the age of 24 months. To
grow such beef properly animals must be given a good healthy start,
growth must not be interrupted and must be reasonably rapid, and the
condition of flesh in which they are kept must be higher than for
breeding uses. The process is in a sense a forcing one through feeding
of relatively large amounts of grain. Though kept in good flesh all the
while, the highest condition of flesh should be sought during the latter
stages of feeding.
When stall feeding begins, cattle are led up gradually during
preliminary feeding to full feeding. Full feeding means consumption of
all grain and other food the animal can take without injuring digestion.
A lean animal cannot be fattened quickly. Before rapid deposits of fat
can occur the lean animal must be brought into a well-nourished
condition. Preliminary feeding should cover a period of four to eight
weeks in ordinary fattening.
When cattle are to be finished on grass, they are usually fed a moderate
amount of grain daily the previous winter. The amount will be influenced
by the character of the fodders and by the season when the cattle are to
be sold. Usually it is not less than three pounds per animal, daily, nor
more than six pounds. Steers will fatten in much shorter time when
Pratts Cow Remedy is used. It causes them to quickly put on solid flesh,
due to its action on the blood, bowels, and digestive organs.
~COMMON DISEASES OF CATTLE~
The cow is generally healthy and if fed, stabled and cared for properly
she will seldom be ill.
When a cow is sick, provide clean, comfortable quarters, with plenty of
bedding and let her lie down. If weather is cold, cover her with a
blanket. A healthy cow has a good appetite, the muzzle is moist, the eye
bright, coat is smooth, the horns are warm, breathing is regular, the
milk is given in good quantities and the process of rumination is
constant soon after eating. The sick cow has more or less fever, the
muzzle is dry and hot, the breathing is rapid, no appetite, an increase
in the pulse, dull eye, rough coat, a suspension of rumination, and the
cow will stand alone with head down. Usually all that is needed is
Pratts Cow Remedy with bran mashes and good digestible feed. Give pure,
clean water, and careful attention.
~Preventing Milk Fever~
Many excellent cows have been lost through milk fever within a day or
two of the birth of the calf. The preventive measures include:
(1) Reducing the quantity of the food fed.
(2) Feeding food that is not unduly succulent, lest the milk flow should
be overstimulated.
(3) Giving a mild purgative a day or two before the calf is born, or
within a few hours after its birth. The purgative most commonly used is
Epsom salts, and the dose is three-quarters of a pound to one pound.
(4) Removing only a small portion of the milk at a time for the first
two or three days. Only moderate amounts of food are necessary until the
danger of milk fever is past. Where Pratts Cow Remedy has been given,
there is little, if any, danger of milk fever. The value of this
splendid prescription during the calving season has been tested time and
time again.
~Abortion~
A germ disease highly contagious and one of the most injurious of those
which affect dairy cattle. The money-making value of a herd in which the
germs of contagious abortion are permitted to exist will be completely
destroyed.
A cow which has once aborted will do so again unless carefully treated.
So contagious is the disease that the germs introduced into a perfectly
healthy cow will cause her to abort, and it is no uncommon thing for the
infection to spread through an entire herd in a single season. The herd
bull readily becomes a source of herd infection, and service from a
bull, where there are aborting cows should be refused.
_Cause._--By infection, the herding together of a large number of cows,
high feeding, smutty corn and ergotty pastures. In a small number of
cows abortion may result from accidental injuries. Such cases are pure
accidents and are not to be considered along with contagious abortion.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_Bradford, Ohio.
Abortion had got a hold on my herd and I was expecting to have to
dispose of them, when Pratts Cow Remedy came to my rescue. Calves
are all coming now at the right time.
BENJ. LOXLEY, JR._
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_Treatment._--As in all contagious diseases, treatment should be given
the infected animals and sanitary measures with treatment should be
adopted to prevent its spread to healthy cows. For increasing the
disease resistance of cows as well as for building up the vitality of
infected and suspected animals, Pratts Cow Remedy is most effective. It
is a true remedy and tonic, which restores to health and upbuilds the
cow's constitution. It is all medicine, free from harmful ingredients or
mineral poisons.
Give one level tablespoonful of Pratts Cow Remedy three times a day to
each cow, either with the grain or separately.
Pratts Cow Remedy should be given before and after service, and when
Contagious Abortion is only suspected, should be continued during the
period when the cow is in calf.
An excellent preventive practice is to douche the vagina of all pregnant
cows and to wash the tails and hind quarters of the entire herd with one
part Pratts Dip and Disinfectant to 100 parts warm water.
As a certain number of the cows will harbor the germ in the womb when
treatment is started, it is not to be expected that abortion will cease
at once, but by keeping up the treatment the trouble will probably
disappear the following year.
When the small cost of Pratts Cow Remedy and Pratts Dip and Disinfectant
and their wonderful effectiveness in ridding the cow of the disease are
considered, there is no question but that it ought always to be given to
all cows to keep them well.
To prevent the spread of Contagious Abortion, the entire premises should
be disinfected regularly with Pratts Dip and Disinfectant.
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~COMFORT FOR COW AND MILKER~ |
| |
|Milking is a twice-a-day job. And if the cow has a sore, feverish and |
|inflamed udder, cut, cracked or sore teats, milking time is most |
|uncomfortable for both the cow and the one who does the milking. |
| |
|Whenever a cow gives any indication of tenderness or soreness of udder |
|or teats, apply |
| |
| ~PRATTS BAG OINTMENT~ |
| |
|and speedy improvement will follow. It quickly penetrates to the seat of|
|the trouble, softens and soothes the feverish parts, and heals up the |
|sores. |
| |
|Use it for caked bags, or garget, for cuts, cracks, scratches or sores |
|on udder or teats. It works wonders. Better keep a package on hand for |
|quick use. |
| |
| "~YOUR MONEY BACK IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED~" |
| |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
~Retained After-Birth~
_Causes._--The cow, the most of all our domestic animals, is especially
subject to this accident. It is most likely to occur after abortion.
Again, in low conditions of health and an imperfect power of
contraction, we have causes for retention. The condition is common when
the cow is given food insufficient in quantity or in nutriment.
_Treatment._--Blanket the cow in a warm stable, and three times a day
give hot drinks and hot mashes of wheat bran to which two
tablespoonfuls of Pratts Cow Remedy have been added. When the
after-birth comes away, continue treatment giving one tablespoonful of
Pratts Cow Remedy until full recovery. The vagina and womb should be
syringed with a solution of one ounce of Pratts Dip and Disinfectant to
a gallon of warm water. Repeat daily until all discharge has
disappeared.
_Prevention._--If the cow has been given Pratts Cow Remedy during
pregnancy or from two to four weeks before calving, there will be very
few cases of this trouble.
~Barrenness and Sterility~
When a cow persistently fails to breed and bear young, she is said to be
barren. That a barren cow cannot be a profit maker, goes without saying.
_Causes._--Barrenness in many cases is due to malformation of the
generative organs, tumors or other diseased conditions. Very frequently
it is a result of Contagious Abortion, and this should always be
suspected. Cows bred at too early an age frequently produce calves which
prove to be barren, due to constitutional weakness.
_Treatment._--The true preventive of such conditions is to be found in
sound hygiene. Use Pratts Dip and Disinfectant freely about the
premises.
The breeding animal should be of adult age neither overfed nor underfed,
but well fed and moderately exercised.
In proof of the beneficial results of exercise, it is of record that a
cow pronounced barren, when driven to a new owner, living several miles
distant, became fertile and for years thereafter produced healthy
calves.
Vigorous health must be sought, not only that a strong race may be
propagated but that the cow may breed with certainty.
For toning up the generative organs, so that they can perform their
natural functions, Pratts Cow Remedy is safe and positive.
The usual dose is a level tablespoonful twice a day in the feed.
Thus for less than a cent a day, you can make sure of the cow enjoying
health and being productive.
~Aphtha, Sores on the Lips and Tongue~
_Symptoms._--Painful blisters which become sores on the lips and tongue.
Occurs often in sucking calves.
_Treatment._--Wash the mouth twice a day with one ounce of borax and one
fluid ounce of myrrh mixed in one quart of water or a mild solution of
Pratts Dip and Disinfectant. Give Pratts Cow Remedy daily. If the mouth
is very sore give the remedies in gruel form. Feed animal on regular
gruel feed. If it occurs in calves, give Pratts Cow Remedy with milk and
use borax as mentioned above.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_Pittsfield, Ill.
Am using Pratts Bag Ointment on young heifer with a very sore bag
and she is doing fine. I would not do without it.
F.E. STORCK._
-----------------------------------------------------------------
~Bloat~
_Symptoms_.--While eating, or shortly afterward, a swelling appears on
the left side, and as the swelling increases the animal appears to be in
great distress, pants, strikes belly with its hind feet, the belching of
gas is noticed and the animal does not chew its cud. Later the
breathing becomes difficult, the animal moans, its back is arched, eyes
protrude, the tongue hangs out and saliva runs from the mouth.
_Cause._--Eating damp grass, succulent grass of early spring and second
crop clover in autumn when wet with dew or rain. Also caused by a change
of food or over filling the paunch of animal with indigestible food.
_Treatment._--At this stage mix one ounce aromatic spirits of ammonia in
one pint of water and give the mixture as a drench. Repeat in twenty
minutes if necessary. In extreme cases a mechanical treatment can be
successfully employed by the use of Pratts Cattle Trocar.
~Caked Udder, or Garget~
Apply Pratts Bag Ointment according to directions. It is very
penetrating, and has great softening and cooling properties. Use also
for chafing and inflammation.
~Cold~
_Symptoms._--Heated forehead, sneezing, coughing, may have diarrhoea or
be constipated, fever and loss of appetite. Urine deficient.
_Treatment._--Give large doses of Pratts Cow Remedy in gruel form and
gradually reduce quantity. Keep animal warm, bandage legs and rub throat
and lungs with Pratts Liniment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_McDonoghville, La.
Pratts Animal Regulator can't be beat for sick calves--this is from
actual experience.
E.M. HUBERT._
-----------------------------------------------------------------
~Colic~
Animal will be uneasy, gets up and lies down, and suffers much pain.
Walk the animal for a few minutes, then give one pint of Glauber Salts
dissolved in a pint of warm water, and inject a quart of warm water,
with two fluid ounces of laudanum, into the bowels. Give regularly
Pratts Cow Remedy mixed with warm water as gruel until animal is
relieved, then mix with the feed. In extreme cases give four drams of
carbonate of ammonia, two drams of belladonna, mixed with one pint of
water. Blankets wrung out of hot water and applied will help to relieve
the pain. Another remedy is one ounce of sulphuric ether and one ounce
tincture of opium in a pint of warm water. A pint of whiskey in a pint
of warm water is also good.
~Constipation~
_Cause._--From eating dry, coarse food, lack of exercise and not enough
water.
_Treatment._--Give Epsom salts or a pint of raw linseed oil and plenty
of green food, linseed meal, bran mashes, roots and Pratts Cow Remedy
daily. Exercise is necessary.
~Cow Pox~
(Variola)
_Symptoms._--Round inflamed spots appear upon the teats. They enlarge
and form large scabs. The milk yield is always diminished. It is very
contagious. This is the vaccine-virus used as a preventive for smallpox.
_Treatment._--Separate the cows affected. Do not break the pox. Apply
Pratts Healing Ointment to the sores and give Pratts Cow Remedy to all
the cows, whether affected or not.
~Closing of the Milk Duct~
Use Pratts Self-Retaining Milking Tube. Never use a solid probe or
needle.
~Cut, Cracked, Injured or Sore Teats~
Apply Pratts Bag Ointment according to directions on box.
~Diarrhoea~
(Scours)
_Treatment._--Give large doses of Pratts Cow Remedy at first, then
reduce to regular quantity. Give starch gruel or flour and water.
Another remedy is two fluid drams of tincture of kino three times daily.
~Foot and Mouth Disease~
_Symptoms._--Sore feet and blisters form in and about the mouth and on
udder. Animal shivers, has fever, becomes lame and teeth become loose.
It is very contagious.
_Treatment._--Separate all sick animals and wash mouths with one part
Pratts Disinfectant to 100 parts water, or one-half teaspoonful of
tincture of aloes and myrrh. Stand animals in a trough containing one
part Pratts Dip and Disinfectant to 20 parts water. Repeat in five days.
Disinfect all stables, litter, etc. Give daily Pratts Cow Remedy with
the regular feed. Use Pratts Bag Ointment on teats and udder. When
recovered, sponge all over with one part Pratts Dip and Disinfectant to
20 parts water.
~Foot Rot~
_Treatment._--Clean stalls and disinfect with one part Pratts Dip and
Disinfectant to 100 parts water. Pare away all ragged portions of the
foot and keep animal on clean floor until cured. Make a poultice of one
part Disinfectant to five parts water and stir in a little flour to the
proper constituency and apply to the foot.
~Lice~
Lousy stock cannot grow fat for the nourishment given is absorbed by the
lice.
_Treatment._--Clean stable thoroughly and spray Pratts Dip and
Disinfectant everywhere. Sprinkle a small quantity on an old blanket and
tie it around the animal for two or three hours. Spray the legs and such
places the blanket does not cover. Repeat if necessary.
If Pratts Powdered Lice Killer is used, dust the animals thoroughly with
the powder, rubbing the hair the wrong way, then rub it thoroughly into
the skin.
~Lump Jaw~
_Cause._--A vegetable parasite. It is contagious.
_Treatment._--Remove the tumor by surgical means or paint daily with
tincture of iodine. Give daily two drams of iodide of potash. Give
nourishing feed with Pratts Cow Remedy daily. Disinfect stable with
Pratts Dip and Disinfectant.
~Milk--Bloody or Stringy~
_Cause._--By rupture of minute vessels in the udder due to injury,
irritation or inflammation and derangement of the system.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_East Point, Ga.
Please send me a box of Pratts Cow Remedy and some Pratts Bag
Ointment. I sure do need it. I found no other that will do the
work. It brings in calves easy.
MRS. MATTIE BROWN._
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_Treatment._--Change the food and pasture. Give large doses of Pratts
Cow Remedy at first, and gradually reduce to regular quantity. Give good
nutritious feed with bran mashes and clean fresh, water. Rub udder twice
daily with Pratts Bag Ointment. Four drams of hyposulphite of soda in
feed twice a day has produced good results.
~Milk--Blue and Watery~
_Treatment._--Keep stable perfectly clean, disinfect thoroughly with
Pratts Disinfectant and treat same as for bloody milk. Sometimes blue
milk is the sign of tuberculosis. If so, have the cow killed and burned
or buried deep.
~Milk Fever~
_Symptoms._--There is a feverish condition and inflammation of the
brain; a complete stoppage of milk, weakness in hind quarters, animal
staggers and when down is unable to rise, throws head to one side and
goes into a state of stupor.
_Cause._--By trouble peculiar to calving or running into rich pasture
during hot weather; by lack of exercise and from costiveness. Usually
attacks fat cows.
_Treatment._--(From Circular 45, Bureau of Animal Industry, U.S.
Department of Agriculture.) "Of all known methods of treating milk
fever, the injection of sterile atmospheric air into the udder is by far
the most simple and practicable as well as the most efficacious and
harmless one at our disposal." Pratts Milk Fever Outfit for air
treatment should always be kept on hand. The price is $3. This treatment
has cured 97 per cent. of cases treated.
_Prevention._--Feed pregnant cows with nutritious and laxative feed,
give plenty of water and Pratts Cow Remedy daily. Keep stable clean,
well ventilated and disinfected with Pratts Dip and Disinfectant.
~Milk--To Increase the Flow of~
_Treatment._--To increase flow of milk give Pratts Cow Remedy daily with
a good nutritious ration and plenty of water. These supply just what a
cow needs to make her food appetizing, to regulate the blood, bowels and
digestive organs, to turn all the nutriment of the feed given into flesh
and milk without waste. Pratts Cow Remedy has been used for over 40
years by successful and conservative feeders, and wherever used,
according to directions, has produced wonderful results.
~Ophthalmia--Sore Eyes~
_Treatment._--Separate affected animals at once and put them in clean,
well ventilated but dark stalls as this is contagious. Disinfect entire
place with one part Pratts Dip and Disinfectant to 75 parts of water.
Give physic of a pound and a half of Epsom salts, dissolve in a pint of
warm water, to which add two ounces of powdered ginger. Give sloppy feed
with one dram of powdered nitrate of potassia added and Pratts Cow
Remedy daily.
Fasten a cloth over the eyes and keep it wet with a lotion of chloride
of zinc, one dram; carbolic acid, two drams; water, one gallon. Apply to
the cheek below each eye, to the space of about two inches, a small
portion composed of Spanish fly, 2 drams; lard, two tablespoonfuls.
Apply in the morning and wash off with soap suds and a sponge, six hours
later. Apply lard. Keep separated from herd for a month after recovery.
~Rheumatism~
_Symptoms._--Hot, painful swellings at the joints, stiffness in walking
and difficulty in rising.
_Cause._--By exposure, badly ventilated and wet stables, damp, marshy
pasture and impure food.
_Treatment._--Bathe joints with Pratts Liniment. Give a physic of a
pound of Epsom salts in warm water. Give two drams of salicylate of soda
every three hours for two days. Keep animal warm and dry. Give
nutritious feed of a laxative nature with Pratts Cow Remedy daily.
~Sore Throat~
_Symptoms._--Difficulty in swallowing, pain and difficult breathing.
_Treatment._--Place in dry, clean, well ventilated stable. Use nose bag.
Rub throat with Pratts Liniment. Give physic of one pound of Epsom salts
in warm water. Give one-half ounce of tincture of belladonna every six
hours. Syringe throat three times a day with an ounce of following
solution: one and one-half drams nitrate of silver and one pint of
distilled water.
~Sprains~
Use Pratts Liniment, nothing better.
~Teats--Obstructed~
_Treatment._--Wash off with one part Pratts Dip and Disinfectant and 50
parts of water. Use Pratts Teat Opener. Pratts Self-Retaining Milking
Tube can then be inserted until teat is better. Rub teats with Pratts
Bag Ointment.
~Ticks~
_Treatment._--All cattle infected with ticks should be sponged or dipped
at once with one part Pratts Dip and Disinfectant to 20 parts water.
Repeat in ten days. This will not only kill the ticks but cure mange,
soften the hair and make the skin healthy.
~Tuberculosis--Consumption~
_Symptoms._--Not well marked in early stages. Disease develops slowly.
There is a loss of flesh, a short dry cough, irregular appetite, rapid
breathing, weakness, bloating, diarrhoea, the milk is lessened and is
watery and blue in color. The coat is rough and back arched. Whenever an
animal is suspected of having tuberculosis, have a competent person give
the "Tuberculosis Test" at once.
_Cause._--Poor feed and water, badly ventilated stables, dirty stables,
from over-feeding and inoculation. It is hereditary. May also follow
abortion and catarrhal trouble of the genital organs.
_Treatment._--Disease is incurable. Kill and burn all animals affected
at once and disinfect thoroughly stables, yards, etc., with one part
Pratts Dip and Disinfectant to 50 parts of water. Disinfect every week
until every germ is destroyed. Use Pratts Dip and Disinfectant in all
whitewash and sponge or dip all the cattle in a solution of one part
Disinfectant to 100 parts water.
~Wire Cuts, Wounds, Bites, Etc.~
_Treatment._--Wash with one part Pratts Dip and Disinfectant and 50
parts water and apply Pratts Healing Ointment or Healing Powder three
times a day.
~Worms~
Give Pratts Specially Prepared Worm Powder according to directions. It
is quick in its action and has a strong tonic effect.
[Illustration: PRATTS PRACTICAL POINTERS]
~SHEEP~
Many years ago the sheep industry of America flourished. Then came a
period of depression in this line accompanied by a steady decrease in
the number of sheep kept. But the tide turned again about 1914 and the
sheep are rapidly coming back to American farms and ranges.
This change is doubtless due to the steadily increasing cost of grain
and labor accompanied by correspondingly high prices of lamb, mutton and
wool. Also to a general recognition of the economic value of sheep--both
of the mutton and wool breeds--as quick producers of income, no little
part of which should be profit. The latter point is due to the fact that
sheep are inexpensive to maintain as they thrive upon the roughest of
pastures and coarse feeds which will not sell to advantage, and their
care consumes but little time. Low production costs--feed and labor--and
high prices for the products make a most satisfactory combination.
Methods of successful sheep management vary in different sections of the
country. The beginner may well consult the successful sheep-growers in
his section and adopt the methods which give good results under the
conditions existing in his locality. At the same time he should neglect
no opportunity to secure more information from all sources, in order to
know and use the most advanced methods and so make the maximum profits.
Here are a few basic facts:
Sheep raising requires careful attention, but does not demand a great
amount of heavy labor or expensive equipment.
The best time to make a start is in the early fall when good breeding
stock may be selected.
While pure-bred breeders are best, a pure-bred ram and ewes of good
grade will prove very satisfactory.
A start may be made in a small way, but it is best to have at least
twenty to forty breeders for economy of time, labor and other expenses.
As a rule it is most profitable to push the lambs for growth and market
them when they weigh 65 to 75 pounds.
This weight can be secured in about four months.
If a very large pasture is available the flock will thrive on this.
Otherwise fields must be fenced off and forage crops provided.
Breeding ewes must be exercised in the winter to insure strong lambs.
But protect them from rain or wet snow as soaked fleeces cause colds and
pneumonia.
[Illustration: ~SHROPSHIRE SHEEP~]
Thrifty condition and vigorous health must be maintained at all costs.
Otherwise the lambs will be small and weak and fleeces of inferior
quality. The regular use of Pratts Animal Regulator will improve
condition, insure health and vigor, increase number and quality of
lambs, promote growth of flesh and wool. And in large measure, it keeps
common diseases away because Pratt-fed sheep are in condition to
_resist_ disease.
Shearing should be done after lambing, usually in late spring or early
summer. If lambing time is late, the shearing may be done before the
lambs arrive. Tie up the fleeces separately, first sorting out dung
locks and tags.
After lambing, the individual ewes should be carefully watched to see
that they have plenty of milk and are in good condition. They should be
kept in pens for about three days, when they may be permitted to run
with the flock. Feed lightly for two or three days, then heavily to
stimulate the milk flow so lambs will be well-nourished. They may
profitably receive one to two pounds of grain per day during the nursing
period.
Inferior ewes should be marketed as rapidly as they are identified. Get
rid of the barren ones, producers of poor lambs, poor milkers, light
shearers.
Sheep must be protected against blood-thirsty dogs and external and
internal parasites. In many sections sheep growers have united to fight
sheep-killing dogs and good results have been secured. United action
against a common enemy is best, as public sentiment may thus be aroused.
Because of their thick fleeces and helplessness, sheep suffer greatly
from the attacks of ticks, lice and other parasites. Ticks are
particularly injurious. They annoy and weaken the adult animals, torture
the lambs and check their growth. The result is always a money loss to
the sheep owner.
Fortunately it is a simple matter to exterminate the ticks and lice and
overcome the ordinary skin diseases of sheep. Merely dip the sheep in a
solution of Pratts Disinfectant. It is non-poisonous, inexpensive--does
the work!
[Illustration: ~MERINO RAM~]
July and August is the popular time for dipping, but the work can be
done as soon after shearing as the shear cuts heal. Two dippings are
necessary, about twenty-four days apart. The first treatment may not
kill all the eggs, but the second will kill the young ticks, thus
completing the job. For successful results, it is necessary to use a
dipping tank or vat large enough to hold sufficient of the solution to
immerse and thoroughly saturate each animal.
Intestinal parasites, of which the stomach worm is perhaps the most
dreaded, cause great loss to sheep owners. These worms live in the
fourth stomach. They are easily identified, being from one-half to one
and a quarter inches long, marked with a red stripe. Their eggs are
found in the droppings of the sheep, so infection is secured in the
pasture.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_Augusta, Me.
As a constant user of Pratts Animal Regulator, for sheep, I find
that it not only helps them to put on flesh but keeps their system
in fine condition. I take great pleasure in recommending it,
knowing its benefit to Cloverdale Shropshires.
H.J. O'HEAR, Samoset Farm._
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration: Care of Swine]
~SWINE~
No other class of animals kept upon the farm brings returns so quickly
as swine, with the exception of fowls. Swine are specially valuable for
utilizing food that would otherwise go to waste. They are an invaluable
adjunct to the dairy, particularly when the whole milk is separated on
the farm.
You can grow big, healthy, profit-paying hogs, if you will merely meet
certain clearly defined hog requirements. If you do this, and it's easy,
you need never worry about profits. You are _sure_ to succeed.
The world needs and will pay you well for all the hogs you can produce.
Aside from the pork products required for consumption in America, the
hog growers of the United States must for years export to Europe more
pork in various forms, and more lard, than ever before.
The European herds of hogs have been sadly depleted. Dr. Vernon Kellogg,
of the United States Food Administration, has personally investigated
the situation. He reports decreases in hogs in leading countries as
follows: France, 49 per cent.; Great Britain, 25 per cent.; Italy,
12 1/2 per cent. And, of course, conditions are even worse in Germany,
Austria and the Balkan Nations, all of which are big producers in normal
times.
Properly handled, kept healthy and vigorous, the American hog is a
money-maker. Many farmers know this from experience: others fail to
realize how useful and profitable the hog really is.
The experts connected with the United States Department of Agriculture
make the following assertions in Farmers' Bulletin 874:
"No branch of live-stock farming gives better results than the raising
of well-bred swine when conducted with a reasonable amount of
intelligence. The hog is one of the most important animals to raise on
the farm, either for meat or for profit, and no farm is complete unless
some hogs are kept to aid in the modern method of farming. The farmers
of the South and West, awakening to the merits of the hog, are rapidly
increasing their output of pork and their bank accounts. The hog
requires less labor, less equipment, less capital, and makes greater
gains per hundred pounds of concentrates than any other farm animal, and
reproduces himself faster and in greater numbers; and returns the money
invested more quickly than any other farm animal except poultry."
The University of Minnesota, in Extension Bulletin 7, sums up the matter
as follows:
"From a business point of view, the hog is described as a great national
resource, a farm mortgage lifter and debt-payer, and the most generally
profitable domesticated animal in American agriculture."
And this summarizes the general opinion of progressive hog growers and
the experts connected with the United States Department of Agriculture
and the various State Agricultural Experiment Stations and Colleges.
Breeds of hogs are divided into two general classes--bacon type and lard
type. Where milk is plentiful, and especially where such foods as barley
and peas are grown, the bacon type will be the most profitable, as they
furnish the largest litters and also make pork that brings the best
price in the market. The lard type of swine are usually kept where corn
is the cereal that is most grown.
The large Yorkshire and Tamworth are the leading bacon breeds. The
Poland China, the Duroc Jersey, and the Chester White are leading lard
types. The Berkshires, Cheshires, and Hampshires are intermediate
between the bacon and lard types. When bacon sires are crossed upon sows
of any of the other breeds, the progeny are excellent for pork.
The farmer who is about to adopt a breed should be sure to select one of
the standard and common breeds of his own neighborhood. Many men make
the mistake of introducing a breed new to the section, and when the time
comes that a new boar must be secured much difficulty and expense are
incurred before a satisfactory one can be found.
The bulletin quoted above further says: "To the production of pork,
then, in _the largest amount_, in _the shortest time_, and with _the
minimum of money and labor_, all the details of the hog-raising industry
are directed." Here is the whole secret--pork in largest amount, in
shortest time, at lowest production costs. And the very foundation is
perfect health and vigorous condition of the hogs, both breeding animals
and market stock.
Health and vigor are necessary in the breeding animals if they are to
produce big litters of sturdy pigs--in the market animals if they are to
consume large amounts of food and economically and quickly convert it
into fat and muscle. Weak, sickly, run-down hogs are a constant source
of trouble and are never profitable under any conditions. Disease is one
of the greatest drawbacks in the hog industry.
[Illustration: ~POLAND CHINA PIG~]
When selecting brood sows of any breed, the preference should be given
to those which have reasonably long sides and limbs of medium length.
When selecting boars make sure that vigor is present in a marked degree
and also strong limbs. Any weakness in the back of male or female is to
be carefully shunned.
During pregnancy two facts must be borne in mind. The first is that the
sow is doing double duty. She is keeping up her own bodily functions, as
well as developing her fetal litter. Therefore, feeding should be
liberal. The mistakes in feeding breeding animals are more frequently
those which keep such stock thin. The importance of ample feeding at
this time is a demonstrated fact, as well as one which appeals to common
sense.
In the second place the sow is building new tissue. Hence the kind of
feed is important. Bran, peas, oats and barley and such forage plants as
clover, alfalfa, vetches and the like. Ordinary pasture grasses are of
much value.
All breeders lay great emphasis on the condition of the bowels during
pregnancy, and particularly at farrowing. The special danger to be
avoided is constipation. It is right here that Pratts Hog Tonic shows
its great worth to hog raiser. It puts the digestion organs into healthy
condition and the result is safe farrowing and a healthy litter which
is not apt to suffer from scours or thumps.
[Illustration: ~DUROC-JERSEY BOAR~]
Good health is inherited from vigorous, healthy ancestors. It is
intensified and preserved by proper management. "The time to begin
fitting pigs for market is before they are farrowed. For this reason it
is advisable to pay particular attention to the feed and care of the
brood sow from breeding to farrowing time." And "It must be understood
that it is much easier to continue an animal (hog) in a thrifty, hardy
condition than to bring the animal back to his normal appetite and rate
of growth, once he is out of order." (Circular 90, New Jersey Agr. Exp.
Station.)
These common-sense statements must appeal to the reason of every
thinking hog producer. And they make plain the wisdom of regularly
supplying Pratts Hog Tonic to the entire herd, to breeding stock,
growing pigs, fattening hogs.
This remarkable natural tonic and conditioners _is not_ a specific for
any single disease. It is a health-builder and health-preserver. In this
connection we wish to particularly mention that most dreaded and
destructive of all hog diseases--hog cholera. We do not claim that
Pratts Hog Tonic will entirely prevent or cure this scourge. But it will
put and keep your herd in such fine condition that the individuals will
be more resistant and will not as readily contract cholera or other germ
diseases. It will prevent and control such troubles as indigestion,
diarrhoea, constipation and the like, which are such a source of trouble
in the average herd.
You may not appreciate the value of using such a conditioner, but the
Kentucky Agr. Exp. Station, in Bulletin 181, contains the following
statement which deserves the careful consideration of every thoughtful
hog raiser: _"General conditioners have been found to be advantageous in
the maintenance of healthy conditions in hogs_."
Brood sows should not produce their first litter under twelve months.
Whether they should produce one or two litters a year will depend
largely upon the conditions, especially of climate. Sows should be kept
for breeding as long as they will produce good, even litters.
Well-chosen sows should rear an average of eight to the litter.
Brood sows should have ample exercise. They get it in good form when
they are allowed to turn over litter in the barnyard on which a little
grain, as corn, has previously been sprinkled. Two-thirds of the winter
rations may consist of mangels or alfalfa hay--the other third being
grain or swill. Alfalfa for hogs should be cut before blossoming.
When sows farrow they should be fed lightly for the first three days.
Later give all they will eat of milk-making foods. A combination of
ground oats, wheat shorts, and some corn is excellent. And Pratts Hog
Tonic will be found especially valuable during the nursing period. Meal
is fed ground and soaked. As soon as young pigs will take skim-milk they
should get it in a trough apart from the sow. They are weaned at seven
or eight weeks where two litters are grown in a year, and at twelve
weeks where but one is grown.
When pigs are weaned, and previously, there is nothing better than
shorts and skim milk. They should be grown subsequently to weaning on
pasture, with one to two pounds of grain added daily. In season, winter
or spring rye, clover, alfalfa, barley, and rape all make excellent
pasture.
The fattening period with swine covers from six to eight weeks. Unground
corn and water will fatten swine in good form. The same is true of
barley and rye, ground and soaked. They may be fattened nicely while
grazing on field peas. They may also be similarly fattened by hogging
off corn or gathering it from the excrement of cattle that are being
fattened on it. Swine well grown should make an average gain of a pound
a day. Bacon swine may be best sold at 175 to 200 pounds in weight. Lard
types are usually grown to greater weights.
Swine breeders have long recognized the value of Pratts Hog Tonic as a
disease preventive and fattener. Progressive breeders now consider it a
necessity in profitable hog raising.
If a second litter is wanted during a year the sows should be put to the
boar during the first heat after weaning. Many breeders do not like to
pass periods of heat for fear that the sows may become "shy," and there
is little reason why a sow should not have two litters a year. In any
case, the sows should be carried on comparatively light feed until time
to breed again, gaining a little in weight; and their treatment after
breeding should be as already detailed for pregnant sows.
When the boar arrives at the farm he should be dipped in a solution of
Pratts Dip and Disinfectant, as a matter of ordinary precaution against
the introduction of vermin. As an additional precaution, a quarantine
pen should be ready for him, especially if epizootics are prevalent. His
feed before change of owners should be known, and either adhered to or
changed gradually to suit the new conditions. If he has come from a long
distance it will be well to feed lightly until he is well acclimated.
[Illustration: ~TAMWORTH PIG~]
Breeders generally advocate the practice of keeping a boar to himself
during the entire year--out of sight and hearing of the sows. However, a
boar is often allowed to run with the sows after they are safe in pig;
but during the breeding season it is by far the best policy to keep him
by himself, admitting a sow to his yard for mating, and allowing but one
service. The litters will generally be larger and the pigs stronger.
The boar should not serve more than two sows daily, preferably one in
the morning and one in the afternoon, and can serve 50 to 60 in a season
without difficulty.
In order to keep the boar in vigorous physical condition, he should be
given Pratts Hog Tonic regularly. The beneficial results will be seen in
the way of larger litters and stronger pigs.
The greatest drawback to the hog industry which breeders in this country
have to contend against is found in the losses which may be experienced
through the infestation of the animals, especially young pigs, by
parasites, through outbreaks of hog cholera or swine plague, or through
the contraction of tuberculosis.
[Illustration: ~CHESTER WHITE BOAR~]
In dealing with the diseases of hogs, preventive measures must be most
relied upon. The animals must be given dry and well-ventilated quarters,
which must be kept clean. Contrary to common belief, hogs have some
habits which raise them above other domestic animals from the
standpoint of cleanliness. For example, unless compelled to do so, a
hog will not sleep in its own filth. If part of the floor of the pen is
raised and kept well bedded with straw, while the rest is not, all
excrement will be left on the unbedded portion of the floor, and the bed
itself will be always clean.
In addition to cleanliness, close attention should be given to the feed
which is supplied, that nothing may be fed which will convey the germs
of disease, especially tuberculosis, to the herd. If the hogs are fed
milk in any form obtained from cows kept upon the same farm, the cows
should be subjected to the tuberculin test, as by this means all
tuberculous milk may be kept from the hogs. If they run with the cattle
of the farm a tuberculin test of all the cattle is none the less
desirable. Animals dead from any disease should not be fed to the hogs
until the meat has been made safe by cooking. Skim milk or refuse from a
public creamery should not be fed to hogs until it has been thoroughly
sterilized.
Feeding and drinking places should be clean and the water supply pure.
Unless the origin is known to be uncontaminated and there has been no
possibility of infection during its course, hogs should not be allowed
access to any stream. Wallows should be drained out or kept filled up as
much as possible. At least once a month the quarters should be
disinfected with a solution of Pratts Dip and Disinfectant. These
precautions will be found valuable aids in the destruction of the
various animal parasites, as well as a protection from some more serious
troubles.
The methods of feeding and management outlined above have been
successfully followed by hog growers for many years. They are
conservative and safe. But during recent years a new method of feeding
has been developed and is being generally adopted, especially by
specialists who make hog growing a real business. This is known as the
"self-fed" plan, under which system feed is kept before the hogs at all
times and they are permitted to eat at will. In poultry feeding this is
called "the dry mash system."
Just who deserves credit for originating or developing this plan cannot
be stated. That it is a good one is evidenced by the fact that it has
received the endorsement of the Bureau of Animal Industry, United States
Department of Agriculture; of many Agricultural Experiment Stations; of
the specialty swine journals; of practical hog breeders in all sections
of the country.
For this self-feed plan it is claimed that both feed and labor are
saved, thus reducing production costs. That a 250-pound hog can be grown
in thirty days less time than is possible where slop-feeding is
practiced, thus getting the hogs to market earlier and avoiding danger
of loss during this time. That it produces pork of highest quality, the
meat being fine in flavor, firm, and with lean and fat well distributed.
Advocates of the self-feeding plan make the following comparison with
the old-time slop-feeding method:
When dry food is supplied in automatic feeders, the attendant may fill
the feeders at any convenient time of day and that at intervals of
several days. In slop feeding, the meals must be prepared and fed twice
daily, usually when other duties are pressing and time especially
valuable.
When dry, ground grains are kept before the hogs at all times, they eat
when they feel the need of food and are not liable to overeat at any
time. Because of the dry character of the feed, they eat slowly,
masticating the food thoroughly and mixing it with saliva. This means
more thorough digestion and an absence of indigestion and bowel
troubles. And, of course, quicker growth.
Slop-fed hogs, on the other hand, get very hungry between meals. At
feeding time they pile up around the troughs, the stronger rushing and
pushing away the weaker ones, those that really need the feed the most.
Then they bolt the food without chewing it, taking all they can hold and
leaving little for those that cannot find a place at the "first table."
The quality of the dry-fed pork has been mentioned. Equally important,
from the standpoint of the butcher, is the loss in dressing of hogs.
Tests have shown that slop-fed stock loses six to eight pounds more per
hundredweight than does the dry-fed.
[Illustration: ~BERKSHIRE BOAR~]
Another big advantage of dry-feeding lies in the fact that large numbers
of swine, including those of various ages and sizes, can be safely kept
in one herd. The writer has seen over two hundred head of swine, ranging
in size from pigs just weaned to 250-pound porkers ready for market,
living in peace and contentment in one building, eating and sleeping and
sharing the forage pastures together. Of course this means a big saving
in buildings and fencing and a great reduction in the amount of
necessary labor.
The self-feeder may be used all through the life of the hog, beginning
when the pigs are still nursing and continuing until they reach market
weight. During all this time the ration should contain Pratts Hog Tonic,
the guaranteed hog conditioner, in order that at all times the herd may
be maintained in vigorous condition, be kept free from disease, may
avoid wasting feed through imperfect or sluggish digestion, may earn for
the farmer the maximum amount of profit. We suggest that you make a test
of this results-insuring, profit-producing tonic. Watch results. If
_you_ are not satisfied the dealer from whom you purchased the goods
will refund the full amount you paid for them.
The self-feeding plan of growing hogs gives best results when the
animals are given access to growing forage crops. The feeders may be
placed under cover out in the fields or kept in the hog house if the
latter is reasonably near the pasture lots. An unlimited supply of fresh
water must be available at all times because dry-fed stock drinks many
times the amount of water that slop-fed hogs do. The reason is plain.
There are many different systems of handling hogs under this plan,
varying according to local conditions. We will give in detail the method
used most successfully for many years on a Pennsylvania farm which each
season markets several hundred hogs of a quality which commands a
premium above current quotations.
On this farm, particular attention is paid to keeping the hog houses
clean and sanitary, light, sunny and dry. Dampness is always a fertile
source of loss. Further, the houses are never crowded. Each animal is
given plenty of room.
The brood sows are placed in separate pens at farrowing time and watched
carefully when giving birth to the pigs. They are fed a rich slop, a
small quantity at first, but in gradually increasing amount until they
are receiving enough to insure a big flow of milk.
When the pigs are eight to ten days of age they are permitted to go at
will to the self-feeder containing a mixture of ground grains. As a
rule, several sows farrow at about the same time and the pens are so
arranged that the pigs from several litters may all use one feeder.
This arrangement results in the pigs taking more exercise, eating more
food and making more rapid growth. It reduces the danger of thumps and
gives the youngsters a wonderfully strong start in life.
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~MORE PIGS PER HOG--MORE HOG PER PIG~ |
| |
|Big litters of strong-boned, growthy pigs, and rapid growth of pigs from|
|birth to maturity are the natural result of health and vigor of breeding|
|stock and youngsters. Weak, run-down boars and sows produce inferior |
|pigs and usually small litters. And such pigs are not money-makers. |
| |
| ~PRATTS HOG TONIC~ |
| |
|the guaranteed conditioner for swine, overcomes most hog diseases, makes|
|the breeders healthy and vigorous, insures big litters of big pigs, |
|makes the youngsters grow steadily and rapidly from birth to maturity |
|and fatten quickly and economically. |
| |
|Many of the most successful hog-growers will tell you that one secret of|
|their success is the regular use of Pratts Hog Tonic. You should at |
|least test it. No risk on your part because |
| |
| "~YOUR MONEY BACK IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED~" |
| |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
[Illustration: Care of Swine]
The feed mixture used at this time varies somewhat according to
available supplies and current prices. A sample pig ration is made up as
follows: