Winter wheat middlings 50 lbs.
Wheat bran 50 lbs.
Corn chop 50 lbs.
Whole oats 10 lbs.
50 per cent. Digester tankage 20 lbs.
Soft coal and salt are kept before the herd at all times. The hogs eat
these at will.
The grazing system is used on this farm. Many different forage crops are
planted, in order to insure a regular succession of succulent feeds. As
each field reaches proper condition for grazing, a hog fence is thrown
around it and the herd admitted. The hogs do all the work of harvesting,
thus securing valuable exercise and at the same time saving man labor.
Under this system the fields have steadily improved in fertility, due to
the turning under of the uneaten green stuff and the direct application
of the valuable hog manure.
Forage crops vary in different sections of the country. On the farm in
question the earliest forage is rye, followed in rotation by the various
clovers and mixtures of oats, Canada field peas, vetch, soy beans, etc.
Dwarf Essex rape is a favorite crop and one that furnishes a tremendous
amount of forage per acre.
When the corn crop matures, the larger individuals are given the liberty
of the corn fields and the crop is "hogged down." This again saves a
great amount of hand labor, a big item under existing conditions.
In the winter, when grazing is out of the question, the herd receives
once daily a liberal feed of second crop alfalfa or clover hay.
Understand, the feeders containing the dry mixture of ground grains, are
available to the hogs _at all times_. They help themselves at will, day
and night.
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_La Fontaine, Ind.
We have been trying to produce the largest hog in the world and we
have done it! We have a Big Type Poland China hog, that has been
fed 123 days, making a gain of 450 pounds and at this time weighs
over 1200 pounds. We fed him on Pratts Animal Regulator.
H.E. HENRY._
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When keeping hogs in large herds like this, it is of primary importance
that the most careful attention be paid to sanitation. Pratts Dip and
Disinfectant should be used regularly and thoroughly to protect against
disease germs and vermin. And Pratts Hog Tonic used to keep the hogs in
perfect condition _inside_.
If sickness appears in the herd the unaffected hogs should at once be
removed to clean, disinfected quarters, preferably without much range,
for by running over pastures they may come in contact with contagion.
Their feed should be carefully regulated, and, if they have previously
been on pasture, should include some green feed, roots, or an abundance
of skim milk.
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ~BANISH HOG VERMIN AND DISEASES~ |
| |
|To make a success of hog raising, dipping is almost as essential as |
|feeding. At least it is second only to proper feeding. |
| |
|Lice and vermin, the comfort-destroyers and profit-reducers, and the |
|germs which cause cholera and tuberculosis, are exterminated by the |
|regular use of |
| |
| ~PRATTS DIP AND DISINFECTANT~ |
| |
|Put the hogs and pigs through the dipping vat and spray the quarters and|
|feed receptacles occasionally with a strong solution of the original |
|Pratts Dip and Disinfectant. Result--comfortable, vermin-free and |
|disease-free hogs, less loss, more pork, more money. |
| |
|[Illustration: Pratts Animal Dip] |
| |
|There are other dips that look like the original Pratts, but they are |
|not the same in efficiency. Refuse the substitutes. Use Pratts, the dip |
|you can depend upon. It costs no more but it's worth more! You be the |
|judge-- |
| |
| "~YOUR MONEY BACK IF YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED~" |
| |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
The quarters in which the sickness first appeared should be thoroughly
cleaned, all bedding and rubbish burned, and loose boards and old
partitions torn out and burned. If the pen is old, knock it to pieces
and burn it. Disinfect pens and sleeping places using Pratts Dip and
Disinfectant on the floors, walls and ceilings. Whitewash everything. If
a hog dies from any cause, the carcass should never be exposed where it
may be devoured by the other hogs or by passing birds or beasts, but
should be burned at once or buried deeply and the pens thoroughly
disinfected immediately. If possible, do not move the carcass from the
place where it falls; but if this cannot be done the ground over which
it is dragged should be disinfected. Hog-cholera bacilli can live in the
ground for at least three months. Care must be taken to maintain an
absolute quarantine between the sick and well hogs. The same attendant
should not care for both lots unless he disinfects himself thoroughly
after each visit to the infected hogs. Dogs should be confined until the
disease is stamped out.
Treatment of hogs suffering from cholera or swine plague is not always
satisfactory. The disease runs its course so rapidly that curative
measures are more or less ineffectual, and prevention of an outbreak
should be relied upon rather than the cure of sick animals. Pratts Hog
Tonic has been successful in less virulent outbreaks when administered
as soon as signs of sickness are shown.
Pratts Hog Tonic should be thoroughly mixed with the feed, which should
be soft, made of bran and middlings, corn meal and middlings, corn meal
and ground and sifted oats, or crushed wheat, mixed with hot water. If
the hogs are too sick to come to the feed, the tonic should be given as
a drench. Pull the cheek away from the teeth and pour the mixture in
slowly. Care should be exercised, as hogs are easily suffocated by
drenching. Do not turn a hog on its back to drench it.
Hogs often suffer very much from vermin. Lice are introduced from
neighboring herds, and the losses in feeding are often severe,
especially among young pigs, when death is sometimes a secondary if not
an immediate result. When very numerous, lice are a very serious drain
on vitality, fattening is prevented, and in case of exposure to disease
the lousy hogs are much more liable to contract and succumb to it.
Newly purchased hogs should be carefully examined for vermin, and they
should not be turned out with the herd until they are known to be free
from these pests.
When the herd is found to be badly infested with lice all bedding should
be burned and loose boards and partitions torn out. Old boards and
rubbish should be burned. The quarters should then be thoroughly
disinfected by spraying with Pratts Dip and Disinfectant.
Vermin are most common around the ears, inside the legs, and in the
folds of the skin on the jowl sides and flanks. In light and isolated
cases they may be destroyed by washing the hogs with Pratts Dip and
Disinfectant, properly diluted, applied with a broom.
In severe cases, however, especially where the whole herd is affected,
thorough spraying or dipping should be resorted to. In this case a
dipping tank will be a great convenience.
Whenever any animals are brought to the farm, or when animals are
brought home from shows or from neighboring farms, they should be kept
apart from the rest of the herd for at least three weeks. If they have
been exposed to hog cholera or swine plague the diseases will be
manifested within this time, and the sick animals can be treated or
killed and disposed of at once.
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_Galway, N.Y.
I bought two spring pigs the 15th of April and began feeding them
Pratts Animal Regulator until the 15th of December when I butchered
them. One weighed 415 pounds, the other 420 pounds. I know this
Regulator does what you claim it to do.
BALDWIN O'BREY._
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If cholera breaks out in the neighborhood the farmer should maintain a
strict quarantine against the infected herds. He should refrain from
visits to farms where they are located, and should insist on requiring
that his neighbors stay out of his hog lots. Visiting of all kinds at
this time should be carefully restricted. Dogs, cats, crows, and
buzzards are very active carriers of infection from farm to farm, and
should be guarded against as far as possible.
[Illustration: PRATTS PRACTICAL POINTERS]
~COMMON DISEASES OF SWINE~
(Symptoms and Treatment)
~Diarrhoea or Scours~
_Cause._--By milk of the dam being affected by feeding of food tainted
with the elements of decay; by making a sudden change in the food; by
some disordered condition in the health of the sow, and by excess of
milk furnished by the dam.
Usually occurs before the weaning stage, as a rule in swine not yet ten
days old.
_Symptoms._--Very soft condition of the voidings which are sometimes
almost watery.
_Treatment._--Being highly contagious, spray the floor thoroughly with
Pratts Disinfectant. Keep the young swine comfortable and remove the
voidings carefully two or three times a day. Correct the food given the
dam, mixing Pratts Hog Tonic with her feed. Also give a small
tablespoonful of sulphur daily to the sow.
~Hog Cholera and Swine Plague~
Hog Cholera and Swine Plague are very much alike. Both are characterized
by inflammation of stomach and intestines, enlarged and inflamed
lymphatic glands and sloughing of portions of the skin. The treatment
and preventive measures are alike in many respects.
They are germ diseases, contracted in purchasing swine which may
contract the germs when in transit on cars; by exhibiting at fairs;
through persons who have visited infected herds; through the feet of
dogs and birds to which the germs may have adhered; through the water of
an infected pond or stream.
The most dangerous source of infection by far is coming in touch with
diseased animals.
Reduced stamina and filthy quarters favor the spread of these diseases.
~Hog Cholera~
_Symptoms._--Dullness, loss of appetite or depraved appetite and a
disposition to lie down; constipation or diarrhoea; stiff gait; red
spots or blotches discernible about the ears and under the neck and
belly; in some instances there is difficulty in breathing.
_Treatment._--Authorities agree that there is no known cure for real hog
cholera. Preventive measures, therefore, are of vital importance. Pratts
Disinfectant should be used frequently and to build up the general
health of the hog, giving it full disease-resisting power, Pratts Hog
Tonic should be added to the ration. Besides, it is a valuable tonic and
fattener.
~Swine Plague~
_Symptoms._--Extensive inflammation of the lungs, by which it can be
distinguished from hog cholera. There is coughing and labored, painful
and oppressed breathing.
It frequently comes as a pneumonia or an inflammation of the lungs and
pleural membrane. The animal is in a sleepy and even comatose condition
much of the time. If it walks it staggers. The skin reddens in a marked
degree and the bowels become constipated. This disease, though not
nearly so common as hog cholera is usually very fatal. Preventive
measures, as indicated for hog cholera, are all important. Use Pratts
Hog Tonic as directed and disinfect with Pratts Disinfectant.
~Thumps~
_Cause._--Too liberal feeding and lack of exercise, resulting in poor
digestion. The diaphragm contracts suddenly at irregular intervals, thus
giving the name to the disease. The pig becomes unthrifty and stunted.
If the sow is a liberal milker, nursing pigs may be affected. Treatment
is usually preventive, consisting of exercise and careful feeding,
Pratts Hog Tonic being added to the feed.
~Tuberculosis in Swine~
The losses from this disease are beginning to assume enormous
proportions. It results largely from swine drinking the milk of
tuberculous cattle.
_Symptoms._--Digestive disorders, such as diarrhoea and vomiting; a
stunted condition and a staring coat and breathing more or less labored.
_Treatment._--There is no positive cure for this severe disease, but
good sanitation is the best preventive. Use Pratts Disinfectant freely
and maintain health and vigor by regularly using Pratts Hog Tonic.
The importance of testing heads of cattle that may be affected with
tuberculosis is thus further emphasized.
~Worms~
There is perhaps no other animal troubled to so great an extent or with
so many varieties of worms, as the hog. Indeed it is almost a rule with
some growers when a hog is sick and it cannot be told exactly what is
the matter that they doctor for worms.
There are four species of worms that live in the intestines of swine,
resulting in more or less harm. The Common Round Worm, Pin Worm and Whip
Worm develop from eggs taken in in food and water. The Thornheaded Worm
develops from a white grub which swine eat. To a great extent these are
kept in check by Pratts Hog Tonic.
As preventive measures, drain stagnant pools and wet places where these
eggs may be found; plough up yards and pastures; do not feed on floors
not properly cleaned, or on ground that may have been much used for such
feeding; do not give water from a deep well, do not allow the swine to
wallow in the drinking trough.
_Symptoms._--Frequently a gluttonous appetite without corresponding
improvement in flesh. Again a much impaired appetite is found; diarrhoea
or constipation; excessive itching, causing the animal to rub,
especially the hind parts. These symptoms will only exist when worms are
present in large numbers.
_Treatment._--Give each adult hog one heaping tablespoonful of Pratts
Worm Powder with the feed once a day for four days. After the last dose
give a bran mash to loosen bowels.
Repeat this treatment two weeks after the first to insure killing any
worms which may have hatched in the meantime.
Even if you are not sure that your hogs have worms--as they _probably_
have--you should use Pratts Worm Powder as above as a matter of
precaution.
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_Woodsboro, Md.
I bought four pigs, four months' old, weighing about 16 pounds
each, and, in bad condition. Began to feed Pratts Animal Regulator
and at 5 months' old they averaged a gain of one pound a day per
pig.
CHARLES W. HOLBRUNER._
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[Illustration: Care of Poultry]
~POULTRY~
"One hundred hens on every farm" was the small number set by the United
States Department of Agriculture in its great war drive for increased
production of foods. And certainly this number of fowls, and many more,
can be easily and profitably maintained on the average farm. Easily,
because under free range conditions, which are possible on the farm they
require but little attention. Profitably, because under these
conditions, where they pick up much of their living, the cost of
production is comparatively low, while eggs and flesh sell at good
prices. Further, these delicious and nutritious foods add variety to the
farm table.
[Illustration: ~BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCKS~]
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_South Easton, Mass.