THE
CHEM AW A
AM ERICAN
39
breeds. The school herd at Chemawa is headed by a pure blood Chester
W hite boar and a pure blood Poland-China boar. The main herd is com
posed of high grade Chester-White and Poland-China sows. The follow
ing view will give the reader some idea of the hog industry at Chemawa:
)n Hand
45
84
73
60
181
242
Sold
none
35
25
20
68
186
Died
5
3
4
1
Cash Received ( Record of hogs and pigs. )
no sales
Office record fiscal vear 1908
$634.20
“
“ 1909
$456.19
“
“
“ 1910
$347.77
“
“ 1911
$684.52
“
1912
$1216.15 Office record to present, yr 1913
Hogs do best when not too many are confined in the same lot. When
the writer took charge of the work in agriculture at Chemawa, in Sep
tember, of the fiscal year, 1911, forty-five of these animals were herded
together in an enclosure of about three acres. The herd was made up
of thirteen boars, four barrows, one stag, four pigs and twenty-three
sows. Not a very good arrangement for profit. The average sales for
the fiscal year 1908-1911 were $359.54 annually, while the average for
1912 and to the present of 1913 is $950.31. The June sales will bring
the average above the salary of the teacher of agriculture.
Do not think for a minute that success in hog raising can be attained
without constant oversight and daily supervision. W ithout care, from
two to three fifths of the pigs farrowed would not survive. The pigs
should be put in a box as fast as farrowed and kept there until the sow
is able to give them her attention. They are then allowed to eat at the
same time. The greatest time of danger to the life of the pig is in the
first twenty-four hours of its existence. Have had sows lose their
whole litter at farrowing time when not attended. On two occasions I
have in mind two sows that saved their whole litters of twelve each
without being attended. The weather was warm and the surroundings
favorable. One of the same sows farrowed during a cold night last
March and lost her whole litter of thirteen pigs. The sow was turned
in with another sow that had a large litter. The pigs soon liked their
adopted mother as well as their own mother. The ten pigs take milk
from both sows and are certainly a fine bunch. By so doing the sow
has paid for her care and a loss in the business has been prevented.
Record of service is kept and the one-hundred and twelfth day is
marked in the calendar. The sow should be put in a farrowing pen a
few days before the sixteen weeks have expired that she may become
accustomed to her surroundings.
All the pens are fixed so that they can be used for farrowing pur
poses as well as shelter. Fenders are placed around the walls eight