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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (May 28, 1914)
6 HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION Raising Pure Bred Swine Demands Apprenticeship G. R. Samson Gives Some Pithy Advice to Won Id-Be Breeder on All Phases of the Industry. 8$.$SSS$.3i$S$.$.3$ S Q There's ho royal road to sue- $ i eess in raising hogs in the North- west. "The breeder needs to be $ J both breeder and fancier, points ? out the writer of the following J S article written especially for Tho 5 Home and i'arm Magaine Sec S tion. S 5 BT8.E. SAMSON, Animal Husbandry Department, Oregon Agricultural College. IT IS questionable whether any one should engage in producing pure bred swine wlio has not served a successful apprenticeship with grades. There arc so many practical details with which to familiarie one's Belf that can be learned so much more economically with grades, that the foregoing state ment seems reasonable and conserva tive. The purpose of the breeder of pure-bred swino is primarily to produce boars which by legitimate advertising and lots of eloquence he may sell to pork producers at a price which will permit him to continue his existence upon the earth and his business of pro ducing boars. Some sows will, like the girl-babies in India, enter the cots in which pray ers have ascended for the advent of male children only; but most of these female swine could be permitted to con tinue their tax upon the forebearanee. of their owners until they are old epough to become food or men. The time is not yet, but it very soon will be when plenty of breeders in Ore gon shall raise pure bred swine. Then those who should have stayed out of the business will most likely suffer more or less financial loss. Those who are not producing boars which are good enough to improve goo grade herds, and even those who are not good ad vertisers, will find that their wares are a drug on the market. Much Interest in Production. Up to the present time conditions have been peculiarly favorable to pro ducers of pure bred swine. They have not been too numerous and there has been a tremendous interest in pork pro duction. And most of these producers and would-be producers of pork have heeded thcrospel of good sires. The re sult has been an active demand for boars. Too often the demand has ex ceeded the supply of good ones so that men have been induced to embark m the production of pure-breds without a proper conception of their work. Every day letters come to the office asking where sows of various breeds can be had and frequently some remark is dropped which indicates that they must bo had cheap. Too frequently these letters show an absoluto lack of knowledge of the most commonplace details of hog raising. In answering these letters in as conscien tious a manner as possible, we often wonder how long the money these men lave will keep them going. Occupation Anciont One. Swine raising is an ancient occupa tion, even if not counted honorable by tho none less ancient Jews, and be aso of the economy with which it can ke produced, pork will likely be a staple grocery for a long time to come. But tiie production of pure-bred breeding tcck is an exigency ot modera condi tions, to whicn those who hRve already made a success of raising market swine aro best fitted. The wealthy man who has never raised grade swine and who takes a fancy to some pure-breed may win some prizes, but he is not likely to leave a permanent imprint on the ewine in which he chaness to plae boa?s. Such a man often serves h! community well by making available for breeding purposes animals which he brings in, but it is rare that he has the judgmbn or good fortune to mate Wisely enough tc produce pigs which are good enough to improve the breed. Swine b'eedprs, lii.6 bndevfl of ether kinds ot livestock, are rtmially to the manor born. Acxtontas tt obrvli.r, j-.'lament to determine wh;it will hap fen before ft dors baf)n (this judj; tmit bubi ou i. wsil jjrouc(e4 kl- life "'v A , ' .... Yorkshire- Sows at Oregon Agricultural Coileso Stock Farm, t edge of inheritance), infinite capacity for details with the courage to send to the feed lot good animals which are not quite good enough to use as breed ers, liberality in feeding so as to de velop all the possibilities innate in his young stock these are some of the qualities which help to ward eff fail ure for the breeder of pure-bred swine. 1 Way to Suoceu Told. ' Success and failure as here used refer to the achievement of the breeder as a breeder, net as a financir. A man may be successful either as a breeder or financier and uot as tho ether or both, or ho may succeed as beta. If none but those who have already familiarized themselves with some breed through grades of that breed, engaged in raising pure-breds, most of them would probably breed the kind which they know best. There is really little choice in the fat breeds other than that existing in the minds of the breeders, present and prospective. Good indi viduals as well as poor ones aro found in all the breeds. It might bo added On tho Head Raising Fine Hogs in the Northwest Some Ideas on the Best Way to Breed and Produce the Farmers' Mortgage Lifters. 3 $ This is the third of a series S t of articles by two men well in 3 formed upon what tho hog can 3 ' do for the Northwest. S $ By JAKES E, WITHTCOME and E. L. POTfSa. Or ALMOST ejpal importance with good rations is plenty of exer cise. The sows must rot be iillowwl tn lie niiond in thoir pens iluv in and day ot if good strong Utters SF3 exptel. They must lm -J..lu U Uko ArtM. 7s the wuat- that tho pcor and mediocre are great ly in the majority as compared with the best representatives of tho several sorts; but this is no more than could be said of all kinds of ssluials, includ ing men. Judgment must bo exercised in select ing a foundation of whatever breed is decided upon, and good individuals with good ancestry for several generations back are to be preferred. Good indi viduality is of more importance than the ancestry or than any one individual in the ancestry. For pedigreed scrubs exist and occur in all breeds, and while theso oftcu breed better than them selves, they should not be chosen; for what they contribute directly to their offspring drags downward rather than upward from the average of the breed. The average of no breed is good enough for foundation stock. The foundation purchased should be better than the average cf the breed, and as much better then tho poeketbook will afford. If it will not afford ts good as the average, keep on raising erados until it will afford it. to B.ucr.ra. ern Northwest thic is o"i"n quite dif ficult, but in the eastern part tho ground is moro frequently frozen n.ii deep mud is lets common. In this ease feeding at. 'a distance from tha deeping sheds is quite uu advantage when the sows do not get cut cnaiigh of their own ac Ciri!. V'!ia farrowing time approaches the sow should be tcp.irated from the re mainder of the herd, and given a nice, well-hhdtored pen, sueh an one of the pens in the hog houses shown, connected if powible with a small lot n tho out f;if;. A fender should lie niaile 'around the sides of tho pen by arranging a piece lumber nlor.g tho sides about He v (jii o e'tfht iuthea from tie wall and 1 t r. V I an equal distance from the floor. ThiB will prevent the bows from lying down close to tho wall and thus crushing tha pigs. Such fenders should be put in temporarily, as they are only in tha way and take up a great deal of room after the pigs have attained some size. A good dry floor with light bedding should be provided. Where there is too much bedding tho pigs are apt to get tangled in it and crushed by the son. This is especially true of long, fresh straw. It is often recommended to cut the straw, but this is unnecessary if it is put in a few, days prior to farrowing so that tho sow will have time to wear it down a little. Dangers Are Told. If the sow has been fed a proper ra tion and is in comfortable quarters lit tle or no trouble may bo expected; if she has been fed on an unbalanced ra tion, or is excessively poor or exces sively fat, or if she is unduly exposed to the cold and wet, various troubles may bo expected. Among these may bo mentioned: diffi-. culty in farrowing; weak or dead pigs; pigs chilled to death; refusing to own pigs; eating pigs, or crushing pigs by lyings on them. If the simplo rules above outlined ars followed these troubles will be largoly; obviated. However, if in addition record of the date of farrowing be kept and the attendant will bo on hand when the pigs are born, a large number ot pigs may be saved. When it is quite cold and there is dan. ger of the first -pigs farrowed -chilling to death before the others are delivered, tho first may bo put in a tub or keg containing a jug filled with hot water, and with a blanket over it. This will keep them warm, and when all have come they may be put back and allowed to suck. Sometimes it is necessary to place them in the tub a few times before meals. In ordinary cases such precau tiens are not necessary. Quite often the scum and mucus covering the pig at birth will close up tho nostrils and smother the pig, but wiping the nose at once with a wisp of straw will prevent this. Whero the sow is extremely restless and there is much danger that the pigs will be trampled or crushed, in spite of the fenders, they may be removed one at a time as fast as they come and put into a warmed tub, as previously de scribed. Prevent From Eating Young. k Often by keeping them there for a few hours, except when with the sow for sucking, the sow will quiet down and there will be no further danger. There aro mnny remedies proposed for sows eating their pigs, but about the only real remedies are preventives. Sows usually start eating their pigs because ef a feverish condition of the system. Sometimes this is due to hav ing been fed on feeds that were exces sively heat-producing, and lacking in mineral matter and protein; sometimes it is due to a lack of exercise; often it is due to cold, wet and general discom fort at farrowing time. After a sow has once learned to eat her pigs she will very likely do the same thing the next time, though the condition which caused her to begin, tho practice be no longer present. In other cases the sow is apparently natur ally vicious and rostlrns. After the habit is once formed the chanceB for its cure are small. The saw should be sent to the butcher and tho pigs pr.t with other sow3 if possible. Feeding the sow raw meat, salt pork nnd various other remedies have been suggested, but they are not reliable. , Portable electrical machinery has been invented for screening coal and loading it into wagons. RAT SWAT The New Rodent Exterminator BATS AND SQUIRRELS 00 IN A SINGLE NIGHT If Your Dealer Does Not Have It, Write Us. AMERICAN DISTEIBUTING CO., 1004 Broadway Bldg., Portland, Oregon.