Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 79, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 January 1912 — (By J. A. WARREN.) [ARTICLE]

(By J. A. WARREN.)

Ifi the corn belt hogs furnish one of the most Important means of marketing the corn crop. With the exception of chickens, they are the most numerous of aft farm animals, and are grown for market on more farms than any other stock. Hog raising has probably made more clear money for the corn-belt farmers than any other enterprise. In view of this one might expect to find hogs the best housed of any animals on the farm, but the opposite is the case. It is still hard for many farmers to get rid of the notion that anything is good enough for a hog. There is no animal on the farm which requires better protection from cold than the hog; none for which a good bed is more necessary; and none so much in need of sunshine as the little pig. t The horse and the cow have good coats of hair, even a calf or a colt when left in the cold Is provided with a good fur coat; the hen’s feathers are the best protection against cold, but the hog has almost nothing between his skin and the weather.

One of the first requisites for success with hogs is & shelter where young pigs car. be kept warm and well supplied with sunshine aqd fresh air. I little pig\takes cold very easily and recovers slowly If at all. To preyent taking cold he must be kept dry, warm, away from draughts, and nrovided with fresh air,

On the average, the hog house is the poorest building on the farm and ♦he least adapted to the purpose, for which it was intended. Good barns may be seen on a large proportion of the farms, but good hog houses are generally hard to find. It Is economy to put up first the buildings that will help most to make money. A large portion of the farmers Recognize this and build a good barn before putting up a good house, saying: “The barn will help build the house, but the house will never help build the barn." This principle seems to be lost sight of when it comes to the hog house, yet no other building on the farm pays for itself "so quickly. IJnplibHshed data collected by the writer shows that good hog men average about seven pigs raised to the Utter and many surpass this record. The same data indicates that the general average raised on the farm does not exceed four pigs to the litter. This wide difference is very largely due to the housing. Many houses which cost enough to be good are thoroughly unfit for the purpose because the sun cannot shine Into the pens. Nearly every -large hog house is deficient in either sunshine or ventilation, or In both.

The writer has in mind a farrowing pen seen on one of the most highly Improved farms in the middle west. To replace the buildings on this farm would cost many thousands of dollars.

The hog house is the nearest building to the house, and stands between it and a large, fine, modern horse barn. This hog shed is 24 feet wide and 84 feet long There is not a window or ventilator in it, the only means of ad rpltting air and light being the alley doors and a few small hog doors. A taore unsuitable structure could hardly bo devised.

The writer also has personal knowledge of another hog house quite similar to this but only about half as large, the only openings being one alley door, one hog door, and one small window, in this house over VO per cent, of |he early pigs were lost in some seasons, mostly from thumps The loss in a single season would have more than paid for a good building.

A little pig loves sunshine and needs it almost as much as he needs food. No piggery is fit for the purpose unless it admits direct sunshine onto the floor of every pen at the time the pigs are farrowed, furnishes plenty, of fresh air, and provides for exercise in the open air. Dryness, sunshine, warmth, fresh air, freedom, from drafts, and exercise are of primary importance in raising pigs. These secured, the battle is half won. In putting up buildings the six requirements just mentioned must be kept constantly in mind; not one can be neglected. The variety of hog houses is almost as great as the variety of individuals using them. It is rare, indeed, to find even a semblance of uniformity pre

vailing tn a community. There are, however, only two or three general types which commend themselves to the careful hog man. Of the Jtwo styles of large houses, the larger has two rows of pens, an alley through the middle, and a Jog In the roof for windows to light the north pens, while the smaller has but one row of pens, with an alley and a row of windows on the south side. The double house is much cheaper per pen, and for that reason Is to be preferred. work Is also required to care tor the hogs than where a single row of pens Is used. A large hog house should always stand east and west, facing the south, so that the maximum amount of sunshine may be had in each pen. When a double house Is used, which is much the cheapest, thp outside pens on the north are often of little use In early spring and late fall on account of the shade and the cold winds. This difficulty can be partially overcome by changing sows so that those which have not larrowed and those with the oldest pigs, which have least need of warm outside pens, are on the north side. In a majority of large hog house* the upper windows are not so placed that the sunshine will strike floor when It is most needed there., Indeed, a hog house with the windows In the proper posltltm Is rarely seen. Direct sunshine'should strike the floor In every pen for as many hours in the day as possible at the time when the pigs are farrowed. Nearly etery one realizes this Is a matter of the greatest importance, but too often the builder does not take the trouble to find out whether he is getting it or not. Ordinarily the farmer has no means of ascertaining where to put the windows so as to get the maximum amount of sunshine at the time he wants It, unless he happens to be building Just at that time, which is very unusual. The country is dotted with hog houses In which the owner thought he Was putting the windows where he wanted them, but found later they were in the wrong place. In houses the windows for lighting the south pens must be as high up as possible In order to get them away from the hogs.