ARTICHOKES FOR PIGS

Otaki Mail, 13 August 1923, Page 4

ARTICHOKES FOR PIGS

All daily- farmers .who go in for feeding pigs on skim milk or whey generaily. rind in the autumn, when me cows' are going off their milk they iiave. a shortage; oi feed lor their pigs and Mtart to look around to see what they can, give them. The fortunate ones, Who. iiave made provision ior their pigs, can hang on tili the spring comes and milk is. available to finish them off. Th/e farmer who never looks ahead in the way of providing suitable food has. to. sacrifice his I pigs at auction, and buy again in the spring when they, are dear, and a good demahd exists. .With future prospects of an export of pork it will devolve on farmers to. go in more for _the business of pig raising, and at the I same time to supplement the akim j niilk by growing suitable food for fattening pigs. Artichokes in future, wil] play an important part as. a winter I _ Jefed. Planted in September or Octo-! • her like potatoes and given similar J cultivation, they are ready to lilfxi 1 pigs on to about. April. An acre.Wiii keep six or eight sows with young for four months or more. The young pigs, thrive well on tine, vegetable. This was my experience, this winter with, a. quarter of an acre. 1 would advigp farmers to pick o.tii as dry a piece of ground aa possible; manure .well, preferably with faith manure j plant rows Sit din. apart, and sets about Ift., Which could be cut- Artichokes .will hot rot la the ground, but bagged will not keep dor any length of time. Ridge up ill Wine manner as potatoes, and give plenty i of Cultivation till plants Are a fptoi to; 18in. high. They will grow to 6ig drj eight feet high with many tubers to a} root. Not only are pigs very fond of j them, but calves and cows also. It j will be impossible for the pigs to get | all the . artichokes, so by ploughing j the ground , again in spring and ciilti- • vating, will again carry on for an-J other sCasoii. Another crop worthy off , at tentiofi are peas, which are easily grown and-harvested with, the horse rake (Without cutting) are stacked. The peas are then fed out to the pigs who will do their own threshihff. The Btraw also makes good bedding. It is surprising What a difference the pens make whCd ted in conjunction with milk. Pigs fatten in half the time and consume less milk per day. Horsebeans could also be grown and fed in j the s'ame manner. : An extraordinary example of the faithfuinesß possessed by some domestic animals was clearly demonstrated in Napier last-weekjrelatfis the Daily -Deiegraph). Ah inmate of the hospital who catnje front fWairarkpa for treatment, happened to toe moving about the hospital grounds with the aid of crutches, when he noticed a dog which looked remarkably.like one be had left safely at home. His curiosity getting the better of nlffi he called the dog by xiahie and was Burprised to find, OH examining its collar, that; it Whs his own. The dog, which was suffering from injured feet • and general rough usuage had apparently travelled Across country In! search of his master. It is now being held by some! friends until the owner is well enough to go back homo with it. _