Constantine republican. [volume] (Constantine, Mich.) 1836-1838, 1836-11-30
FATTENING HOGS.

On the first day Of December, four
shoats of the same breed, nearly of size,
and as much alike in every respect, as could
be selected from herd OF ninety odd hogs,
were made choice Of; each carefully
weighed, and placed in separate stye,
where their food could be exactly regulated.
They weighed between 81 pounds and 100.
The two whose weights together made 1876
pounds, were fed on one gallon Of shelled
Indian corn, weighing 2 pounds to each for
every "a hours, and as much water as they
wanted. This quantity Of food was plenty
for them; generally they about consumed it.
Some five or six different days between the
first of December and fourth Of January,
the time the experiment was going on, they
did not cat their whole allowance. For the
two shoats. whose weights together made
173 pounds, Z pounds of good Indian corn
meal, by measure ten pints, were made into
good mush, or nasty pudding, and divided
between them for every "a hours. That
is, these two had allowed them exactly half
the weight of meal, which the other had of
raw corn. The Z pounds of meal werc
daily mixed with scalding water, and then
well boiled the whole process Of cooking
was done on an average of one and half
hours. They were all fed twice day, and
at the same time. The evening feed the
shoats, fed on mush, was generally warm
the morning feed, having stood all night,
was always cold. The Z pounds or 10
pints of meal, when cooked, measured an
average of gallons. There was differ
ence Of nine pounds in the weight of the
latter pair the smallest had the least appe-
tite, and his allowance Of Is pounds of mush
was just as much as he appeared to want,
or would eat up clear; the other was greedy,
and always sharp set, despatched his mess
quickly, and wanted more.
Before the experiment had progressed
fortnight there was very perceptible differ
ence in the appearance OF these pigs.
Those fed on the mush assumed moro
thrifty, healthy, fresh appearance, particu-
arly of their HAIR, and this difference boz
came more striking, as the experiment adj
vanced on the 4th of January, while pre-
parations were making for killing and Dress
mo, they were again weighed on the hoof
One of those, then, whose daily allowance
had been pOuIluS vi Cori cuct, huu III
creased 30 pounds in the "a days the
other which had an equal allowance of corn,
had increased only five pounds. l could
not account for the difference by any thing
| could discover, either before or after kill
ing the appeiites Of these two were much
more alike than of the others; and their
health was apparently equally good; :,
OF the pair fed on mush, whose daily al
lowance had been and half pounds OF
meal each, the greedy ono had gained "a
pounds, and the other 81 pounds.
These are all the material facts In these
experiments, except that very small por-
ton of salt was put into each mess Of mush.
and there is no miracle in them. The hogs
allowed pounds and half Of meal each,
gained less than Baths Of pound dai-
y, and this surely they might have gained
from. the meal /; but they gained more than
double those fed on double that quantity OF
corn. The saving of one half OF the ms
mense quantity Of corn consumed 70 rals,
ing and fattening hogs in Marylands would
be well worth tho offer Of a premitm, 70
have the experiments accurately rePoon1d
and tested by difsrent PERSONS