Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-12-17
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Fattcning Stock,

First, as to selecting your stock Animals
possessing small lungs, small liver and small
spleen-indeed small inwards of every descrip-
tlon-have greater disposition to fatten, and
to lay the fat on in the proper places; that is,
to make that pretty streaked meat which the
housewife loves to see, and which sells so read
lily at market There are certain signs which
indicate early maturity or tendency of the
animal having these marks to produce fat or
muscle, with greater rapidity and facility than
animals that do not have them The first we
will mention is touch Now a thick, hard, I'M
yielding hide is by no means favorable; but a
thin, papery feeling hide, transparent and shi-
ming, and covered with thin hair, indicate good
feeder, an animal that will easily fatten, but not
carry much muscle; this also indicates deli
cate constitution. But, if the touch be perfect
that is, if the animal has thick loose skin,
floating as it were on layer Of soft fat, yield
ing to the least pressure and springing back to
the touch of the finger, Ikea piece of chamois
leather, these are the very best symptoms; they
indicate hardness, and capablity of carrying
plenty of muscle as well as plenty of fat. Small
bones is another favorable sign. The size Of
the head when the head of the bull approaches
to the narrow elongated form Of the female, his
stock will be certain to fatten readily Such are
the indications Of selecting good laltening
stock.
ID. The conditions of keeping them. While
stock is growing, the object should be to raise
as much muscle as possible at the least expense,
because nearly all the Aeshy part of an animal
is attained during the growing time, and the
fattenng time puts on the admixture Of fat and
lean. To effect this, then, let growing stock be
fed on peas, beans and barley meal. along with
good hopgrass and turnips, changing according
to season and circumstances; and take notice
that change Of diet will tend more to produce
appetite than by regulating the quantity or quail
ity Of their food Turnlps and carrots, al
though so valuable in manufacturing beef and
mutton, yet must not be given too carelessly.-
They contain great deal of water, and will
need to be accompanied with dried feed occa-
slonaIly, in order to prevent the securing, nor
is this aIl-mixing dry feed occasionally makes
the wctter feed stay longer in the animals 8tom-
ach, and thereby gives greater amount of
The best food that can be given
to pigs is mixture of barley meal peas and
potatoes, but as we do not raise barley meal,
peas and potatoes sufficiently for this purpose
corn meal is good. If the pigs be fed on pota-
toes too exclusively, the fat has tallowy APP
pearance, and the meat shrinks up when boiling,
for want Of frmness,
3D.. The food its qualities, &c The food
should be so prepared that all its nutritne prop
critics may be made available to the use Of the
animal; and not only SO, but appropriated with
the least possible expenditure of muscle exer-
ton All food should be given to iattenin
animal in such Il state that as little time and H.
Dor as possible on the pat of the animal shall be
required in eating.
From the time the fatening process com
nences unul the anImd is lu9htetcd, he should
ocyer be without food. Health and appetite
ire best promoted by change Of food rather than
by limiting the quantity. The animal that is
stuffed and starved alternately may have streak
I'd meat, but it will be made too slowly for the |
profit of the owner
Regularity in feeding is one of the most es-
ential points in fattenng animals If given ir-
egularly, the animal indeed consumes food, but
lie soon acquires restless disposition, is dis
urbed at every appearance of his feeder, and is
lever in that quiet state so necessary to the ta-
ling of fat. 1t is surprising how readily an an
NAL acqunes habits Of regularity in feeding,
nd how soon the influence Of this is felt in the
improvement Of his constitution, When at the
eguar hour the pig bias had his pudding, or the
heep its tunips, they compose themselves to
est with the consciousness that their digestion
not to be unseasonably disturbed or their quiet
roken by unwonted invitations to eat. All
FEATURES fauen much faster in the dark than in
he light, fact TO be accounted for by their
reater quiet Some Of those creatures that
re most irritable and impatient of restraint
lille feeding, such as turkies and geese, are {
'und to take on fat rapidly when confined in
ark rooms, and fed at stated hours by hand n
here is no surer proof that pig is doing well :,
ian to see him eat his meal quickly, and then ii
tire to his bed, to sleep or cogtate until the h
our of feeding returns P
1t should always be standing rule with the ,
rmer, to have his stock, when taken to mar :
1t, driven as little as possible. The loss of
t sustained by animals too far driven, is very -,
eat. Some gentlemen in Great Britain have
sted this matter. Five sheep were sent from W
'amheet to London, to walk the whole dis at
nee, and five sheep were kept at home Each E
weighed the same exactly, but when both o.
Is were killed, it was that the lot driven on a
OF had lost 60 pounds while there was gain m b,
the lot at home of II 10 pounds SO that 81
e real loss was "A l-2 pounds on the five 10
eep. The plan should be to take them in nj
nveyances, whenever it is practicable If pr
mer drives his lattened stock twenty-five miles =
foot, when he could have taken them by
lroad or steamboat, he lecomes great To- (
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