Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-01-07
FATTENING HOGS.
From tho New-York Farmq, & Mechanic

From tho New-York Farmey & Mechanic.
FRIEND STARR:-As this is the season
for fattening pork, few remarks upon
the subject may be interesting 10. your
numerous agricultural readers.
TO fatten hog or an OK where there
is plenty of corn and potatoes, requires
no great skill, but to do it in manner that
will render the animal more valuable to
the farmer when fit for market than the
substance consumed in fattening woull
be, besides paying forith trouble of do
ing it, is matter WORTHY of consdera-
ton.
The summer Of 1896 being very dry,
my corn and potato. crop came in light,
which compelled me TO try an expert
ment, which | found TO work so well
that have since followed it to my en-
tire satisfaction. 1t was this: l adopt
ed the feeding apples, of which had
an abundant crop, mixed with pumpkins,
few potatoes, and small quantity of
meal prepared in the following manner.
For convenience | set in my swill-house
adjacent to the stye large iron kettle,
holding about nine bushels, and then
had wooden cylinder made that held
from IL to Is more, and hoped with
iron bands, just large enough to set up
on the arch outside the Kettle, and by
putting little clay or morter OIL the arch
before setting on the leak, Gas called it,
| made il perfectly tight. l then had a
cover or lid fitted to the top, which was
also made tight or nearly so, by laying
on cotton cloth or canvass underneath
it, before putting it on.
Into this kettle ! first put about three
bushels Of potatoes washed clean, then
filed up to the curb with cut pumpkins,
and filled the curb to the top with ap-
Piles, adding two or three pals Of water,
in proportion to the quantity Of meal
that intend to mix with it after mash
ing. After letting this boil awhile re-
move the cover and fill again with APP
pies, and again make tight.
The apples and pumpkins you will no.
lice are steamed by this process, and
when all are sufficiently cooked, they
are taken out, well mixed, and hall
bushel corn meal or bucket of ground
oats and peas, or CT buckwheat and rye
instead, added TO the mixture while hot
and thus rendered more valuable for be-
ing cooked with the mass. think tina
sweet apples fed in this way to hogs are
worth nearly as much as potatoes, anc
sour ones more than half as much.
| never made pork with as little ex
pense or less trouble than since | have
practiced this method.
now prepare most of My food in thi
way for lattening my beef and mutton
and find it equally advantageous in
deed believe that get the best prof
from feeding sheep in this way, particu
larly my old ones. My course is, in thu
month of October to select from m,
flock all that do not promise fair to win
ter well, old ewes in particular, whicl
, will be likely to die in the spring, as al
sheep growers know they are liable t.
do, and give them good chance for fal
feed, and also feeding them with tn
same kind Of substances that do m
hogs, and by the first of January hav
{ them all first rate mutton, bearing GOO
/, fleeces. This kind of feed is excelen
| for mich COWS, and COWS that come i
, early, or ewes that are with lamb.
does well TO mix with cut feed, only Their
h should be more water put into the mix
+ ture.
When my potatoes get short, put i
/ beets and carrots for my sheep and cat
d tie, and consider them much better fc
r being cooked. Turnips are easily rails
G ed, and are very good food for sheep c
If cattle during the winter, yet will nc
compare in value with either carrots {
If beets. Potatoes or pumpkins are Walt
n able for horses, fed raw. never knee
q horse to be troubled with the bot
e that was fed few raw potatoes ever
n week.
g. have made my communication ratl
y er desultory, but my principal object
,fI this communication is to show the yalu
q of apples for iattening hogs and shee
r. when mixed with other substances, an
. the saving to farmers to picking OF
is their old sheep and fattening them, il
+, stead of pelting them in the fall OF lie
I. ting them die in the spring as many de
i When sheep gets old and the fror
d teeth partly gone or pointed, the be
d way is to take them out entirely, as the
: feed better without than with them.
III Yours,
A VERMONT FARMER.
Windsor Co., VT, Nov. LIST, 1916.