Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1850-11-27
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
COOKING FOOD FOR ANIMALS.

| COOKING FOOD FOR ANIMALS.
! In all cases where ii becomes important 10 force
the production Of large quantities of flesh and fat
the animal frame, and in The shortest period and with
the least expense, the cooking or ermen:ing of food
and bringing into the nearest stage possible for the
assimilation of the nutritious PARTICLES is an inquiry
of some importance 10 the farmer.
The experiment has been tested with the greatest
exactn by manv of the best breeders and grszers
of this and the old country, and that, too under the
stimulus of large premiums, which enabled the ex-
perimenlers to perform with great care and labor.
The result in all cases shows that animals con.
sumo more cooked food in given time, than they
do or can of raw food. With horses and horned an-
mas, the corresponding increase in weight 10 mol,
however, SO great as in the hog
In fatienng hogs for Market or for use, 1t is im.
perious that i. should be done in the shortest time,
and at the least expense. They cannot be put up
and subjected to the lattenlng process I'LL the middle
or last of September, as the coarse food devoted 10
their use is not perfected till about that time, and il
is important to get them out of the way before tho
extreme cold weather sets in, and to get them into
market by or before Christmas.
The hog, unlike rumnaling animals, has small
stomach, incapable Of much dslention, and j! there
fore becomes important TO fill it with and
raw food, calling on the animal economy to perform
those duties that heat and fermentation can do in q
much more concentrated and economical manner;
moreover they are not provided with the ability 10
ruminate or even masticate as finely and perfectly
as other animals Therefore the importancs of feed
ing with food, Of which the operation of digestion is
alrsady one-half performed-allowing the animal
machine to perform twice the action, assimia.e
twice the materials forming muscle and fat in given
time.
There Is no danger Of overlooking or deranging
the stomach of the hog by oyerfeedng, or with rich
man, whose internal arrangement Of the Wscers
they remarkably resemble, they nere have the dys-
pepsia, govt or dslirium tremens
The next best preparation TO cooking,is fermenta'
,ion. This only applies to meals and farinaceous
substances, or mixture of them with cooked roots.
Barley meal, or barley cad oat meal beiled and sour-
ed in the tub, if the hogs properly and comforta-
bly housed and cared for, will produce more muscle
and fat in given time than any other process Of
which ~ ere sdvised.--Rural .Nsw Yorker
LlME AND ITS PhorsRrrEs.-Lime is an alkaline
earth As and emen! of soils 10 far less abundant
than euars or feldspar. As chemical agent, il has
more power than either Neuralizing acids is one
of the most important agencies of all akalies. Lime
performs that agency both in agriculture aud domes-
tic economy. Tske case in the former Every
farmer is familiar with two kinds of sorrel growing
on planned ground. The most abundant. is called
sheep sorreI, and frequently sourdock. Boanls!s
call it rumex asceiocelo Il frequently covers plain
Cd field, WIN thick coat, containing a large q.
mount of acid By quiek-lime this acid is nulrazed
and changed into salt, probably favorable to vege-
a,ion, while the acid is unfnvorable. A OF do
mestio economy-eommon ashes are the carbonate
OF potash, as is ley obtained from them. IN making
soap, me Phrer the potash the BETTER especially it
avoids the Necessity of putting red hot horse shoes
into the soap to olive out witches, even waiting
TIL iull or new m"an for making soap. By mix
ing lime with the a'bes il removes the carbonate
acid from the potash i'rmng the carbonate of Iime
leaving the potash Pur~ aud stronger alkali, and
more powerful IN asslmilaeog the water and the oil
by uniting with both, which i,,he chemistry of sosp
making.
Lime is also used asan alkaline bent in m.nv oftbs
arts, and with great effect in IRON fa,.ces and el.,s
making-ihe coarsest kind of glass; ',r mos, kinds
potash or soda is used Whether in ,ducing ores
to metals, or quartz to glass, lime as hx causing
more ready fusion. While lime, as luA aids III.
fusion of iron sre charcoal takes from il the xypeu.
to aid the combustion. As most iron ores are IL OK.
ydes of iron, castiron still retains portion Of its,x.
yRen which is removed by further exposure to che
coal a. beating agent. li, thus reduced to wrough-
iron. By exposing wroughI-iron to intense heat
while bedded in charcoal in closed oven, thus en-
,irey excluding ar from it, the charcoal or carbon
is absorbed in small quantities by the iron, by which
wrought-iron is changed into steel, which is carbures
of iron, or carbon and iron. Carbonate of iron 10
an ore Of .ha, metal, which is said to be changed
from the carbonate to the csrbureI, or from the ore
to steel by direct process.
Erp.rinent-lf somo pearla,h (sub.earbonate Of
po,ash) be put into one tumbler and some copperas
suIohste of iron1 into another and both exposed
the air. one substance will be covered with q white
oowder and the other attract moisture % to be-
come partial liquid. The one is said TO effloresce,
the other 10 deIiquescs. By trying the experiment
any one can readily s'esrsain by which operation
each is effected.
e. A correspondent says: "Some months age