Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-10-16
Agricultural.
Feeding and Fattening Swine.

The following article, which we find in
the Maine Farmer, contains some very ex-
celent hints on the sub Jet OF fattening
hogs and as the business is now in season,
we lay it before our readers
Mr.. EDITOR Many of the experiments
have observed, have resulted in loss IN
stead of profit to the owners. And why is
this ! In the first place, | am aware that
an error is committed in the outset. We
buy too much live pork the main object
should be, to make pork, not to buy it.
We should also consult economy in judy
ing what number of hogs we can keep to
advantage; the larger our family, and the
larger our dairy, the more we shall find it
expedent to keep; for there ale variety
Of articles in family which may be thrown
to waste and be lost, if not given to pigs.
Almost all of every rank, trade or profess
sion, especially out Of cities, find it mat
Ter of convenience to keep at least one hog.
Although corn or meal, is the staple article
for lattening, yet there are remnants of
bread, bran meats, fish, vegetables and va
rlous other articles, such as skim-milk a.,
whey, &c, from dairy, which greatly pro-
mote the growth of pigs, and becomes a
nuisance cast into the gutter. These it
would be unfair to charge to the account of
the pigs, l shall therefore attempt to show
that by keeping on y suitable number Of
hogs, and leaving out OF account all waste
articles, that raising our own pork may
be more economical than buying pork for
cash.
In endeavoring to show this, l would
maintain that hog should be fattened in
the shortest possible time. That, therefore
a good appetite should if possible be crea-
ted and preserved. If hog will eat well
he will fat well, and if he will not eat well
he will not fat, but waste more than he will
eat Give him that which suits his palate
best, and he will soon gain good appetite
purchase molasses and sweeten his dough
rather than he should not eat up all clean
Sweet apples are good for this purpose
when to be had. Since the potato rot ha
commenced, have used sweet apples as
substitute, boiling them and mixing then
with meal, and think them far supero
article to the potato.
A hog to be fatened cheapest, and in tn
shortest time, should constantly he fed +
the full and fed regularly at about the sam
hours daily | am in the habit of throw
ing into the pen between meals, ashes, con
tanning some charred coal, rotten wood
weeds from the garden; all these qulcke
the appetite. But have found no practic
superior, or equal to sweetenlng doug
with moasses, to give hog an appetite
and to fatten him. | use the rinsings {
moasses hogsheads, which cost nothing
but 81 20 would buy all the sweetenn
necessary for one hog.
But to endeavor to illustrate what | hav
said, | will show you the result of an e1
pertinent | have made the present seaso
on pig managed in the manner | hav
recommended.
Cost oF Pie,-50 lbs. live weight, at 4 l.
cts. per h. 1924 6 bushels of meal fee
up to Sept 5th, at 75c. $3.50 10 do fet
to Dec. 9th, when killed, 7Sc., $l0,l4
total cost, $l6,S9 Weight of hog De
9th, All Tbs; deduct weight live pig, 81
net gain, 36l All lbs. at | 2 cts. per |
market price, come to $25,7l total CO
t of feeding, $3.50; net profit, 1882.
| have made no account of milk or m
: Iasses fed, as we are never in the habit
l selling skim-mIk, but when sweet, give
= to our neighbors for family use, and II
} molasses costs nothing, | fed to this p
, about half the skm-mlIk produced from
Y COW, say two gallons per day up to SEP
1 9Th, 80 days, mixing with it meal, whic
: only produced what desired, a very rap
growth. | then commenced fauening hin
y always feeding him to the tuII using in Il
n remaining 80 days about six gallons of ii
+. rnsngs of moasses hogsheads, occasional
S sweetening the meal, using some skin
n milk. In the whole $50 days, the gain p
: day appears to be a fraction over two ID
but would have been considerable NOR
+ had both been weighed alive: the tn
e method OF ascertaining the correct net gal
IS Some may think that single hog in
d pen may be made to do better than eac
" where number are kept together in p'
!, i think have found the fact to be d
y reverse of this; hogs seem to love societ
t and after short acquaintance, become
IS tached to each other, and are peaceat
e and quiet, thriving better than one alone,
= have taken some pains to show the tr
S reasons of SO many failures to find profit
y BILE returns from keeping swine-a matt
e Of much general Importance G.