The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1855-12-04
FATrENING ANIMALS.

l. The breed is of great Importance. A
well bred animal not only affords less waste,
but has the meat in the right places, the
fibre is tender and juicy and the fat is put
| on just where it is wanted. Compare the
| hind-leg of full bloOded Durham OK, and
a common one. The bone at the base of
| the tail extends much further in the former,
afFording more room for flesh, and the thigh
| swells out, of convex or circular shape !;
while in the common OK it falls in, dishing
and hollow. Now the round is the most
valuable cut, and is only found i'll perfec-
ton in high-bred stock. The same is the
case over the whole body. So well do
Eastern butchers understand this that their
prices are regulated by the breed, even
where two animals are equally fat. They
/ know that in a Durham or Hereford OK, not
only will there be less offal in proportion TO
weight, but the greatest quantity of meat
will be where it brings the highest price
when retailcd, and will be of richer flavor
and more tender fibre. The same is The
case with hogs. 4 large hog may chance
to make more meut on a given quantity of
food than small one, but the meat of the
first will be course and tasteless compared
with the other; and in the East, flavor and
tenderness greatly regulate prices. Conse-
qucntly moderate sized, short-leggod, small
headed hogs, always in the long run, beat
large breeds out of flavor. In preparing
for market, fashion and taste" must be
as much considered by the farmer as by
the tailor. This one fact is, at present,
rcvolutionizing the English breed of sheep.
The aristocracy always paid high for small
Welch and Scotch mutton; but the great
consumers, the mechanics, preferred large
fat joints. The taste is now changed. In
Manchester and other such cities, these
large Joints have become unsaleahlc; and
all the efforts of the breeder are now turned
towards breeds maturing early, with COM
paratiycly little fat. According to late
writers, the large Leicester and Cotswolds
are going quite out of fashion. When we
give three thousand dollars for a Durham
bull it is not that his progeny are ''intrin-
sicaIly" more valuable to that amount, but !
the increased value and the fashion together |
make up the difference. And it is thus that
while Durhams and Herefords are preferred
for ships and packing, DeyOns are high in
rcputc for private families. The joints are
smaller, but the meat has a peculiar rich |
ness, probably found in no other kind of
stock; and the proportiOnate waste is said |
to be less than in any other breed. Thus |
in the London market, the kyloes, and then
the Devons, 1.-THE former even smaller than
the latter brings the highest price, because
preferred by the aristocracy. So in Dublin, |
spayed hcifcrs are sought for. But the
breed also regulates the profit There is
nothing more certain than that one kind of
less food than another; and as fattcning our
stock is only another mode of selling our
grain and grass, those animals are to be |
preferred which come to maturity soonest, |
and fatten on the least food. The differ |
ence i'll hogs is very great and important.
While some breeds must be fed for two or
three winters, others are full grown and |
at ten months old; and the differ |
cnce in profits is enormous. We cannot |
go into particulars, but the following rules |
may be considered as applying to all. An |
animal may be expected to fatten easily |
when it has fine bone, and fine soft elastic
skin, with thin or silky hair: the head and
legs short, the "barrel" large, but chest
and lungs small; and when it is quiet, sleepy |
and easy in temper. An unquiet, restless,
quicktempered animal is generally bad
feeder, and Improbable.
>. Much depends in fattening on outward
and mechanical management. Fat is carbon,
or the coal which supplies the body with
heat. If we are exposed to cold, it is burnt
up in our lungs as fast as it is deposited by
the blood; but if we are kept warm by
shelter or clothing, it is deposited through
out the body, as supply on hand when
needed. Warm stables and pens are great
assistance in fattening, and should never
be neglected. So, also, quiet and peaceful
ness are important. Every excited action
consumes some part of the body which has
to be supplied by the food, and detracts from
the fat, In the climate of Michigan, warm
stables, regular feeding at fixed hours, and
kind treatment, with perfect cleanliness,
save many a bushel of grain. Animals
fed at irregular times are always uneasy
and fretting.
3. Ground and cooked food f;ltten much
more Profitably than raw food. Mr.. Els
worth found that hogs made as much flesh
on one pound of corn ground and boiled to
mush as two pounds raw unground; though
the first did not fatten quite as rapidly. as
they could not consume as much food in
the twenty-four hours. By grinding and
soaking, ten hogs will each gain one hun
dred pounds in weight, on the same food
that five would do if it were raw.
1. a change of food helps in fattening,
Thus, an OK fed entirely on corn and hay
will not fatten as fast or as we'll as one
which has roots, pumpkins, ground oats or
buck-wheat, &c, fed to it at regular periods.
The latter may contain intrinsically less