Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1856-01-10
From the Mobile Tribune.
ON THE RAISING OF STOCK.

it seems proper that something should be said
about raising stock, and it has in it more diff
culties than auy other one item of its duties.
But few years since Bacon Shoulders cost 3
cents, Sides cents per lb., and Mess Pork
$40 per bbl., now Shoulders cost 10 cents,
Sides ~, and Mess Pork $40, and may be cal
culated on as the ruling price for years to
come. At these prices meat will cost about
twenty dollars head, that is, for gang of
one hundred persons, the cost will be $4,000.
If to be made on the plantation, it will require
two hundred head of hogs to be killed, at 100
lbs. each is 10000 lbs, which, the ofal will
be its equivalent This will require fifty or
sixty good sows, and 1000 to 1900 bushels Of
Corn worth so cents, $3.50, and make no charge
for stock minder, of whom there should be two,
one to feed the stock hogs night and morning,
with one bushel of ear corn and one bushel of
cotton seed, and be with them all day, and
one stock-mihder at home to boil for and feed
the sows and un weaned pigs that are to range
on a wooded pasture and running water, and
be pened overnight. The hog, for health,
requires water and shade and cool earth, with
access to rotten wood and charcoal. The feed
must be enough to keep the stock hogs, in Or
der, but not fat, and they must be in the pea
and corn field so soon as gathered, (and some
send them there earlier, and they think with
out loss,) or the potato lot, to give them good
start before going into the fattening pens. 1t
is better to kill of everything from 70 bs., up
wards, so that the stock hogs will be very few
in the spring: The sows and unweaned pigs
never need go into the pea and corn fields, but
remain under the same care and feeding all
the year. The pigs, as weaned, to be carried
to the stock hog range-the potato lot and a
pinder lotfor spring use, to be for the sows and
pigs. The sows and pigs to be kept fat, and
with free access to running water and shade,
and it promises we'll to keep them from disease
Where they are to be raised in well peo-
pied settlement, there will be great danger of
too many being borrowed without privilege,
and yourarrangements must be such as to keep
them under supervision for the day, and under
lock and key at night. The run of the cow
pen and the scattered corn of the mule stable
makes considerable item of food-a small lot
of groundnuts and squash and oat lot and
potatoe lot, with the pumpkins boiled with
cotton seed and corn, will make ample food. If
convenient to market it would be cheapest
to sell the green meat killed at six cents, as
you get the offal and buy pork as old as wean-
ed pigs at 50 will also do. Molasses at 20 cents
gallon is as cheap as Bacon, and do for the
children. 1t cheaper to raise your own meat
but it is very troublesome, and requires your
very watchful care, and your lot well arranged
to suit.
Sheep have paid more attention to and
they are raised with little care or attention,
more than driving up and penning at night
I would advise not more than gang of 100
penned in the same place, and the pen should
be removed every three weeks. The smell of
large head is very strong and l, think the
source of disease. Two Leicestershire, South
down or Tunis bucks with well selected lot
of 100 common yews will give 100 lambs a
year, and the young bucks to be made wethers,
and the stock kept down by the knife or sale,
selecting only the very best for breed. Up
land pastures are best, and they will winter
without being fed, but it would be much bet
ter to give fodder or pea hulls at night. You
may calculate on two pounds of wool, each, if
you can keep them from the cuckle burs. If
you are safe from dogs and other depredations
they will be healthy to sleep in the woods
where they choose. This looses to you their
manure, and as four sheep give the same a
mount of manure as our COW, a great deal Of
ground Will be manured in the year The
lambs are dropt about Christmas, atwhich time
they should be put into rye lot for ten days,
till they get strength enough to follow their
mothers They require close care from Christ
mast to lst March, 'as sheep browses more than
grazes.
The raising of cattle beyond the wants of
plantation, which are small, would not be profit
able in limited range and well settled neigh
borhood I would make the stock small
one, and the COWS formilk to be cooked for and
we'll fed, and two gallons day from each
reasonable expectation. The quantity of milk
for pound of butter is very uncertain, but
may be generally from ten to twelve quarts
The COWS that give the least milk generally
give the richest, and those that give much the
least rich. The digestion of the COW is bad,
and all their food should be cracked, and the
finer the meal is ground the better and boiled
The cow pea gives more yield of milk than
any other food Two quarts of peas, or three
of corn meal, well salted may be conveniently
boiled in the kitchen, and is enough for cow
to be divided, and fed evening and morning,
brand, pea haulings, cotton seed, cut shucks
or hay. or pumpkins may be added to the mess
in the scpcrate mortars or troughs, and with
abundance of water, say not less than two gal
Ions to each COW in her feed. [ should select
from common stock of the country They
stand the climate, can better support them
selves in the range and are of less cost. The
raising of fine stock in which very laudablc
pursuit some of our wealthy farmers are en-
gagged, is most important, but a very differ
ent branch of business, and leave it to the
very valuable information in our agricultural
works-my object in these essays has been to
improve on our general plantation business,
as it is with the means it furnishes, rather
than in recommending any new branches 1t
is too much our practice to overlook the value