Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1863-11-13
Fattening Animals.

mere, Whlcn neeus CORRECTION, Is the opln~
ion that animals may be iattened in few
weeks, and fitted for market by heavy
feeding, or as it is termed, "pushing."- y
Many farmers do not think of beginning
to latten their hogs or cattle for early
winter market until autumn has actually
commenced. Their food is then sudden.
ly changed, and they are dosed with large
quantities OF grain or meal. This sud
den change often deranges the system,
and it is frequently some time before
they recover from it. The attempt TO
fatten a poor animal IN six weeks, re-
minds one of the puff advertisements to
teach "French in six lessons" From
observation and inquiry, we find that the
most successful managers adopt a very
different course-feed moderately, with
great regularity, and for a long continued
period. Regularity they find of the ut
most importance, and they particularly
avoid the course recommended by a COR
respondent year or two since, to give
ga feeding OF meal now and then" The
most successful pork raiser that we have
met with, commences the fattening OF his
swine intended for winter market, early
in the preceding spring. We might al
most say he commences the autumn be-
fore, for he keeps his young swine in
good rapidly growing condition all thro'
winter. He always begins very moderN
ately, and increases the amount gradual
ly and with great uniformity, taking care
never to place before the animal more
than il will freely eat. With this treat
ment, and attending strictly to cleanliness
and the comfort of the animal at the
same time, his spring pigs at ten months
usually exceed three hundred pounds,
and sometimes haYe gone as high as four
hundred and fifty pounds, and wintered
pigs run as high as five to six hundred ];
the corn, which is ground and scalded
before feeding, netts him one dollar per
bushel, when pork sells at five cents per
pound.
Our readers are generally aware Of
the opinion of John Johnston on the sub
ject of the heavy grain feeding of cattle,
believing it to be attended with more
waste than profit. This opinion has been
corroborated by the careful experiments
Of number of farmers, and among 9th !
ers, an accurate and enterprisng neigh
Dor, who weighs all his animals weekly,
informs us that fine steer when fed reg
ularly each day with four quarts of bar
ley meal, gained eighteen pounds peri
week being urged TO push" this animal,
he increased his feed to eight Quarts dali
ly, with diminution in bis growth tbeI
feed was then increased to twelve quarts,
when he scarcely gained at all, Anoth-I
err, and an extensive cattle fattener, in
formed us that he and neighbor com
meneed fattening each fine steer at the
same time; the neighbours being thu
heaviest on the start. Our informant fed
four quarts of meal daily; his neighbor,
twelve quarts When they were slaugh
tered, the latter was the inferior animal
of the two in weight.
Another instance has recently occur
red to our observation, illustrating the
position here taken. An old COW, natu-
rally raw -boned, was fed by the owner
with the view of converting her into
beef, commencing about the middle off
autumn, or as soon as the corn was ripe,
with the hope of turning her off to the
butcher about the first of winter. She
was stuffed with all she could eat, and by
the end Of the year had scarcely gained
in weight. The owner concluded that
she did not take on flesh naturally, that
there was no use in trying to fatten her,
and she passed into other hands and diff
ferent treatment. Before winter was
over, regular system of feeding with
barley meal was commenced, first with
only pint each night and morning, which
was afterwards gradually increased to a
quart, Ia a few weeks the improved APP
pearance of the animal was quite visible i
she was placed in good pasture, and by
the middle of summer her feed had been
gradually increased TO two quarts each
night and morning. BY the first Of au-
tumn she had become fat, sleek, and beau
tiful, and was sold for good price to the
butcher.
Intelligent farmers differ as to the pro.
priety of feeding meal at all to pastured
cattle; some insisting that it only de
stroys their appetite for the grass, and
that If fed on the latter alone, they will
improve in condition more rapidly and
u