The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-07-11
Ra,rsning Hog. and Other Animals.


A correspondent of the Prairie ftorer
asks for information on the subject OF
fatteuing hogs, and the annexed is
sensible reply of the editor;
Theoretically, there is great gain
in grinding and cooking food; but
practically, there may be little or no
gain. This will depend on the circum-
stances of the individual farmer. II
grain is high, a water grist-nill is near,
or the farmer has mill of his own, the
roads are good, farm help is plenty, and
fuel is cheap, there will be great saw
ing in grinding and cooking corn 10 be
fed to hogs. But if on the other hand,
grain is low, the mill ten miles of, the
roads bad, labor scarce and fuel high,
then the expense of preparing the corn
for the trough might be considerably
greater than the value of the corn in
the ear. In many parts of the West
one-fOurth part of the grist is taken for
toll, here is q loss of twenty-five per
cent. on the start. To this we must
add the cost Of Smelling the corn, draw
inc it to the mill and back and the
price of the labor needed in cooking and
the worth of the fuel These are no in.
considerable items.
As an offset to these, however, we
have an increased amount of pork,
quicker fattened and, some say, of SUI
perior quality.
To enable farmers To form an opinion
Of the comparative value OF prepared
and unprepared corn for hogs, we give
l.. nhtaina1 1hrnnuh
meuts by Samuel II. Clay of Bourbon
Co, Kentucky: zone bushel of dry corn
made > lbs. 10 OF. Of live pork; one
bushel of boiled corn made Ii lbs. OF.
of pork; one bushel of ground corn,
boiled, made, in one instance, 10 lbs. Z
or, in another nearly IL lbs. of pork.
To get the value of corn, estimate the
pork at : cents pound: we have as the
result of one bushel of dry corn, 10
cents worth of pork, of one bushel of
boiled corn, ll5 cents worth of pork;
and of one bushel of ground corn, 1876
cents worth of pork"
The late Prof MapeS states rs the re-
suit ofexper MI 1 M de 1t Camden, n.
j., that il requires 80 lbs of raw corn to
make as mach pork as IL lbs of cooked
meal.
With these results taken from good
authorit;e,, any farmer can estimate for
himself tho probable advantage TO
be derived from grinding and cooking
feed for hogs, in his particular situa-
ton. Little advantage can he derived
from consulting tables prepared in Eu-
rope or the more Eastern States, as
there a very different state of affairs
exists: corn and pork are high there,
while labor is cheap.
Perhaps the method employed by
many farmers in Kentucky, is on the
whole the best that can be pursued in
the west. There the practice is TO turn
the hogs into an anharvested field when
they first commence To fatten them.
After the hogs have worked harvesting
in this manner for few weeks they are
tolerably we'll fattened. At this period
they are fed on cooked corn meal till
they are in prime condition for the
market.
This method of fattening hogs has
many things to commend it. In the
first place, it is not well to shut mp
hogs in q small Enclosure after having
liberty to rove at large; the change
should be gradual one. The change
from the ungathered corn to that which
is collected and husked, is made after
the hog has become too fat to convent
emily wander about the field. Lastly
the finishing touch is put on with
boiled mush after the hog teeth have
become impaired 10y Smelling coin, as
their stomachs may have been digest
ing it.
Feeding ground and cooked TODD 30
work cattle and horses. has never met
with much favor and has few advo.
ates.
Authorities do not so generally agree
in relation to the advantages of grind
ing and cooking grain for other stock as
they do in the case of hogs.