Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1868-01-10
asrie,lltnral.
Grafton Industrial Association.

the reslucfcc OF w liiuin IoNasheHt'
Esq, on Thursday evening Of the 26tl
ult., s. ID. Cenant president presiding
The attendance was large and much in
terest manifested in the proceedings Of
the evening. The subject fer discussion
was The best method for fatteRing cattle
sheep and swine.
N. H BIxBv Esq, said the greater
portion of his past life had been devoted
to other pursuits than agriculture, but he
had had some experience in fattening ami
mails and from his experience and obser-
walton he had arrived at the following
conclusions. To fattcn an animal prop
erly snd proftably required time. Too
much nutritious food produced fever,
weakened the animals system and injured
the quality of the beef There was a
great drain from the constitution of the
COW while she gave milk and they should
not be MIXED, or oxen worked, too near
the time of fatteniag. They should be
allowed to pasture through the summer
and fed in the fail as nature seems to en-
able all animals properly fed to lay qpin
the fall an oily, concrete substance, to
prepare them to withstand the severity of
cold in winter.
He regarded corn meal, all things con-
sidered, the best food for fattening ami
mails, although animals could be fattened
on potatoes if washed and boiled, with as
little expense as on meal, but the quality
of the beef and tallow was inferior, and
if fed ON potatoes the animal should be
fed corn meal two or three weeks before
being slaughtered
To fatten pork the process should be
commenced in the spring, particularly
pigs should be well fed and kept con-
stantly growing through the summer. 1t
would then require but triHing expense
for extra feed in the fall. He thought
corn meal the best feed for swine, but re-
garded barley meal an excellent substi-
tute. 1t was much more profitable as
food for swine than any other animal.
Sheep should be fed with corn COM
mencing early in the fall to feed lightly
and gradually increase the amount to
from one pint to one quart per day ac-
cording to size and constitution of sheep.
Sheep will eat more corn and keep
healthy than any other grain or when
fed with corn meal.
Mr.. HENRY PUTNAM said experience
was the safest guide to correct conclu-
sions, and his experience in fattening ami
mails was wanting, as he never fattened
a creature in his life. He had slaughtered
a few sheep as they came from the pas
ture, selecting such as he thought to be
in a proper condition and had never
failed to knife fat one. He had not
tasted pork for ten years, or had hog
about his premises for four years except
his neighbors, nor did he intend to for
four years to come. Quite too much meat
was used for food either for. health or
profit, there was more nutriment in one
pound of grain than in pound of meat
although it took several pounds of the
former to make one of the latter. But as.
large quantities of meat were used for
food and probably always would be the
cheapest and best method Of producing it
should be carefully sought AFTER Far
mers generally know too little about the
expense of fattening their animals or the
comparative expense of different methods.
Some feed corn on the ear some grind
the cob with the corn, while others feed
clear corn meal, and too readily embrace
the erroneous idea that he who has the
heaviest animal has adopted the most
proper method, perhaps the expense of
food for the large animal has been pro-
portionately more than for either of the
Others.
Animals fatten in shorter time and at
less expense when kept warm and quiet,
muscular notice wears the system and
prevents the rapid accumulative fat.
Whether animals could properly digest
and avail themselves of the nutriment of
raw food or would they receive a greater
amount of nourishment from the same
food cooked was the question he would
leave for those to solve who possessed the
aid Of experience.
S, d. CoNANT, President. The food of
all animals except sheep should be cooked
to be fed with profit. The heat of the
animals stomach is not sufficient to util-
ize starchy food, and great loss will in
evitably occur if cereal grains are fed
without cooking. Grass is readily con-
verted into nutriment by the natural
heat and acid of the stomach, and the
expense of keeping cattle fed exclusively
on hay could be greatly reduced, by
steaming it thoroughly as this process
will render it nearly as soluable as grass.
A variety of food promotes health and