Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1870-11-03
Make the Pigs Fat.

Pigs are scarce and pork is likely
to CONN and good price. A we'll
fatted pig brings At least two cents
per pound more than one with bare
kidneys and thin sides. Eight bush
els Of corn, with ordinary pigs, that
have nearly attained their growth,
should give US at least 100 pounds OF
growth. At 10 cents per pound live
weight, the present price for fat pigs
in Chicago, this would give us one
dollar bushel for the corn. But
this ,e not all. II We sell a pig not
halt tat, weighing say ESQ pounds, we
should get only 8 cents per pound,
or go. Keep this pig two months,
and feed it eight bushels of corn and
it should then weigh $50 pounds and
bring, without any advance in price,
10 cents per pound, or $50. In this
way we get SIS for 8 bushels Of corn,
or Sis7a per bushel.
During October, fattening pigs
should be pushed forward as rapidly
as possible. 1t is poor economy to
fecd them on nubbins, or soft, ilnma-
ture corn. Better give such corn TO
the cattle or mich cows. But if it
must be fed to the fattening pigs let
them At any rate havs one or two
meals . day Of sound corn. And
take pains to induce them to ca: rs
much as they can digest. The chief
points in fattening pigs are: Com
Portable quarters, constant sNpply
OF water in separate trough, regu-
lar feeding, and undisturbed sleep
AS to how long it will be proitable
to continue the fattening, we know
Of no better test than the amount of
food consumed. A two hundred
pound pig that is doing we'll eats ut
least a bushel OF corn weck-and it
he eats more and digests it you may
be pretty sure he is growing rapidly
and is Yay,ng well for his feed; but as
he gets FILLED up he will cat less,
and SO long as this is due to his be.
ing more quiet and contented, and to
sleeping more, it is little or no dis.
advantage, but when 1t arises from
loss Of appetite, or impaired digest
ton, there is little profit IN keeping
him longer. A three hundred and
fifty or four hundred pound pig, that
cannot be induced to eat more than
three quarts Of corn meal day, must
be gaining very little and had much
better be killed and put into the
pork barrel Il American Agricnltu-
rist.
Hoo RAISING PROFITABLE.-TLe
most profitable branch Of farming is
raising hogs. Every farmer has hogs,
and almost every farmer has lost
hogs by the cholera and kindred
diseases. This loss is probably a
blessing in most cases; tor it has rid
the country of a mean, poor breed OF
hogs, to great degree, and has been
the means Of Introducing far better
and more profitable stock. Formerly
it was considered good hog that
would net two hundred pounds after
passing through two winters; and
then it was ottener less, than more
that weight. The rul ing price .or
pork, previous to 1860, v as found to
i've dollars per hundred. But now,
With pork at from eight to nine dol
lars per hundred, aud hogs that can
be made TO weigh five hundred
pounds at from twelve 10 eighteen
months old, what difference! Yet,
some to.ies still stick to their old
breeds, which arc more liable 10 dis
ease than the new ones, and interior
in every respect, besides being SO
much greater eaters. 1t pays TO get
the best breed known now, because
pork is q good price and likely to be;
and the same feed and attention that
formerly gave two hundred pounds
OF pork, will now yield four to six
hundred pounds of fine meat To-
wa Homestead.