American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-08-15
Feeding Pigs and Fattening Hogs.

Very many breeders like to have their
pigs come late enough in the spring so
that there will be no danger of their be-
coming chilled and perish at, or soon
after, their birth. If allowed to run
with the sow until they are two months
old they may be safely weaned, since,
at this time, their digestive organs are
strong enough to assimiiate ordinary
food. After weaving the young pigs
should have all the refuse milk and Stops
of the farm. They should have the
range of good clover pasture, and be
supplied beside with what corn, or, better,
| cooked food they will eat. They should
also have ample shade and plenty of
pure water to drink. If you have
running stream, or pond, they WILL of
course, supply themselves, and it will
also furnish wallowing place, one of
the most necessary adjuncts to successful
feeding.
Swine are not, as has been too often
supposed, filthy animals. On the con-
trary they are, if allowed to be so, quite
| the reverse. 1t is true that during the
season of flies they will wallow in, and
often coat themselves with, mud as a
protection against their enemies; but so
| also will many other animals. Swine are
naturally fond of water in more senses
than one.
We believe in the efficacy of clover as
pigs to fit them for the fattening- pens;
but earnestly as we advise this we do
not go the length of many in advocating
| ii as an exclusive summer food. We be-
| lieve that with clover and corn allowing
the pigs One-half the grain they would
require with clover or its equivalent in
other green food from the middle of
May to the 1st of September, then finish
| ing wholly with corn or ground and
cooked grain, depending on the price of
the raw material-that this course will
| be found to be the most economical
manner of rearing and fattening pork in
the West. BY this means we have
brought pigs narrowed in April and May
to Il weight of from $50 to 300 pounds in
| the succeeding December and January.
| The last three or four months they were
fed wholly with corn or sometimes fin
ished with meal.
| Every farmer who fattcns ten to TWEEN
ty pigs each year can afford to supply
| himself with a three barrel kettle set in
an arch, or with IA heater attached. Thus
corn may be thoroughly cooked
by filling the Kettle three-fourths
full of ears and adding water sufli-
cient to nearly fill the caldron. Have
a wooden top that may be weighted to
keep it down, and will fit sufficiently low
so that il may be constantly covered
with water. The lower part of the ket-
tie will thus carry sufficient pressure OF
steam to thoroughly break down the It's
sue of the grain, SO that the fire may be
allowed to die as soon as the mass thor
oughly boils. The corn, as it swells, will
gradually raise the cover and, when cool,
the grains will be found to be soft, many
of them entirely cracked open, and in a
perfectly digestible state. This is the
cheapest means we have ever used for
cooking feed for hogs where the mill was
"a considerable distance from home or
the price charged for grinding corn eX-
cessive. If shelled corn is boiled, the
kettle should have false bottom, iron
is best, pierced with holes that will not
allow the grain to pass through, fitted so
that it will meet the sides about eight
inches above the extreme bottom of the
caldron- The top may be fitted above
the surface of the water, the edge luted
with strong, worked clay and small holes
left in the center for the escape of steam
After an hour of strong boiling, the
whole being allowed TO cool, the grain
will be found properly cooked, and there
is no danger of burning at the bottom
Western Rurul.