The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-10-21
Swine for Domestic Use.

&
-
Fattening swine for Domestic Use.
This Is the season of the year, says
Alexander Hyde in the New York
Times, for making pork, and a few sug-
gestions on this subject may be in order.
We will premise by saying that al
though we raise good many pigs We
are not advocates of steady pork diet.
We are free to say that We think the
farming community would fare better
if more beef and mutton, and less pork,
were consumed, Spare ribs and onions
are good for those who are outdoors
most of the time, and whose stOmachs
are of the ostrich kind; aud boiled pork
and cabbage are relished by hard work
ers in cold climates; but TO make fried
salt pork the staple dish, as it is in some
families, is not conducive to the normal
development of the children, nor to the
health of the household, certainly
to the feminine and more sedentary
part OF 1t.
This leads ms to say that for our own use
we never fattcn anything but spring
pigs. Il takes better feed and more
care to make pork from a pig than an
old hog, but the pork is better, and the
work is accomplished in nine months
instead of eighteen. The advocates Of
futtening old hogs seem 10 forget that
they feed twelve months or more before
they begin to fattcn, and that store pigs
cannot live upon air and water. If the
quality and quantity of food consumed
by an eighteen months, hog and nine
months pig be compared, the advantage
will be found on the side of the pig for
equal amounts of pork produced. Or
course there must be some old fellows
kept to propagate the species, and these
must in due time be fattened.
Not all domestic pork is fattencd in
the most approved manner. Multitudes
seem to suppose that filth is congenial
to hog; that he will thrive in the mud
and only ask for a bare board for his
couch. The truth is that the hog, and
indeed all animals in their wild state,
are clearly, avoid all filth, and choose
soft and tidy place in which to sleep.
As to the feed, there is nothing which
can compare with milk for the young
pigs, and good old corn for the few weeks
If the norker's life. Of course it will not
nav to feed pure milk topigs, but the
Skinned milk has more virtue in 1t
than is generally supposed. when the
cream is taken of the main loss Is lat
(cnrbonl. one of the most abundant
substances in nature, and one which the
growing pigs can we'll spare far we do
not wish TO see Young animals, whether
bipeds or quadrupeds excessively fat.
A superabundance of adipose is not IN
dicativc of health, and does not tend to
! d.velonment of sound bone and solid
muscle. The SKINNED milk still retains
the casein for the groth of muscle, and
! the saline matters for the production OF
! bone.
There can be no doubt that variety
Of food is congenial to all animals,
especially those of some maturity
Milk NAV be the steady diet Of the very
Young: but when they come to years OF
discretion they will, if left to themselves,
select variety of food, and wide Is the
RANGE which hogs will speedily devour,
md on which thew will Thrive. A good
feeder manages never to clog his pigs
with one kind of food, but always
stimulates their appetitcs with different
courscs-potatoes at one time, apples al
another, and pumpkin-puddlng, ihlrk-
cucd with meal, at another, always
winding up the fattening process with
dry corn on the ear to produce sollu
pork. Liquid puddingS may answer
we'll for growth and the early stages OF
fa,tcning but to top oil with, dry corn
is the food.
Tho question is often asked whether
Il NAYS to cook food for hogs. Some
kinds Of food We should cook, and some
we should not. Apples are best uncoo COOK,
ed. ~ they lose much OF their aroma anu
stimulating influence by beng heated
Cooking enables Us to serve up agrea'ei
number of dishes and we should there-
fore, always have caldron set IN 'ht
n;r-pen. and if properly set the amount
IF fuel REQUIRED is small. The caldron
however need not be used for the last
f.w days of the pigs HE
nor should we in these days give hin
any water. :.
One of the important things in feeding
hoes. and indeed all animals, Is to 1eeo
regularly. They have no clocks ana are
moi sunnosed to observe the sun very
closely: still hogs are not ignorant o'
the fight of time. and they reckon very
accurately rs to the hours for meals. II
accustomed to be fed at O'Clock IN th'
morning, II at noon, and AT night
they want their food pretty promptly
Of these hours, and will grunt ano
,rrumhle if they don't get II. lhl'
Srumbling must be avoided, for 1t wear
off more flesh from men and hogs than
is commonly supposed. We have peer
amused on going into hogs pens whet
the hogs are fed regularly, to notice nov
little attention they pay to Vlsi'"T ", a
any time except meal hours. lneH
sleep right on. and it sometimes require;
som, hard pokes to arouse them, ano
when aroused they are as apt TO MAKE
for the door as the trough. oh 'h'
other hand, hogs fed irrcgularly are OF
; ,ba nm, yir, te see if somebody has no
brought them something good TO eat
HIS are creatures Of habit, and the.
may be accustomed to two or three %
half n dozen meals day. We shea1'
certainly prefer three to hal, a dozen en-
Feeding them every time We pass tn
hoo men AS is the custom of some, Is
h'S r., 6ash Of both man ant