Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-11-18

rapidly growing condition all through
winter. lie always begins moderately,
and increases the amount gradually and
with great uniformity, taking care never
to place before the animal more than it
will freely eat. With this treatment, and
attending strictly to cleanliness, and the
comfort OF the animal at the same time,
his spring pigs at ten months usually exceed
800 pounds, and sometimes have gone as
high as $50 pounds, and wintered pigs
run as high as 500 to 600 The corn,
which is ground and scalded before teed-
ing, nets him one dollar per bushel when
pork sells at five cents per pound.
Some of the most successful producers
of fat live stock believe that feeding
large quantities of grain or meal at one
time is attended with more waste than
profit. This opinion, says the Country
Gentleman, has been corroborated by the
careful experiments of a number of farm
ers, and, among others, an accurate and
enterprising neighbor, who weighs all his
animals weekly, informs us that a fine
steer when fed regularly each day with
four quarts of barley meal gained eighteen
pounds per week. Being urged to push"
this animal, he increased his feed to
eight quarts daily, with diminution in
his growth. The feed was then increased
to twelve quarts, when he scarcely gained
at all. Another, and an extensive cattle
tattener, informed us that he and a neigh
Dor commenced fattening each fine
steer at the same time, the neigh
boris being the heavier at the start. Our
informant fed four quarts of meal daily;
his neighbor fed twelve quarts. When
they were slaughtered the latter was the
inferior animal of the two in weight.
We have in mind an old COW, naturally
raw-boned, which was fed by the owner
with the view of converting her into beef,
commencing about the middle of autumn,
or as soon as the corn was ripe, with the
hope of turning her off to the butcher
about the first Of winter. She was stuffed
with all she could eat, and by the end of
the year had scarcely gained in weight.
The owner concluded that she did not
take on flesh naturally, and there was no
use in trying to fatten her. and she passed
into other hands, where she received
different treatment. Before winter was
over a regular system of feeding with
barley meal was commenced first with
only apint each night and morning, which
was afterward gradually increased to a
quart In few weeks the improved APP
pearance of the animal was quite visible;
she was placed in good pasture, and by
the middle of summer her feed had been
gradually increased to two quarts each
night and morning By the first of
autumn she had become fat, sleek and
beautiful, and was sold for generous
price to the butcher.
The point that we desire to urge on the
rural readers of the Hera3d at the present
time is caution against the common
error of attempting to fatten suddenly by
overdosing with grain and meal as a sort
of compensation for the previous starva-
ton and raw-boned system of treatment.
Instead of beginning to tatten just at the
last stages Of an amin ais life the work
should be commenced as soon as it is
born, at least so far as preserving good
growing healthy condition right onward,
without any interruption, through winter
and summer. Farmers who practice on this
plan make the larges: profits and can dis
pose of their herds at any time for high
prices. Their less successful neighbors
term them "always lucky" but do not
seem to be aware of the truth of the old
saying that Diligence is the mother of
good luck"
At this season of the year a great many
farmers put an old COW, heiter or steer in
a field alone to be fattened The better
way is to allow such an animal to run
with the cows during the day and at night
put him in shed or stable well ventilated
and give himior her a comfortable bed of
straw and IA feeding of meal.-N. Y.
Herald.
.