Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1875-12-03
Fatten Live Stock Gradually.

1t is always better in every respect to
keep domestic animals growing and fat
tening gradually than to allow them to
run in the fields for several months, hav-
ing only short supply of grass, clover
and bite of meal, and then commence
feeding them all they will eat and more
than their stomachs can digest. Some
farmers differ as to the propriety of feed
ing meal at all to pastured cattle, some in
sisting that it only destroys their appetite
for the grass, and that if fed on the latter
alone they will improve in condition more
rapidly and steadily than in any other
way. This is certainly not true with all
animals, as for example with the case just
mentioned; but there are others which
have natural propensity to flesh that
seem to improve best on rich pasturage
alone, doubtless partly in consequence of
the long continued and regular supply of
good food which they thus receive as con-
trasted with sudden and irregular grain
feelings. A great many farmers enter
tain the opinion that animals may be fat
tened in few weeks and fitted for market
by heavy feeding, or, as it is termed,
pushing" Many farmers do not think
of beginning to fatten their hogs or cattle
for early winter market until autumn has
actually commenced. Their food is then
suddenly changed, and they are dosed
with large quantities of grain or meal
This sudden change often deranges the
system, and it is frequently some time be-
fore they recover from it. The attempts
fatten apoor animal in six weeks reminds
one Of the puff advertisements to teach
French in six lessons" From observa-
ton and inquiry we find that the most
successful managers adopt avery different
course-feed moderately, with great regu-
larity, and for long-continued period.
Regularity they find of the utmost i'm
portance, and they particularly avoid the
course recommended by a correspondent
a year or two since to give ga feeding of
meal now and then"
The most successful pork-raiser that
we have met with commence the fattening
of swine intended for winter market early
in the preceding spring We might al
most say he commences the preceding au-
tumn, for he keeps his young swine in
rapidly growing condition all through
winter. He 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,
hisspring 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 feed
ing, nets him one dollar per bushel when
pork sells at five cents per pound.
Nome most 611oo
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 eorr0borated 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 "pushn
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
fattener, 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 nelghbor, 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 regular system of feeding with
barley meal was commenced, first with
only pint each night and morning, which
was afterward gradually increased to
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
and was sold for generous
price to the butcher.
The point that we desire to urge on the
rural readers of the Herald at the present
time is a caution against the common
error of attempting to fatten suddenly by
overdosing with grain and meal as sort
OF compensation for the previous starya-