The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1877-07-26

| IN reaCl All the lmc. SOmeW Il in
accordance with these sugges as I
have fed several very fine lots 40
| years ago | raised two litters of sn-
teen pigs, nine of which were sslG IN
foot, averaging e70 pounds at seven
months. The remainder, a litter of
eight, were kept and slaughtered at
eight months and ten days old, weigh
ing in the aggregate S4l0 pounds.
September last l sold fourteen alive at
SIX months and twenty days old, aver
aging s44 pounds. The most remark
able lot | ever handled were seventeen
Poland Chinas, which have lately
disposed of, dressed, in three different
lots, as follows:
So.of Age in Live Drsa. AyE Pr.et.
I 10 isss isss Taoo sS SI Is SS is'6
ls 1907 ll9o ssd lhs
Included IN the above are two pigs
thirteen days younger, which, II the
data could be separated, would increase
the data somewhat. At two and a half
months they had reached daily aver
age of one pound, when they gradu-
| ally rose to two and a half pounds,
and then fell to trlfle more thaR two
| pounds daily gam, which thoy kept
until they were slaughtered. The
heaviest pig at $50 days weighed alive
| 332 pounds, and dressed 2SS pounds.
| As near as could be ascertained thev
had cost, in mill feed at the price paid
| and in corn at 55 cents, a triile more
than l2 cents per pound. dressed
weight. I should perhaps add that
| my pen is warm and wellvontilated
basement, with a yard adjoining; also
that variety of food gwen to the
growing animal increases the value of
the whole, and that corn, fed the pig
with coarser food, will be well di-
yested without grinding, also giving
him a disposition to take on fat as
we'll as growth, which is important
when wanted to mature early.
KEEPING GOOD Cows. 1t is surpris-
ing when we look around The country
% see the large number of poor cows
that are kept for years in the dairies,
and by men from which better things
,hould be expected. 1t costs as much,
if not more, to keep poor COW than n
good one. In no other branch of farm
| labor is it so essential to have good
material to work with as In the dairy.
A little study of the characteristics of
good COW will generally enable a ptr-
son to tell a good COW when he sees
her. haYe heard men say that they
bred cows to get the smallest eaters.
| But this is a fallacy, as no one can eN-
pect to get something from nothing.
| The cow Call the other essentials being
| right that will assimilate the greatest
amount of food will usually prove 20
| De the best COW to keep. In tie feed
| inc of cows there is great difference.
A healthy COW will consume many times
ner weight in food every year, but how
| find the one that will do SO with the
least weight W Il repay the careful at
tention of those that keep cows. IL
| this point is not strictly attended to il
| will make Il wide difference in the
margin of profits. But is unfortunate
| co have poor COW, and the
shortest and best way to get nd
Of her ist to fit her for the butcher as
| quick as possible and fill her. place
With one whose good qualifications at
The pail can he depended ON. Expert
nent and comparison are the true
modes by which quick observer can
tell a good COW. 1 have seen men
| whose knowledge was such that thep
would, as a general thing, pick out the
best cows from a herd every time Iu
| purchasing cows all are anxious to get
he best; but no one should eXper O
| go into a herd and buy the best lie
OF, as few men will sell such. In ltrge
herds the scrubs, or the ones that ne
rest all drive around, will often prove
good when given q fair chance, aud
improve so that their former owner in
a short time will not know them. l
have several times known this to be
the case. To obtain good lot of COWS
N the shortest time buy the best re-
gardless of cost. But, unfortunately,
with most dairymen this cannot be
done for want of means, so we must
ook for other ways to procure good
COWS. One way will be TO raise heifers
from the best COWS in the herd, got 10y
thoroughbred males of dairy breeds.
This, although not the quickest, will
be by far the cheapest and best way to
accomplish the desired result. A good
COW will often lack much of being q
handsome one. But the size and shape
Of her head aud horns have much to
10 towards making good COW. Ihave
never yet seen good one that had
'arge, broad horns. The best COWS
carry a small, foe head, with good
lied ears; and in a broad-hipped COW
we always find the milk mirror well
developed. Anyone who owns a cow
should lose no time in finding out her
qualifications, and if she will not make,
at the lowest calculation, 200 pounds
)f butter per year, she should be speed
lily disposed Of. In large herd ii will
be more difficult to accomplish this
chan where only few are kept. Bat
still it can be closely approximated IL
care is taken. A cow that gives milk
as blue as a milestone is poor property
for anyone but a city milkman. Many
farmers keep too many cows that pro-
luce that kind OF milk. A cow-csn
be kept until she is four years old
without loss, as her growth will pay
the cost of her keeping, and by that
time the amount Of her production
should be ascertained beyond a doubt.
I think that with care in breeding,
cows can be raised that will yield, on
an average, 300 pounds Of butter per
year, If well kept. S. G.
ADULTERATED FooD.-The CAndian
commissioner of internal revenue has
been making an analysis Of various
articles OF food entering into popular
consumption, and the result Of his in
vestigatIons is anything but pleasant.
Ia the course Of his inquiries the com
missioner analyzed one hundred and
eighty articles OF food, ninety-three OF
which, or more than fifty per cent, were
found 10 be adulterated. Coffee was
not only mixed with chickory, but with
roasted peas and beans also. Out Of
ten samples examined, but a single one
was pure. Tea was found TO be adul-
terated with various nOxious weeds ana
with willow leaves artiiicially colored
by drugs. Twenty samples were ex-
amined, aud but four Of them were
found to be pure. Two specimens we're
pronounced by the commissioners 10 be
''unft for human consumption" Out
Of ffty-eight samples Of milk thirty
four were aduIterated, and out Of niDe-
teen specimens OF pepper but two were
free from foreign admixtures. All the
samples OF ground cloves, cinnamon,
ginger and mustard were aduIterated.
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