Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1878-01-16
FARM AND HOME.
weieht Of Live Measure.

A correspondent of the London Agri-
cultural Gazette, who seems to have ex-
perimented critically in processes to
represent the weight Of hogs by live
measure says:
l have for several years. for my own
information and amusement, measured
the pigs / have sold by weight; and by
the following simple method have been
enabled to form a very just calculation
of the weight any pig will weigh if fairly
we'll fat, the truth Of which may be
found by any one who has a pig to kill.
In the first place it is Indispensable that
the animal should stand square and level
on the back, for if that is up and the
head down, it will measure much longer
than it il. To measure a pig, ! take the
length from two or three inches behind
the ears-say from where the head Is
generally cut of-to the root of the tail,
where a perpendicular line would fail to
form the end Of a cylinder of its length
giving the head to the neck to form the
other end and in taking this a little
Judgment is required, AZ some vary from
others. Then take the girth behind the
shoulder with a piece of Irvine, As the
bristles are apt to hold the tape from
taking the true girth, which is the most
essential measure.
For illustration, l will take three pigs
of different sizes-frst, 80 inches girth
by 90 inches long; second, 81 inches by
As inches; third, rs inches by SO inches
long. l first square the girth by multi.
plying it by itself, the product multi.
piled by the length, the sum of which
divided by 46.0 will give the weight in
pounds. Take the three rs examples
the actual weight dead, was, in thes
cases, So lbs, 4O3 lbs, and $40 lbs. the er
rors were 8 lbs, 2 h., and 3 lbs, respect
lively; but AZ No. l was not wei
fat, ID. per score must be al
lowed, which would make it 2.
lbs. less, or reduce the error to ] Id.
and if a pig is extra fat, ! 10. per scor'
must be added to the weight, or tn
divisor must be $50 very fat, and Az
for the lean, instead of ago; 80 that i
the number of pounds are taken as
divisor, and the inches by easur 70
the dividend, the quotient will be tn
true approximating divisor to find tn
weight of any other animal of the sam
quality and fatness. l will take a beast
for instance, measuring 6 feet 8 inche
girth, s feet long, and suppose
to weigh III cwt. alive, 52.0i is the divisol
equal AZ lbs. per cubic foot by measur
and thrae-Rfths are given IA dead to liv
weight for q good fat beast. BY gtrti
6 feet s inches equals 80; length, 5 feet
|, inch equals 81 inches; this would repr,
sent what is commonly termed a 8 scol
5 ID. beast (per qr.:) but if the Ii,
weight, 1922 lbs, and 1874, 900 inches for
, dividend, that is $4,000 by 1892 equa
BIO, i C., the divisor to find the Ii,
7 weight of another animal of the san
degree of fairness and quality. Their
/ fore if two or more beasts vary by weigl
and measure, that which takes the fewe
inches to the pound must be the be
, beast. Therefore beasts may be classt
as very lean, store order, fresh, meat
fat, very fat, extra, OF as they are terms
, prize animals. Now each one of the
} would vary both by measure and weigl
alive, and perhaps might be representa-
|, by Al, so, SO, 56, 60, IS, to 70 lbs,
: more per 100. The weight by measu
would vary something in proportion.