The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1881-03-30
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MARCH,.
INDIGESTION OF PIGS.

farmers to give salt 10 pigs Or "
mix it in their food. Salt is no
more injurious to a pig than to a
person. The stomach of pig and
its digestive functions are more
like those of human being than
are those of almost any other ami
NAL. A hungry pig would proba
bly, eat enough to injure itself If its
feod was strongly mixed with salt,
just as a hungry man would be
likely to eat too much OF salted
fish or meat. Salt is used to make
human food more palatable, and
and seems necessary to supply the
wastes to the system caused by the
animal secretions. The instincts
of horses and Illuminating animals
lead them to desire salt. Hence,
in a wild state they seek for salt
springs or ''licks," where they
may satisfy this natural craving,
and in domesticated condition it
should always be accessible to
them, and then they never viii in
iure themselves by eating too much
OF it. Pigs do not seem to have
this natural craving for salt to the
same extent as other animals, but
I ka7e known them to eat it when
given to them while in pasture,
and also while confined in pens,
and I have made tia practice to
put salt where pigs could help
themselves to it. When pigs are
fed cooked food Of any kind, and
especially vegetables, the food can
be improved and made more pala
table, so that the appetite may not
flag, by moderately sailing it. The
proportions of salt should be the
same as for human food. Too lit
tie attention is usually given by
farmers to the stonachs OF pigs.
They are expected to eat anything
and everything, or perhaps to live
a long time on only one kind of
food. This want of attention is the
cause of frequent diseases among
pigs, chief OF with are diarrhea
and constipation. Regular feed
ing of salt in moderate quantity
and of sulphur, which an occasional
feeding, of charcoal (once week),
will serVesto make good appetite,
promote digestion, and prevent dis
turbance of the bowels, which is
more likely to occur without these
precautions. The health and di-
gestion of pigs would undoubtedly
be promoted if they had access to
prepared chalk orif a small amount
of magnesia was given them in
their food. Pigs suffer much from
indigestion, caused by over eating,
and if they had the remedies acces-
sible their instincts would teach
shem to make use of them and thus
prevent the frequent result
diarrhea. In summertime, when
pigs have access to the ground,
they cure themselves, or, in other
words, prevent diseases Of the
stomach by eating grass, which is
/. laxative, or earth, rotten wood OF
bits of charcoal, which seem to
check this condition Or to prevent
extremes. The best medicine foi
any animal is preventive, hence
their food and surroundings should
be such as to promote health. The
opposite is too frequently the case.
as they are often kept in filth, and
their food is prepared for them re-
ga,dless OF sanitary laws, their
physical wants OF natural inetincts.
This inconsistency is all the more
remarkable when we consider that
pigs are always reared only for
human food, and are the most
liable of almost all animals to pos
sess parasites in their bodies: and
are susceptible Of great variety Of
diseases, and among them those of
scrofulous nature, which may be
transmitted to the human family
when the pork is eaten I never
eat random pork, as I am afraid Of
it. When carefully raised and
properly fattened, however, pig
meat is healthful food. The omni-
vorous nature of pigs makes them
more dangerous for food than beef
or mutton, as neat cattle or sheep
viii not naturally eat anything but
grain or vegetables, while pigs are
kept sometimes on putrid food Or
the refuse Of slaughter houses.
Cattle may be taught to subsist on
fish and be made to consume sHill,
but the number of such animals
which are turned into beef in this
corntry is extremely limited. willie