The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-02-24

1t is not a general practice with
farmers to give salt to pigs or TO mix it
in their food. Salt is no more injurious
to pig than to person. The stomach
OF q pig and its digestive functions are
| more like those of Truman being than
are those OF almost any other animal.
A hungry pig would probably eat
enough to injure itself if its food was
strongly mixed with salt, Just rs hun
CRY man would be likely to eat too
much of salted fish or meat. Salt is
used to. make human food more pala-
table, and seems necessary to supply
the wastes to the system caused by the
animal sccretions. The instincts of
| horses and Illuminating animals lead
them to desire salt. Hence, in 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 will
iniure 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 | have
known them to eat 1t when given to
them while in pasture, and also while
! confined in pens, and / have made it Il
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 palatable, SO that the
appetite may not flag, by moderately salt
ing it. The proportions of salt should
| be the same as for human food. Too
little attention is usually given by farm
ers to the stomachs of pigs. They are
expected to eat anything and everything
or perhaps to live long time on only
one kind of food. This want OF atten-
/ ton is the cause OF frequent diseases
among pigs, chief of which are diarrhea
and constipation. Regular feeding of
: salt in moderate quantity and of sui
! phur, with an occasional feeding of char
/ coal (once week., will serve to make Il
good appetite, promote digestion,
and prevent disturbance of the
/ bowels, which is more likely to occur
without these precautions. The health
and digestion of pigs would I'M
doubtedly be promoted if they had
access to prepared chalk or if small
amount OF magnesia was given them in
their food, Pigs suffer much from indi-
gestion, caused by over-eating, and il
. they had the remedies accessible theil
instincts would teach them 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 eat
ing grass, which is laxative, or earth,
rotten wood OF bits of charcoal, which
seem to check this condition or to pre-.
vent extremes. The best medicine fol
any animal is preventive, hence then
/ 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 regardless of sanitary laws
their physical wants or natural instincts
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 ami
mails to possess parasites in their bodies
and are susceptible of a great variety o
diseases, and among them those of
scrofulous nature, which may be trans
mitted to the human family when til,
pork is eaten. 1 never eat random pork
as 1 am afraid of it. When CAREFUL,
raised and properly fattened, however
pig meat is healthful food The omni
vorous nature of pigs makes them NOR
dangerous for food than beef OF mutton
as neat cattle or sheep will not naturall
eat anything but grain OF vegetables
while pigs are kept sometimes on putri,
food or the refuse of slaughter houses
Cattle may be taught to subsist on fisl
and be made to consume swill, but th