The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1882-02-16

To appreciate The utility of cooking
fool, and 10 know what food 10 cook,
the process of digestion must be under
stood, at least so far as the Office Of b
stomach is concerned. We need only
make the suggestion that the functions
of that organ will be the more easily
performed if what is taken into it is
rendered easily operated upon by the
gastric juice. II, for instance. a stone
is taken into the stomach, or the pit of
a cherry, or anything of that nature.
the gastric juice cannot effect its disco
luton, and it VIII pass away as it was
taken in. Whatever therefore is hard
is Difficult 10 dissolve, and the difficulty
is just in proportion 10 the hardness of
the material 10 be operated upon. The
hog, il is true, oyercomes the difficulty
by most thorough mastication. But
corn swallowed whole is pretty hard
material. and more difficult Of digestion
than even when the smooth, hard sur
face is broken by grinding. Corn meal
vii! digest much more readily than
whole corn. But all the time thai is
wasted-if we may be allowed TO use
the term-in digesting whole corn is in
manner lost. The functions of the
stomach being performed with the max
imum of difficulty, the work is in the
nature of being exhaustive TO that or
gan, and the system is not being sup
Piled as rapidly with material for fat
making as il might be; aud besides this,
as will easily be seen, il will require
more food 10 effect the same results,
this last fact furnishing the reason for
cooking corn when the price of corn is
high.
The results of experimental feeding
| are greatly in favor of cooking, and al
though VIC have from time TO time Civ
en- some of them II viii do no harm to
give Others, or TO repeat those already
given in this place. The main object in
cooking corn, as will be inferred from
what We have already said is TO soften
it /; and, therefore, what may be said in
favor of cooking would be largely true,
at least, Of any process that would
soften the hard grain. We have soaked
corn in the ear for pigs with the most
satisfactory results, and sieaniDg would
answer a like purpose. At seasons
when hogs can have free access TO grass.
soaking the corn will certainly do all
that cooking il will do. Winter is the
time for cooking, if at all.
Bat lei lis give the results of expert
mcnts. Two Chester whites were fed
as follows, they being of the same litter,
and No. l weighing 292 pounds and
No. weighing go pounds: No. was
fed for seventeen days on cooked I'M
ground corn. She consumed two bush
els and twenty-one quarts, and gained
thiriy-six pounds. No. > was fed for
the same length of time on whole corn
raw, and gained thirty pounds upon
three bushels and thirteen quarts. We
believe that that would be very fair
representation Of the result of the two
systems. In another experiment with
four pigs of one litter and four of an
other, the first fed on raw corn and the
other four fed on cooked corn, the raw
corn hogs gained ten pounds TO the
bushel, and the cooked-corn hogs fifteen
TO tie bnshcl.
Perhaps il is unnecessary TO give fur
ther details. as those given very fairly
represent the advantages of cooked
feed. IL may be that the results stated
cannot always he obtained: probably
not. But the odds are considerably i'm
favor of cooking. Yet the conditions
must be taken into consideration. In
the great corn growing districts, when
corn is cheap. we should not. a. already
intimated, cook food for swine. As in
all other matters of life, the judgment
must be exercised, and above all things
it must not be expected that food
cooker will enable us to make fortune
on one hog or hundred hogs. That
cooking is affirmed to be good thing
does not mean thai il is bonanza
Westera Ruydl.