The Northern Pacific farmer., 1885-04-02
Fattening Cattle and Hogs.

It has been demonstrated that in
practice it does not pay to grind corn
for cattle. Theory would 60 to show
that the more complete digestion Sc
cured by grinding would compensate
for the expense and leave margin of
profit. But it is the testimony of those
who have honestly tested this matter
that grinding does not pay. When cat
tie eat whole corn there is a consider
able waste. Many grains are passed
intact, and the droppings of the ami
mails will contain in addition many
pieces of grain. To allow this food TO
waste is already too extravagant in
many portions of the country, and is
becoming 50 in other sections. The
only way to utilize this food in the
droppings is by the agency of some an
imal which will eat it in the condition
in which it is found, and the only farm
animal which will do this is the hog.
Hence it has become the common
practice in many places to have hogs
following the fattening cattle, tho
former obtaining all their sustenance
from the droppings of the latter. This
shows how surprisingly great is the
WdSGo VI AOOu Ny AOo<oOA VI AACOA>
plete digestion, for it is found that for
every one hundred bushels of corn fed
the cattle, the hogs subsisting on the
droppings will add to their weight al
most five hundred pounds of pork.
These figures may seem altogether too
large, but they have been proven cor
rect by Mr.. Gillett, probably the most
careful feeder in Illinois, in tests COW
ering many years. 1t is commonly
said that when corn IS worth forty
cents per bushel, pork should be worth
five cents per pound. At this price,
from forty dollars worth of corn con-
sumed by tho cattle there would be
made from twenty to twenty-five dol
lars worth of pork, fully equal to
half the value of the corn. The man
who does not have hogs to follow his
fattening cattle gets only half of the
value of the corn he feeds to them; or
in other words, the man who has hogs
to eat the grain passed in the drop
pings gets twice as much for the corn
as the man who does not have the
hogs.
Here is too much gain to be over
looked. It matters not how cheaply a
man may be able to produce beef, he
can not afford to waste half of the
corn fed to the cattle. In even the
most favored localities the farmer
who owns the land upon which he
feeds his cattle finds the profits of his
business small enough. He can in
crease those profits by feeding corn,
for this will not only make cheap beef,
but improve the quality and conse-
quently enhance the price of the en-
tire carcass. And when he feeds corn
he can yet further increase the profits
by having hogs to follow the cattle.
1t might be conjectured that the
hogs would become diseased. but it is
found that hogs which gain their liv-
ing in this way are not more disposed
to disease than are others, and that if
otherwise we'll treated the danger
from disease is not great. In fact,
many claim that hogs which follow
fattening cattle are unusually healthy,
and 1t is certain that these hogs are
not so much subject to disease as those
| confined in pens. Their food is fill thy.
it is true, but it is not filth that con-
Z! tains the germs of swine disease, or
that contaminates the body. The
manure is not hurtful. as is fifth in
sleeping quarters or the ef1uvia in sur
face water.
Active, strong hogs should be select
ed for this purpose, as those Of thee