Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1886-10-07
Farm and Home.
Texas Farm and Ranch.
FATTEENG HOGS.
BIZ sr0CHAfAS,

By sTocK1iAS.
In he economical fattening of
hogs grain is an essential part, and
for putting swine in marketable
condition no other grain can DO at
all compared with corn. Corn is q
fat-produclng food, hence is we'll
used in tho fattening of any
animal; and if the result was only
looked ut, corn might be used ex-
clnsively in the fattening of hogs,
for it would seem impossible to get
a.hog too fat for market. But be-
cause all farm animals need, like
man, variety of food, it Is bad
policy to feed only one ARTICLE. no
matter how well it may be adopted
to produce the result desired. The
hurt to the hog from being confined
to one article of diet is quite
marked, because the hog is more
nearly omniverous than IS any
other farm animal. 1t eats grain,
grass, vegetables, bugs, worms,
and animal flesh. No matter what
be article may be, ifthe hogs
od is it alone, its health suffers;
d this injury is all the greater
hen that one article is corn, for,
on account of its rich, oily compo-
sition, it'taxes the digestive organs
70 their utmost, and If largely and
exclusively fed will surely derange
he action of those organs. 1t is q
ault of which swine raisers are
ommonly guilty, to feed too much
born; and it is this more than any
thing else which is responsible for
the disease which proves SO des-
truetive to swine.
While it is necessary, in fattening
as in growing them, to provide
swine with q variety of food, to do
Ibis IS comparatively easy, for, on
hat of the omnIverous nature
bog, already noted, nothing
amiss to it. 1t eats the
and the clovers readily
b; there are very few, ifany,
Gables or grains that 1t will
greedily consume; hence, what
ever the farmer may find it most
convenient and economical to pro-
cure to give a variety, he may use
for this purpose. While the hog,
OF all farm animals, must be fed
judiciously, he is the most easily
aafiSfiad when so fad
Swine always stand in urgent
need of salt, regularly supplied,
and of ashes and charcoal, con-
tinuously supplied, and this need
is all the greater when they are
put upon forced feeding to. fatten
them. To neglect to provide them
with these endangers their health
and thrift. Also, it is better to
confne them to rather limited
run while they are fattening, else
they will waste the produce from
no small amount of food in mus
cular action, running about. But
it must not be understood that they
arc to be confined to small pens.
Their health demands some exer-
else; and confinement IN small pens
is apt to engender disease, espe-
cially If filth is allowed TO accumu-
late.
1t is very convenient to feed the
corn to the swine as 1t is husked
or drawn from the field, but many
fear that feeding the new corn will
prove injurious. This has not
been my experience, and l have
not hesitated to feed largely OF
corn almost as soon as it had passed
out of the milk state. Bull would
not begin the heavy feeding of new
corn at once. Give only a small
ration, or part of a ration, of it to
begin with; and gradually increase
the quantity fed. Be careful to
AVlde salt, ashes and charcoal.
skIng the corn may be saved
hing the hog INTO the field.
Sc, 4his can be done only
hogs that are tattenlng upon
n feed. If the ground is dry This
is not q wasteful way to feed the
corn. Bat the hogs should not be
turned into a large feld-only as
much as they will clean up in a
few days.