Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1886-11-26
Fattening Hogs.

1t is the part of a good farmer to
conduct all his operations on the
best and least expensive plan. His
chief profits arise from doing
things at the right time in the
best manner, and with the least
possible expense. In nothing
does this show itself more plainly
than in fattenlng hogs.
The most important point in
this direction is to begin so early
in the fall that his hogs will be
ready for the knife as soon as the
weather is cold enough for sailing
and curing pork-it being awsll
established fact that hogs will fat
tenfaster and on less food when
the weather is mild than when it
is excessively cold. As striking
example of this, from an expert
ment made last fall at the Wiscon-
sin Experimental Farm, it was
found that lot of hogs weighed
and shut up to fatten on the tenth
day of October, and weighed again
on the twenty-third day of Novem-
Der, just forty four days, had gain
ed ten pounds each for every bush
Ell of corn each had eaten. They
were again weighed just forty-four
days thereafter, when it wa. found
that they had only gained four
pounds each for every bushel of
corn each had eaten, thus going to
show that hog will gain more
than double as much on the same
amount of food when the weather
Is mild as it will when the wealth
er is intensely cold. In this re-
spect the animal system is like a
stove, the colder the weather the
more fuel (food) it requires to
keep NY the internal heat, for let
the weather be as cold as it will.
the temperature of the body must
be kept up to the normal point of
nlnety-eight degrees, and if the
food is not more than sufficient to
supply this, there will be none to
60 to the formation of fat-henee
the colder the weather the larger
the consumption Of food. A barrel
OF corn in the latter part of Octo-
Der and first half of November, as
shown above, will go as far and
put on as much fat as will two
barrels in December and January,
because it requires but half as
much to keep up the animal heat.
In other words, the loss of heat
from the animals body is then
small, and therefor the less food is
required to keep it up.
For fattening purposes there is
nothing so good as corn, az it is
richer in oily matter than any 9TH
er cereal or vegetable substance
used for the purpose A plenty of
charcoal during the time is also
especially useful, in that it cor
reefs the acidity to which the
stomach of hog is SO subject
when fed exclusively on corn.
Complete quietude is also mat |
ter of the first Importance, as it is
well known that an animal in con-
tinement viii fatten much faster
than one whose liberty is not so
restricted as to prevent him from
taking too much physical exercise.
Muscular exertion increases res
piration and accelerates the flow of |
blood, which, as it passes through |
the lungs, becomes charged with
atmospheric oxygen, and which
latter introduced more freely
burns out the fat. Hence it is
that in confinement as soon as
hog begins to fatten the less in
clined he is for physical exercise,
and consequently accumulates fat !,
the faster. In other words, the
faster he grows the more sluggish
he becomes and the more rapidly
he takes on fat.-Baltimore Sun.