The Arizona sentinel., 1888-01-07
PORK FROM CHEAP FOOD.
WelI-Balancod and Meat-PrOdhcing Ks
tiOnS for Hogs.

Wen-Balancod and Meat-Prodhcing Rs-
tiOns for Hogs.
. l estimate the leaves cut from two
acres Of Swedish turnips to be equal
in food value for the hogs, to ton of
meal. This gives them money value
of S23. They ere worth more than
this for food. rs they help make the
meal fed to the hogs more valuable.
This is point in stock feeding which
farmers rarely appreciate. 1t is illus
trated in this way: On this farm,
there were twenty old sows to be
turned off. TIE reason they are to be
fattened is because the young sows
are better. This is my rule, every
year, to turn off the most of the old
ones and'to- select-out the best young
ones. There is considerable solid
wisdom in this plan. My hogs are
all the time growing, and when grown
they have only to be fattened to
turn them into pork. These sows have
all had pigs and reared them. This
leaves them in gaunt and hungry
condition. To fill them up on clear
meal would be too expensive, with the
present relations of meal and pork as
to money. Something cheaper must
be provided. A pasture of fresh after
math gave them a good start linen
they had a little meal with few pump
kins. This was in the same line.
Next came The leaves of the turnips
with some meal They keep full Al
of the time. The leaves are succulcnt
food, and there is q considerable
amount of growth in them. They keep
the hogs in a perfect state of health,
and combined with rye, ground en-
tire. the food is we'll balanced.
This term, well balanced, is what
American farmers want to know more
about 1t is, as / have said, healthy,
for it fills every part of the animal
system. BY doing so the gain IS al
over and this makes it the best of food.
Now this gain is not like the gain that
corn or more carbonaceous foods would
make. as the animals do not fill out so
fast and round up so soon. They are
not stuffed, but they lengthen,
broaden; grow deeper and 10 lger,
or in other words they gro'O. This
general growth makes muscle, tissues.
or to sum it up in a word-fiesh. l
ar eucd the crack butcher of Science.
tady into buying two fat hogs some
time ago, and tie other day had no
trouble in selling him another lot,
half dollar per hundred above the
market price. This was not enough,
us hogs fattened on selected variety
of foods are worth twice as
much TO eat, IS those rushc d
through on fat-making foods. Is
this wild statement? If you think
SO, then tell me what proportion of a
hog, three-fourths fat, wastes in cut
ting up and in eating; and what pro-
portion is really such food that it does
not produce dyspepsia and is not
wholesome?
Some old farmers would laugh at
the idea of making pork on rutabaga
leaves, but let me say to them they
can make better ard cheaper pork. by
stinting the hogs to half the amount
they would eat of grain, and then give
them all the leaves they will eat. 1
scatter them on the ground from the
wagon and the hogs eat them with q
relish which tells its own tale, that
this kind of food is just what they
want. The store hogs will do we'll
on them, and they may be fed we'll
into winter, by putting them into
small heaps and feeding as they
may be required. The roots will be util-
lied rs the main food of the old hogs
during the winter All hog breeders
should aim to use less stimulating and
fattening foods, and to improve the
quality of the meat, rs l am of the
coming hog, by these more succulent
and 1esh-forming foods. When the
idea gels we'll rooted in farmers minds
that these cheaper foods will really
make better meat. as well as at great
deal less cost, more hogs will no doubt
lie kept on the farm and better crops
will reward the Inauguration Of The
enterprise. Any enc can throw out
corn to hogs, but not every farmer
combines with it the wastes of the
garden and the fields. the cheaper sue
culent foods, and turns them into a
home market with a gain in pocket
and soiL-E d. Curtis, in Country
Gent 'en1dT