Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1888-11-23
The Patching of Swine

The Patching of Swine.
AS food is the basis of the life and
growth of an animal 1t follows that for
| healthful life and growth the food should
| be completely adapted to the require
ments of the vital functions of the ami
NAL If the food is not sufficient to pro-
vide for all its necessities or is in excess
of its necessities the animal will be de-
! fective in some vital part or will be un-
! duly taxed to get rid of the excess,
which will be source of injury The
| science of feeding is based upon this
! simple law and upon the maintenance Of
the proper balance between food and
growth. Within certain limits this
balance may be strained for time and
animals will assimilate a certain excess
of food which is stored up in the form
of fat in the tissues as a resource in
times of scarcity when food cannot be
secured in sufficient quantity. But this
excess must not be carried beyond a safe
point or disease is produced and the
animal refuses to eat any more, because
the digestive organs become clogged and
paralyzed. And on the other hand there
may be certain scarcity of food for a
time, during which the stored up re-
serve may be drawn upon and used to
maintain vitality, but, as in the other
case, this cannot be prolonged beyond a
certain point, or the vital functions
cease for want of support. But this lat
ter alternative is always injurious and un-
profitable, because a large quantity of
food is required to replace the loss of
tissue and bring the animal back to the
condition it was in when the starving
process began. Hence it is a maxim
among feeders of live stock that animals
II i j L
constantly and no drawbacks permitted
in their condition. but the fullest feed
ing should be supplied consistent with a
perfectly healthful and vigorous growth
An animal consists of bone, flesh, and
fat, and certain vital organs which con-
sist of glandular tissue and membranes.
Flesh is made up of a large proportion
Sixteen per cent? of nitrogen. Fat is
made up chiefly of carbon or compound
of it with water. Food consists of
similar elements, but some foods are
rich in nitrogen and some are rich in
carbon. 1t is a well-known fact in the
practice of feeding animals TINT foods
rich in carbon will not produce flesh,
while foods rich in nitrogen will; also,
that the principal vital organs contain
good deal of nitrogen, and for their full
development and the consequent full vi
tally of an animal, foods rich in nitro
Gen must be supplied 10 sufficient guam
tity. a young growing animal fed upon
starch will soon die, but a full-grOwn
animal fed upon starch up to a certain
point will become very fat. 1t is mat
ter of economy under present conditions
that young animals should be fed as
quickly as possible and made as heavy
as possible in the shortest time. Hence
it IS that in feeding animals, especially
swine, mistakes may easily be made in
the choice of food, and such food as
will not preserve the healthful balance
may be used in the effort to force rapid
and great advance in the fattening pro-
cess.
Corn is the principal food used for
fattening swine 1t is also used to too
great an excess for general feeding.
Consequently there is a generally defec
tive constitution as a result of unhea tn
full feeding where this system prevails,
and the prevalent hog cholera is proof
of the error made in the excessive use OF
this too carbonaceous food. Some of the
experiment stations have been given at
tention to this subject, and have shown
some remarkab e results, which have been
previously referred to in the Times. The
method of feeding adopted has been to
supply such a proportion of heterogeneous
food with the corn as would render the
feeding fully nutritious and healthfui.
The effects of such feeding were that
the growth of bone was larger, the vital
organs-the heart, lungs, liver and
spIeen-were heavier and more vigorous;
while, as might be expected from this
better development of these organs, the
carcass was heavier and the proportion
of lean meat to fat was larger than on
exclusive feeding. 1t may lie suf-
ticient only to point out these facts men
toned to lead feeders of swine to make
use Of such heterogeneous foods as bran,
milk and linseed cake meal, along with
corn, so as to avoid disease and to secure
more and better meat, greater profit in
feeding, and exemption from losses by
disease.-Neao York Times.
Farm and Garden Notes.