Huntsville gazette., 1888-12-15
NOTES ON FEEDING.
A Discussion of the Proper Way of Develop
Ing Young Animals.

A Discussion of the Proper Way of Develop
Ing Young Animals.
There is less over-feeding than un-
der-feeding done, but, unfortunately,
the over-fed animals are the very ones
which ought to be fed with the most
wisdom. | live in the Miami Valley,
where the Poland China hog origi-
mated, and have been for many years
surrounded by farmers who raised pigs
expressly for shipping as breeding
stock and to show at the fairs. More
than one thousand pigs year were
for many years shipped from this sta
tion alone, and the number sent out
annually from two or three counties
would amount to many thousands.
Nine out of ten of these pigs were fat
enough for the butcher and fattened
wholly on corn. Because part of the
shippers did this the others (even
those who knew it was unwise) said
they must do the same. The buyers
were partly to blame. for they wanted
the pigs they had paid high price for
and had shipped a long distance, to
look so well that their neighbors would
be impressed with their beauty. 1t
suited the shippers exactly, for fat
would cover up defects in form, and so
it came to be the practice to fatten
hogs on corn before shipping them.
As result, three-fourths Of the men
who were engaged in this business
have lost their hogs from cholera and
abandoned it. Another notable exam
pie of the folly of over-feeding is found
in short-horn cattle. The beef ele-
ment has been developed in this stock
so that for early maturity and econ
omy of flesh production the breed has
never been surpassed and rarely
equaled, but breeders have in feeding
their breeding stock carried this to ex-
cess, and among the show herds there
has been so many barren animals that it
has become custom to warrant the
animal to ''be breeder" when it is
sold. Any one who has attended the
fairs and seen the show herds padded
with fat knows that these animals
have been fattened expressly to show,
and thoughtful, intelligent men ought
to know that of all stock in the world
breeders ought to be fed for the de-
velopment Of bone and muscle rather
than fat. 1t is truth which can not
be impressed too strongly On the
minds of farmers that young growing
animals and breeding animals and
breeding stock should never be fed for
fat, but always for bone and muscle.
/ have seen many valuable young ami.
mails injured by excessive corn-feed-
ing Egsaa s4se7s
Now, do not want any of the read
ers to jump to the conclusion that
am not in favor of liberal feeding, for
l am and practice it always, but |
know that many farmers are losing
money by injudicious feeding. The
margin of profit III farming is small
in these days Of low prices, and we
need to act intelligently in all that we
do and should be able to give reason
for every act we perform. 1t is not
the man who feeds the most grain
who has the most profitable stock, but
the one who adapts the food to the
purpose desired to be attained and
who by system and regularity keeps
his stock in the best condition. There
is food enough wasted by unseientifie
feeding on many farms to make the
owners comparatively rich in a score
of years, if they were wise enough to
save it. Waldo z. BroeUn, IN PtiIadeE-
pAtG Press.