The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-11-16
FATTsNINo SWINE
Foods Adapted to the Requirements OF .
Hogs Vital Functions.


Hogs Vital Functions.
As food is the basis of the life and
growth of an animal it follows that for
healthful life and growth the food
should be completely adapted to the re-
quirements of the vital functions of the
animal. If the food is not sufficient to
provide for all its necessities or is in
excess of its necessities the animal
will be defective in some vital part or
will be unduly taxed to get rid of the
excess, which will be source of in
jury. The science of feeding is based
upon this simple law and upon the
maintenance of the proper balance be-
tween food and growth. Within GER
tain limits this balance may be strained
for time and animals will assimilate
certain excess of food which is stored
up in the form of fat in the tissues
as resource in times of scarcity
when food can not be obtained in suffi-
cient quantity. But this excess must
not be carried beyond safe point, or
disease is produced and the animal re-
fuses to eat any more, because the di-
gestive organs become clogged and par
alyzed. And on the other hand there
may be a 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 can not be prolonged beyond
certain point, or the vital functions
cease for want of support. But this latter
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
among feeders of live stock that ami
mails of all kinds should be kept grow
ing constantly and no drawback per-
mitted in their condition, but the full
est feeding should be supplied consist
ent with a perfectly healthful and Wig
orOus 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
&c 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-knowu fact in the practice
of feeding animals that foods rich in
carbon will not produce flesh, while
foods rich IN nitrogen will; also, that
the principal vital organs contain a
good deal of nitrogen, and for their full
development and the consequent full
vitality of an animal, foods rich in nj
trogen must be supplied in sufficient
quantity. A young growing animal fed
upon starch will soon die, but full
grown animal fed upon starch up to a
certain point will become very fat. 1t
is matter 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 ami
mails, 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 process.
Corn is the principal food used for
fattening swine. It is also used to too
great an excess for general feeding.
Consequently there is a generally de-
fective constitution as result of I'M
healthful feeding where this system
prevails, and the prevalent hog cholera
is proof of the error made in the ex-
cessive use of this too carbOnaceOus
food. Some of the experiment stations
have been giving attention to this sub
ject, and have shown some remarkable
results. The method of feeding adopted
has been to supply such proportion OF
heterogeneous food with the corn as would
render the feeding fully nutritious and
healthful. The effects of such feeding
were that the growth of bone was larger,
the. vital Organs-the heart, lungs, liver
and spleen-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 corn-feeding.
1t may be sufficient only to point out
these facts mentioned 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 feeling. and
exemption from losses BY disease