Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-01-12
PORK FROM CHEAP FOOD.

Well-Balanced and AIeat-ProdactsS In.
tSoss for Hogs.
estimate the leaves cut from two
acres of Sw cdish turn ;ps to be equal
in food value. for the hogs. to ton Of
meal. This gives them n money value
of e23 They are worth moro than
this for food. as they help make the
meal fed to the hogs more valuable.
This is a point in stock feeding which
farmers rarely appreciate. It is illus
traied in this way: On this farm.
there were twenty old sows to be
turned of. The reason they are to be
fattened is because the young sows
are better. This is my rule. every
year: tn turn off the most of tho 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. an when grown
they have only to be fattcned to
turn hem into pork. These sows have
all hal pigs and reared them. This
leaves them in gaunt and hungry
condition. To fill them up on clear
meal would he too expensive. with the
present relations of meal and pork as
to money. Something cheaper must
be provided. A pasture of fresh after
matli gavo them good start. Then
they had little meal with a 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 considerable
amount of growth in them. They keep
tho hogs in q perfect state of health.
and combined with rye. ground cn-
tire. the food is well balanced.
his term, we'll balanced. is what
American farmers want to know NOR
about. 1t is. rs I have said. healthy.
for it fills every part of the animal
system. BY doing so the gain is all
over and this makes it tho best of food.
Now this gain is not like the gain that
corn or more carbonaccOus foods would
make. as the animals do not fill out so
fast and round up so soon. They are
not stuffed. but they leng;hen.
broaden. grow deeper and lohger.
or in other words they grow. This
general growth makes muscle. tissues.
or to sum it up in word-flesh. l
III gu. Il the crack butcher Of Science
tady into buying two fat hogs some
time ago, and the o.he: day had no
trouble in selling him another lot. II
half dollar per hundred above the
market price. This was not enough.
rs hogs fattcncd on selected variety
of foods are worth twice as
much to ca. as those rushe Il
through on fat-making foods. Is
this wild statement? If you think
SO. then tell me what proportion of
hog, three fourths fa:. wastes in cut
ting up and in eating; ard 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 ru,abaga
leaves but let me say to them they
can make better and cheaper pork. By
stiniing the hogs to half the amount
they would eat Of grain. and then give
them ali the leaves they wi! eat.
scatter them on the ground from the
wagon and the hogs eat them with a
relish which tells its own tale. that
this kind of food is just what they
want. The store hogs will do well
on them. and they may b, fed we'll
into winter. by putting them into
small heaps and feeding as they
may be required. The roots will be util-
ized us the main food of the old hogs
during the winter. All hog breeders
Should aim to use less stimulating and
fattening foods. and 10 improv. chc
quality of the meat. us l am of the
coming hog. by these more succ,lcnt
and iiesh-forming foods. When the
idea gets we'll rooted in farmers minds
that these cheaper foods will really
make better meat. rs we'll as ut great
deal less cost. more hogs will no d,ubt
lie kept OF the farm and better crops
will reward the Inauguration of tho
Any enc caA throw out
corn TO hogs. but not sycry farmer
combines with it the wastes of tae
garden and the fields. the cheaper sue
culent fools. and turns them into a
home market with n gain in pocket
and jsoil.-E d. Curtis, in Country
Gent en,n,,.