Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1889-02-23
FARM and HOME.
Patching too Much.

A'V -NAAAhF
The brilliant essayist, Macaulay.
long ago wrote that prize sheep and
cattle were fit only for condles, and
prize essays were usually only fit to
light them. With only the first part OF
this antithesis we have now TO do.
Macaulay lived before the era OF cleo
trio lights and kerosene, when candles
were the means of illumination. The
fat of the beef or the sheep was quite
generally worth more per pound than
any other part of the animal. Its use.
for candle making gave it value
which reacted in other directions. The
sturdy, Woodworking men and women
OF forty or fifty years ago. ate, relished
and digested much fatter meats OF all
kinds than do most people now. Fat is
not easily digested. TO dyspeptic
who takes little exercise this is seri-
GUS objection. To the healthy worker
slowness of digestion may be positive
advantage. The food islands by
longer.
The objection to too much fat is
stronger in this country than in Europe.
A larger proportion OF our people live
in cities and are employed in sedentary
occupations than in most European
countries. Besides, our fattened meats
are mainly corn fed, and the fat made
from corn is more than usually hard
and indigestible. Corn-fed pork is
harder TO digest than either beef or
mutton, and is therefore the fayorite
standby of men working in the woods
in cold weather. Lumbermen if offered
beef or mutton complain of these ex-
cellent foods as too light and unsub-
stantial, as did the Israelites of the
Mamma in their journey through the
wilderness.
The evils of excessive fairness are in
creased by the policy formerly preva-
lent Of keeping animals in condition
of semi-starvation during their growing
stage, and only giving them full rations
when the fattening period begins. The
frame OF such animals is coarse and
muscular, over which is piled an exces-
siye amount OF fat. Alternating full
and scant rations, instead OF making a
streak Of fat and a streak Of lean, as
the story runs, is much more likely tC
pile more fat upon the insides of the
animal, and especially on the intestines
This fat in modern times is far less
valuable than formerly. Even the fat
OF the hog has lost much of its former
value, because of the competition Of
preparations Of cotton-seed oil and
other authorizations. Fat of beeyes get.
now most Of its commercial value from
its abuse in making fraudulent butter
| That Of the sheep is not so well adapted
TO this purpose, and is less valuable.
The very best meats are grown OF
animals kept 10 a thriving, growing
condition from their birth until the!
are killed. They need not at any TIM
, be noticeably fat, but rather only il
good thrifty condition. Since TIL
chemistry OF feeding is now better un
: derstood, farmers have learned how +
make lean meats by feeding larger pro
portions OF albuminous foods and les
, OF carbonaceous nutrients. There i
, no excuse now for keeping breeding
. animals in unthrifty condition, in orde
to prevent excessive fairness. II tn
food is properly varied, even breedin
! stock can always be well fed, and wit
4 greater profit than can come from poo
i feeding. Wheat bran, oats and cotton
seed meal, from which as much as pos
o sible Of the oil has been extracted, wi
be used as substitutes for corn and cor
!. meal in the feeding ration for animal
Z not intended for speedy slaughter
American Cultivator.