The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1891-09-04
THE FARM AND HOME.
ABOUT PREPARING YOUR EGGS
FOR MARKET.
eomo People Believe It Is Impossible
to Overfoed q Hog-Why Mules
Arc Stronger-Notos and
Domestic Dots
Eggs for Market.

Eggs for Market.
In the latter part of spring farmer
we know (you have all met his coun-
terpart) came into the store with a
pail of eggs in his hands; and really
they were sight to behold. says a
writer in the Practical Farmer. He
was, of course, one of those men who
do not object to the dimes and dollars
that come to him from the eggs fur
nished by his wife's "old hens
the way Of dry goods groceries.
| (and tobacco, too). But at the same
time he is one of those slothfu], indo-
lent kind, that storm around about
those same old hens if asked to do
anything for their comfort. And we
think he was too tired to wash those
eggs before starting to town with
them. A womans work? Oh, yes
we know. But there isn't manner
of doubt that she was tired. Part of
them were quite clean looking; they
had been gathered when the ground
was frozen and the hens feel clean.
But it had been thawing for day or
two, the hens tramping around in the
mud and the last two dozen OF the eggs
at the top of the pail had the appear
ance of having been gathered from
the nests in a hurried manner and put
into the pail, mud and all, for the
farmer in question was in "a hurry to
get to town" He wanted to talk
with the men and hear the news.
Gle wanted to loaf and rest; he was
constitutionally tired, that many In
the last ten days his thrifty, energetic
little wife had managed to save as
many dozens of eggs. The hens were
not doing very well, for it was cold
most of the time and they were neg
lected. It was a wonder they laid at
at all.
All this is not exactly what started
out to say. But it illustrates the manner
in which many eggs are sent to market.
The merchant sneeringly asked, 'How
much extra per dozen do you
want for all this kind, Smith," He
was disguised with their appearance;
and they must all be washed before he
would offer them to his customers.
Only a few days ago large basin
full of dirty eggs were brought in;
Johnny remarking as he set them down,
"They almost turn ones stomach
against the thought of eating eggs,
don't they?" They did look anything
but inviting. But the dirt was only
streaks from muddy feet. A basin of
water and a dry towel changed their
appearance very soon. But think OF
sending eggs to market in such shape.
A basketful of clean, fresh eggs al
ways looks most tempting. One lady
in the village says. 1.-The baskets of
eggs from your farm are so nice"
She pays 20 cents for them when she
could buy for 125 cents at the store.
They are only eggs, But the egg
basket is lined with fresh napkins
each time eggs are sent to her, and
every egg is spotlessly clean and per-
fectly fresh. Appearances 60 far
many times and it is policy to remem-
Der this, whether the eggs go to Gus
toners or to the city or village gro
Gerry.
Overfeeding Hogs.
Many seem to think that hog can
not be overfed, and that it makes no
difference if they do leave a lot of
feed at one meal they will come back
and eat it up when they are hungry,
SO that there is nothing wasted, after
ALL says the Swineherd. But it is
easily possible to go to the other ex-
treme-to either feed too little, so as
not to secure steady. gain. Or to feed
too much and so increase the cost as
to materially lessen the profits. Feed
ing too little is a loss, while feeding
too much is waste. A good as well
as an economical plan is to feed regu-
larry at stated times, and then feed
when fattening all they will eat up
clean. They will keep healthier and
thrive better than is possible by keep
ing feed before them all the time. It
is what the animals digest and not
what they eat that determines the
gain in proportion to the amount of
food supplied. Feed left over is, to
say the least, distasteful to a hog,
while if it is soaked before feeding it
will ferment and get sour to greater
or less extent.
The hog, whether growing or fatten-
ing, should relish his food to derive
the most benefit from it. And they
will hardly do this if they eat what
they want go away and leave it, and
then are obliged to come back and
finish it up. This is not economical
feeding, and when the margin OF profit
is small, the waste in feeding in this
way will greatly lessen, if not entirely
cut off, the possible profit It is an
important item at all times to feed
stock well and fattening stock should
have all that they will eat clean, and
be supplied with good variety in
order to secure as good a growth as
possible; but, beyond this it is unproft-
able to go. Provide good, tight
troughs for feeding Stops and soft feed
OF every kind, and generally it will
pay to provide a tight floor for feeding
| grain, SO that it can be kept clean and