The record-union., 1894-12-06
FARM And ORCHARD.
Valuable Information in Regard
to Food for Swine.
Relative Merits of Wheat, Grapes and
Other Articles Discussed by w. A.
sanders-How to Make Hams-MiIl-
ions in Poultry.

The best kind of hog feed, properly fed.
to thrifty hogs, will make one pound of
live hog for every four pounds of teed
consumed. The best hog feed contains
one part of nitrogen to five and four
tenths parts of carbonaceous matter. This
is exactly the composition of wheat mid
dlings from our valley wheat, ground in
the Reedley mill. Our wheat. dry, un-
ground, contains one part of nitrogen to
five and eight-tenths of carponaceous
matter-rather more tattening than the
middlings, but to be made available must
be soaked from so to 100 hours. A hand
full or two of ashes should be thrown in
to correct any acidity acquired by long
cooking. The hogs will relish the ashes
they're beneficial to them.
White Egyptian corn, though varying
more widely than wheat in relative pro-
portions of nitrogen, ETC., is, on account
of its greater yield. better for hog feed
with US than wheat. 1t must be soak ed
fully 100 hours to obtain the best results.
No man here with any experience ever
thinks of raising hogs or producing
pork on any single ration. First and
which many feed alone, moving and
throwing into the pen right from the
mower. Fed in this manner hogs are
produced at cost of less than a halt-cent
per pound, live weight. But breeding
sows and young pigs must have other
rations for perfect results OF health ana
growth.
The best of cheap additional rations are
Egyptian corn, and during the time from
June till Christmas in this vicinity, with
our big vineyards and low prices, ripe
grapes are very valuable. Thirteen
pounds of ripe grapes, properly fed, will
make one pound of live hog. l have
never seen harmful results from feeding
grapes alone, and have seen hogs kept on
this one feed for weeks and months, but
l have seen hogs die from impact OF the
grape seeds in the large intestines from
having been confined for weeks to an eX-
elusive diet of dry raisinS.
So, while approving of grapes, or even
raisinS, as part ration, should hesitate
TO feed hogs solely on even the juciest,
pulplest grapes grown in our valley TOR
any great length of time, but rs mixed
ration. with alfalfa, beets, carrots, sweet
potatoes, ETC., for nearly a half of the
year our vineyards can be made more
valuable, at present prices for vine pro-
ducts as compared with prices OF meat
and lard, to use our grapes for hog feed
than for wine and raisins. Mulberries
from their enormous yield and early
ripening are an excellent part ration for
the spring of the year before grapes
ripen.
Figs, also, from their abundance OF sac
charine Juice and from their freedom
from indigestible seeds. are a valuable
part ration, especially for young, grow
ing hogs, that should have free access to
The fruit as it falls from the trees. Plant
zig and mulberry trees in your hog pas
ture, they grow from cuttings, make ex-
cellent shade, besides supplying a vast
amount of feed. But the best part ration
before grapes are ripe, because it can be
produced at the lowest cost and in un-
limited quantities, is sorghum cane. Cut
and feed the stalks as soon as they are
two feet in hight-they come up again
from the same roots and yield more pork
making food to the acre than anything
else that can be grown. Where hogs are
expected to eat the refuse fruit and vege-
tables. it is a great advantage to be able
TO cook it for them.
To make a cooking vat, get two pieces
of board, one foot wide, six feet long
and one inch in thickness will
do, but thicker is better-these
will form the sides of your vat.
Nail to them sheet Of galvanized iron in
such way that the iron shall form the
bottom and ends of the vat. Galvanized
iron sheets are 2Sx96 inches, and your vat
will hold about ninety gallons. 1t should
be set on walls of adobe or brick about
twenty-five inches apart, set in such a
way as to protect the wooden sides from
the fire.
The material for two such watts should
not cost more than s.. BY having two
watts one can be cooking and cooling
while the other is being emDtied.
l am not writing this for "foothillers,
who run their hogs wherever there's a
right smart chance of schack." but for
4, Il
themselves or market. Such should al
ways cure their own pork. The first
requisite in this is good salt. Tons OF
pork are lost every year from using in
ferior salt All Liverpool salt is good.
] doubt if this can be said of any other.
l have had best success in producing a
choice flavor CT meat by using in the
proportions of four pounds of salt to one
pound OF brown sugar, and making a
brine as strong as can be made, and keep
ing the meat covered with it about thirty
five days; then take out, wash and
smoke. 1t is best smoked by a small fire
producing no heat, and continue the slow
smoking process for three months or
more-the longer the better.
In this way hams can be made equal to
those so famed of Westphalia, a recipe
for which incloSe. We've several times
tested tho recipe and know it to be genu-
Inc, but fail to see benefits compensating 2
for the greater amount of work that is
required in this as compared with the
brine process above; however, in ouI
brine process we always repack the meat
once and boil the brine. 1t is imma-
terial whether the brine is put on to the
meat hot or cold after boiling.
HOW TO MAKE HAMS.
The Westphalia hams are made as fol-
lows: Well rubbed with dry salt and
left to drain twenty-four hours. Take
two quarts of salt; two quarts of bag
(rock?) salt; three pounds OF brown sugar
one pound saltpeter: four ounces SAL
prunelle and four ounces juniper berries
well mixed and boiled in six quarts
water. The brine is then cooled and
skinned. The hams are taken from the
salt and wiped dry, and the cold pick le
poured over them and rubbed in. There
should be enough brine to cover the meat.
Turn the meat every second day for three
weeks, then take them out, wipe dry, and
mixture OF ground pepper, salt and bran
is thoroughly rubbed in, filling all cracks
and openings. They are then smoked a
little every day for three months or more
until completely dry, when they will
keep and improve in flavor for years
Pyroligneous acid will keep off flies and
animalculse of all kinds and improve the
flavor OF the meat.-W. a. Sanders.
THE BEST FROM CALIFORNIA.
The following points were made in the
course of an address delivered at the New
! ork State Fair by George L. Powell:
With the Increased production OF fruit
has come an increased demand, consump-
Iion having kept the pace while the cost
of transportation has decreased, and is
constantly growing cheaper and cheaper.
a few years since it cost the California
shipper 81, 200 per car to New York, now