CHAPTER LIV 



BACON AND EGGS 



EACH hog turned out from my piggery weigh- 

 ing 270 pounds or more, has eaten of my sub- 

 stance not less than 500 pounds of grain, 250 

 pounds of chopped alfalfa, 250 pounds of roots or 

 vegetables, and such quantities of skimmed milk 

 and swill as have fallen to his share. I could 

 reckon the approximate cost of these foods, but 

 I will not do so. All but the middlings and oil 

 meal come from the farm and are paid for by 

 certain fixed charges heretofore mentioned. The 

 middlings and oil meal are charged in the " food 

 for animals " account at the rate of $1 a year for 

 each finished hog. 



The truth is that a large part of the food 

 which enters into the making of each 300 pounds 

 of live pork, is of slow sale, and that for some 

 of it there is no sale at all, for instance, house 

 swill, dish-water, butter-washings, garden weeds, 

 lawn clippings, and all sorts of coarse vegetables. 

 A hog makes half his growth out of refuse which 

 has no value, or not sufficient to warrant the 

 effort and expense of selling it. He has unequalled 

 facilities for turning non-negotiable scrip into 



8** 



