317 



in live weight from 1st October to 1st April, when he sold 

 them on foot, was 2800 lbs. Other farmers have been equally 

 successful in this economical process. 



The average gain of the hogs at this establishment is rated 

 at a pound per day, live weight. A large amount of bones are 

 brought out in the carts, and these find a ready sale at the 

 bone-mill for manure. 



The question of profit in keeping and fattening swine has 

 been much discussed, and so much depends on circumstances 

 of age, breed, food, length of time kept, and price in the 

 market, that the question must remain open. Mr Phinney 

 gives it as his opinion that with Indian corn at one dollar per 

 bushel and potatoes at 33 cents, and the price of pork 12 

 cents, they may be fatted to a profit. In his experience, he 

 says, four quarts of Indian or barley meal with an equal quan- 

 tity of apples, pumpkins, potatoes or roots cooked, will give 

 two pounds of pork. 



A small example of fatting swine in Medway, Norfolk coun- 

 ty, which came under my notice, seems worth recording, be- 

 cause an exact account of their cost was kept. The owner was 

 a mechanic and bought every article of their feed, not even 

 keeping a cow. His two hogs when killed weighed, one 420 

 lbs — one 382 lbs., and pork was then worth 12 cents per lb. 

 Value when dressed $96 24 cts. They were killed at 14 

 months old. They were bought in November and killed in 

 the December of the next year. They were kept in the stye 

 the whole time ; were fed three times a day with weeds, corn, 

 and potatoes. The potatoes were boiled and the Indian meal 

 mixed with them into a mash. They were fed exclusively on 

 corn one week before being killed. They did as well in win- 

 ter as in summer. Salt was frequently given to them in their 

 swill. The price of corn bought for them was 117 cents to 

 136 cents, or an average of 130 cents per bushel. Potatoes 

 were 30 cts per bushel. The whole cost of the hogs when fat- 

 ted was $62 including the price of purchase, or 7.8 cts per lb. 



I shall here subjoin some careful experiments made by my- 



