HARRIS ON THE PIG. 



CHAPTER L 



INTRODUCTORY. 



Domestic animals are kept for several objects. The 

 Horse, Mule, and Ass, for labor ; the Ox for labor and 

 beef; the Cow for milk and beef; the Sheep for wool and 

 mutton, and in some countries for milk also ; Poultry for 

 feathers, eggs, and meat. The Pig, agriculturally, is kept 

 for meat alone. The sole aim of the breeder is to obtain 

 a pig that will produce the largest amount of pork and 

 lard from a given quantity of food. 



The same is true of cattle when kept solely for beef. In 

 this case the main difference between the two animals is, 

 that the ox is provided with four stomachs, and is capable 

 of extracting sufficient nutriment, in ordinary cases, from 

 bulky food, while the pig has but one stomach and that 

 comparatively a small one and, consequently, requires 

 food containing a greater amount of nutriment in a given 

 bulk. Grass is the natural food of the ox ; roots, nuts, and 

 acorns, worms and other animal matter, the natural food 

 of the hog. The pig unquestionably requires a more con- 

 centrated food than the ox or the sheep. 



The stomach of an ox weighs about 35 Ibs. ; tnat of a 

 Southdown or Leicester sheep from 3 to 4 Ibs. ; and that 

 of a pig 1 J Ibs. 



The weight of the stomach, in proportion to each one 

 9 1* 



