86 



Prtparation oj Food for Hos^s. 



Voj.. III. 



the grubs and worms which eeek refufi^<; du- 

 ring the winter, deep in the ground, and in- 

 duces the ground moles to look out for drytr 

 and warmer lodgings elsewhere. By this 

 plan of ridging his garden in the fiill, as 

 Boon as tlie frost is out in the spring, his 

 beds are dry and warm, and admit of being 

 levelled and worked at once, long before flat, 

 wet ground can with propriety be moved by 

 the t^pade; this enables his family to have a 

 supply of garden vegetables several weeks- 

 earlier than those who have less intelligence 

 or industry ; the deeper tilth and more tho- 

 rough pulverization of the soil, also increases 

 the growth of his plants, and enables them 

 the better to protect themselves against the 

 contingencies of either very dry or very wet 

 seasons. 



During the evenings that are now growing 

 long his wife and daughters are industriously 

 engaged in light but necessary household du- 

 ties, while the boys are reading instructive, 

 useful books, and among them the Farmer's 

 Cabinet occupies a conspicuous place, both on 

 account of its variety and its practical utility ; 

 this furnishes texts for rational and improving 

 conversation, which cultivates and improves 

 their minds and warms their affections, and 

 produces on them even a greater effect, than 

 ridging and trenching the garden docs on the 

 vegetables. On the Sabbath, he with his fam- 

 ily attends a place of worship, to obtain re- 

 ligious instruction and consolation, deeming 

 that of infinite importance to himself and 

 those about him. The good farmer has his 

 mind often turned in reverend thankful ac- 

 knowledgements to the Great and Good Hus- 

 bandman, his landlord, under whom he holds 

 his tenure, and who, he knows, will at some 

 period not very remote summon him to appear 

 before him to give an account of his stew- 

 ardship when he shall be no longer steward 

 he therefore endeavors to preserve himself 

 and his family in a state of preparation \'or 

 the great summons that will warn him off, 

 60 that he may appear with joy, and not with 

 grief, to render an account to his great bene- 

 factor and master of the deeds done in tlie 

 body, whether they be good, or whether they 

 be evil Abraham. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Preparation of rood for Hogs. 



To make the most of any thing is good economy. 



It is a general opinion and believed to be 

 founded on correct observation, that tlie food 

 given to hogs ought to be sli^litly soured, in 

 order to produce the greatest possible ( ffi-ct 

 in improving their condition. In currobnration 

 of this ojiinion, in Germ-rny and some other 

 parts of Europe, horses are fed on hrend thnt 

 has been fermented so as to be a little soured, 



and it is said to be moreeconom.cil than feed- 

 ing them witii grain. Bread, which is brought 

 by the process of fermentyiion very near to the 

 pointof acidity, and that in general use amongst 

 our German pi pulation, quite to that point, is 

 well known to be more wholesome and much 

 more nutritious tlian unleavened bread. — 

 Hence it is not unrea.=onable to suppose that 

 all farinaceoiissulistances led to animals would 

 be more economically and beneficially applied 

 by being first slightly fermented. In order 

 more eflif'ctually to accomplish this object 

 in preparing food for hogs, two tubs should be 

 procured of such size as would be adapted to 

 the number to be fed, in v/hich to prepare 

 their food ; these should be used to feed from 

 alternately ; the materials in one would be 

 undergoing the necessary preparation, while 

 feeding from the other. The weather being 

 generally cool while hogs are fatteninir, the 

 process of fermenting progresses slowly, and 

 if it is very cold it is entirely suspended, unless 

 artificial means are resorted to, to keep it up. 

 Pieces of stale, or mouldy bread that are no 

 longer fit for family use, and which find their 

 way into the swill tub, are uniformly found to 

 put the whole contents into a state of fermen- 

 t^ition, if siiflered to remain for a few hours. 

 This has suggested the opinion that a small 

 quantity of yeast, which is a cheap art cle, 

 might with advantage be added to the contents 

 ofthetuboontainingthe food forswine, in order 

 more quickly and thoroughly to bring it into a 

 complete state of fermentation and advance it 

 to slight acidity before it was fed. This addi- 

 tion need not be often made, provided the tub 

 was replenished with food before it was quite 

 emptied of its fermented contents, and in tiiis 

 way it could be kept up during the feeding 

 season. Corn or other grain that has been 

 steamed, boiled, or well soaked is very suscep- 

 tible of the influence ofyeast. Starch makers 

 and distillers use it in order to prepare the 

 grain, so that they can extract their respective 

 articles of manuliicture from it with more 

 ficility, and in greater quantities; and it ap- 

 peals reasonable to suppose that the .-tomachs 

 of animals would have their laboraLridged,and 

 would be enabled to extract a f renter quan- 

 tity of nutriment from a given quantity of 

 grain or vegetable matter thus prepared, 

 than when it is fed to them in the usual way. 

 The stages of fermentation are the saccha- 

 rine, the vinous, the acetous, and the pu- 

 trifactive; the first is exhibited in malting of 

 barley, which is rendered sweet by it ; the 

 second shows itself in the v.orkinjr of cider 

 and beer; the third is noticed in the souring 

 of br( ad. and in the formation of vinegar, 

 and the Riurtli is di>eovered in the decompo- 

 sition of bodies generally. In the prepara- 

 tion of food for hot.'s, it is lelieved it should 

 advance to the third ttag-e, but not pass thrcuj^h 



