1854. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



ISS 



For the New England Farmer. 



IS IT PROFITABLE TO FATTEN SWINE 

 IN NEW ENGLAND. 



The question of the profit of fattening swine in 

 the New England States was suggested by read- 

 ing an extract in the Monthly No. of the New 

 England Farmer for January, 1854, taken from 

 the Ohio Cultivator, Vind. detailing the results of an ex- 

 periment projected in Ohio, to determine how much 

 pork a bushel of corn will make. It appears from 

 the extract, that S, B. Anderson weighed ofiF 100 

 thrifty hogs, placed them in an enclosure, fed them 

 100 days with as much corn as they would eat, 

 and found that they consumed, on an average, 100 

 bushels every six days, and made an average gross 

 increase, per hog, for the 100 days, of 175 lbs., 

 or at the rate of \\ lb. each, per day ; that 1 

 bushel of corn made a gross increase of 10^ lbs. of 

 pork, or, by throwing off 1-5, to come at the net 

 weight, that 1 bushel of corn made 8 2-5 lbs. of 

 pork, net. It further appears, that if 1 bushel 

 of corn makes 8 2-5 lbs. of pork, then — 



When pork sells for 3c per lb., corn bring 25c perbu. 



»* t* 4 *' *' 33 " 



"■ 5* " " 42 " 



" " 6 " " 50 " 



The extract does not state the condition of the 

 corn fed to the 100 hogs, but I suppose it was fed 

 whole and uncooked, and perhaps on the ear. 

 Whether or not, on the basis of the above table of 

 prices, it is profitable to Ohio farmers to feed corn 

 to hogs, is more than I know. 



Hero in New England, it is not profitable to fat- 

 ten swine on clear corn, unground and uncooked, 

 nor in any form, if the system of feeding is a loose 

 and careless one ; but I shall attempt to show 

 that with proper management, we can make pork 

 at a profit. 



Numerous interesting accurate experiments have 

 been made in various parts of the country, to de- 

 termine the difference between cooked and un- 



him, he frequently related to me how he made this 

 amount of pork with a bushel of corn, and I have 

 no doubt but he knew, with great accuracy, where- 

 of he affirmed. I have now before me the records 

 of experiments made by several other persons, and 

 they show that 1 bushel of corn, ground and 

 cooked, will make all the way from 12 to 16 lbs. 

 of pork, net. 



Taking the lower estimate, if 1 bushel of com 

 makes 12 lbs. of pork, then — 



u u 8j " » 102 " 



But there is another circumstance connected 

 with the rearing and fattening of swine, which, if 

 properly attended to in practice, will make the 

 business more profitable than the above table indi- 

 cates : I mean the great quantity of valuable com- 

 post the swine will manufacture, if supplied with 

 suitable raw materials. There can be no more 

 legitimate and pertinent inquiry for the farmer of 

 New England than this, — How can I convert the 

 waste or unemployed vegetable substances on and 

 around my fiirm into good manure ? In consider- 

 ing, then, the policy or profit of fattening swine, 

 the item of manure must have a prominent place 

 in the account. 



On the basis that a bushel of corn, ground into 

 meal and properly fed, will make 12 lbs. of dressed 

 pork, we will take four early March pigs, of a 

 good breed, and when they are six weeks old place 

 them in a pen. I name four pigs, because that is 

 about the right number to be in one pen together, 

 and excite one another to eat and thrive well, and 

 work industriously in tumbling the compost over. 

 The four pigs shall be fed till 'J or 10 months old, 

 and shall from time to time be supplied with ma- 

 terials, in a well-arranged pen, for making manure. 

 We will state the average price of the first quality 

 cooked food for fattening swine, and resultinglof pork at 7 cents per lb., which is a low estimate, 

 greatly in favor of the cooked food. The late taking a run of 10 or 12 years past. The aver- 

 Mr. Colman made a very valuable communication [age price of corn for 10 years past, in my locality, 



to the Transactions of the Essex County Agri 

 cultural Society, detailing various experiments of 

 his in fattening pigs upon Lidian meal boiled with 

 water. Here are the results of three of his ex- 

 periments : 



2 pig3 in 18 days consumed 6 bu. corn, .ind gained 93 lbs., gross 

 2 " 20 " 4i " " 104 " 



4 " 19 " 7i " " 103 " 



Total of gi-ain consumed 18 bu. Total gain, 300 lbs. 



Averaging the three lot of pigs, the gross in- 

 crease was 16§ lbs. One of the pigs in the first 

 lot was killed at the expiration of the experiment, 

 and his net dressed weight was found to be 1-5 the 

 less than his gross live weight. If then we deduct 

 1-5 from the average gro.ss gain of the 8 pigs, we 

 find their net gain to have been 13i lbs., or that 1 

 bushel of corn, ground into meal and the meal 

 cooked, made 13 J lbs. of pork, net. 



The late Mr. Phinney, of Lexington, Mass., of 

 great and varied experience in agricultural matters, 

 was celebrated, among other things, for his supe- 

 rior breeds of swine, and mode of reiiringand fat- 

 tening them. He gave several communications to 

 the public, showing that 1 l)ushel of corn, fed in 

 the form of cooked meal, will make from 12 to 15 

 lbs. of pork, net weight. In conversations with 



would not exceed 80 cents per bushel ; but we 

 will call it 84 cents. With these conditions, the fol- 

 lowing statement may be made : 



The four pigs, fed till 9 to 10 months of age, on prepared 

 corn meal, will weigh, on an average, dressed 300 

 lbs. each, or in all 1200 lbs., worth 7c per lb $84,00 



Supplied with raw material, they will make from 25 to 

 35 loads of compost, measuring 35 bushels each, and 

 richly worth a bushel of corn each ; say 30 loads, 84c 25.20 



$109,20 



The following deductions must 1)e made : 



Worth of pigs at 6 weeks old, $2 each $8,00 



A bu. of corn making 12 lbs. of pork, and the pigs weigh- 

 ing 300 11)8. each, they have each consumed 25 bu , or 

 in all 100 bu. at 84c 84,00 $92,00 



Balance, ever and above 84 cents per bu. for the corn, of 

 17 cents per bu., or in all $17,20 



The above balance of $17,20 will well pay the 

 labor of feeding and of supplying compost ma- 

 terials, and a pile of compost has been prepared, 

 at a cheap cost, which will make a good mark 

 wherever applied on the farm. 



The foregoing calculations are in a good degree 

 based on experiments made by other pei-sons ; but 

 on a careful review of my own practice for several 

 years past, I can furnish a statement showing the 

 profit of fattening swine in a more favorable light 



