182 THE HOG 



as may be seen on comparing the relative increase of weight ob 

 taincd from the various kinds of food, viz. : 55 decalitres of peas 

 gave an increase of 22 stone 7 Ibs.. or nearly 6 Ibs. of increase of 

 pork from 1 decalitre of peas ; whereas from boiled carrots only 28 

 stone 2 Ibs. of increase were obtained from 175 decalitres, or about 

 2 Ibs. from 1 decalitre, giving the advantage over the peas in the 

 ratio of 2J-: 1. The next most nourishing food is buckwheat, which 

 nearly gives 4 Ibs. of pork from 1 decalitre. Boiled potatoes ar 

 next, giving nearly 3 Ibs. of pork from 1 decalitre ; and the lowest 

 quantity of pork is that obtained from the balls of wheat, which is 

 as low as 1 Ib. from 1 decalitre. Flour would no doubt fatten bet 

 ter than wheat, especially if the feeds were made into small dry 

 balls of dough, and frequently administered. 



FRUITS. 



With the exception of the acorn we have seldom a sufficiently 

 abundant crop of fruit of any kind to admit of our making it an 

 article of food for swine. When England was rich in forest land, 

 the mastage or pannage of swine in these localities was a valuable 

 privilege, for if the animals did not absolutely get fat, they were 

 kept in fair condition at no expense to the owner beyond that of pay- 

 ing a person to look after them. 



Hogs will eat the acorns and beech-mast greedily, and certainly 

 thrive to a certain extent on this food, so far that it is an easy 

 matter to fatten them afterwards. Parkinson says : " When I 

 lived with my father, acorns were so plentiful in the woods one 

 year, that they made the pigs sufficiently fat for bacon without any 

 other food. The flesh was equally as good and as well-flavored as 

 that of other animals that had been fed on beans and peas." Acorns 

 that have become dry in the sun and air are far more profitable 

 than those which are fresh fallen and green ; but the way in which 

 they may be most advantageously employed is to bake or roast 

 them, and then crush them, and either boil them to a pulp, or pour 

 boiling water upon them and let it stand until cool ; the addition of 

 a little salt makes an exceedingly palatable food, which the animals 

 greedily suck up, and which tends far more to fatten them than the 

 raw acorn would. 



Beech-mast eaten alone makes the fat oily and impoverishes the 

 lean, but when taken in conjunction with acorns the one fruit quali- 

 fies the other, and the combined effect is good. 



In many parts of the Continent where chestnuts are grown in 

 large quantities they constitute a considerable item in the feeding of 

 swine, and are exceedingly nutritious, especially when given at the 

 latter part of the fattening process. They impart firmnesu and a 

 delicate flavor to the meat. Few persons give chestnuts in a rav 



