GRAIN. 195 



known to increase at the rate of 3 Ibs. (live weight) per day, and 

 often at the rate of 2 or 1-J- Ibs. Here is some remuneration certainly 

 for extra expense, even if the finishing off be entirely on meal and 

 skim-milk. 



" There is only one legitimate way of giving barley and that is in 

 the form of meal made into porridge with lukewarm milk, whey, or 

 water, to which potato-meal may be added or not, as is deemed 

 desirable. To give the grain in a raw state, or even bruised, or in- 

 fused in water till it begins to swell and germinate, is, we consider, 

 very disadvantageous ; it is, in fact, attended by two evils in the 

 first place, the greedy animal does not sufficiently grind down the 

 food for the complete extraction of all its nutriment ; and, secondly, 

 semi-champed grain is liable to produce indigestion, ]oss of appetite, 

 and fever. The same effects are produced by mixing the meal with 

 boiling fluid, which converts it into a sort of dough or paste, very 

 unfit for being taken into the stomach. 



" Some recommend that the meal be mixed with cold water in large 

 cisterns, the proportion being five bushels of meal to a hundred gal- 

 lons of water. This mixture must be stirred several times a-day, 

 for -a fortnight or three weeks, until an imperfect fermentation takes 

 place, and it becomes acescent. In this state its fattening powers 

 are said to be greatly increased ; but the ordinary way is to mix 

 the meal with lukewarm water, or whey, or butter-milk (pea-meal 

 or potato -flour being added or not), and give it in the form of a 

 thick soup to the animals. Next to barley-meal, oat-meal may be 

 ranked in order, and in some counties it is largely given. It may 

 be made into a sort of thick gruel with wash or whey, &c., or it may 

 be mixed with water, set to leaven, and given in an acescent state. 



" Maize takes a high rank among the grains used for feeding hogs. 

 It is little, if at all, inferior to barley, and the animals are very fond 

 of it. It may be ground into meal, or given in its natural state, 

 after being soaked for some time in water, either alene, or in a wash, 

 or in gruel. In many parts of Europe, and in America especially, 

 where many varieties of maize or Indian corn are extensively culti- 

 vated, the flesh of hogs, and also poultry, fed upon Indian corn, has 

 a peculiarly fine flavor. 



" Occasionally rice has been used for fattening hogs. One great 

 objection to this article would be its expense, and we should not 

 think it equal to barley-meal, although it abounds in nutriment. 

 The proper way to prepare it is to put the rice into boiling water 

 (two ordinary pailsful to about forty gallons of water), and let the 

 whole stand for several hours till it is cold. The rice will then be 

 found to have swelled amazingly, and to be compacted into a mass 

 so firm as to admit of being taken out by means of a shovel. In 

 this state it may be given to the hogs, either with whey, milk, &c., 

 or by itself; a certain portion of potatoes mashed after steaming 



