ON SWINE. 95 



plained only in the more economical preparation of the meal, by 

 which a peck, taking up as much water as it would contain, gave 

 a kettle nearly full of pudding, when half a bushel of meal, im- 

 perfectly prepared, gave little more. This seems to demonstrate 

 the great advantage of cooked food, both as it respects its increase 

 of bulk and the improvement of its nutritive properties. Wheth- 

 er it would apply to those substances, whose bulk is not increas- 

 ed by cooking, equally as to indian meal and the like, is a mat- 

 ter which experiments only can determine. 



Such are some few trials inreference to the feedina; and fat- 

 tening of swine, which I have made, or information of which I 

 have obtained from other sources, which may at least lead the in- 

 quisitive farmer to further experiments and inquiries, on a subject 

 of great importance to his interest. The inferences to be made 

 from them 1 shall leave to others. The results, as will be ob- 

 served, are not uniform. The thrift of animals must depend on 

 various other circumstances besides the kinds or the quantity of 

 food given them. Much depends on the breed, as every farmer 

 knows; much on the health of the animal; something on the 

 season of the year. I failed in attempting to fatten several 

 swine in one case, though they were carefully attended and va- 

 rious kinds of feed were tried, and the failure was totally inexpli- 

 cable until they were slaughtered, when the intestines were found 

 corroded with worms, resembling those found in the human sto- 

 mach, and this, I have no doubt, prevented their thrift. The 

 same fact has occurred in another instance, and with the same 

 result. I failed in attempting to fatten some other swine, who 

 had been driven a considerable distance and exposed, probably 

 not even half fed on the road, to severe cold and storms. Some 

 of them were frost bitten in their limbs; and though attended 

 and fed in the most careful manner they made no progress for 

 months. In an experiment recently made, of giving swine raw 

 meal mixed with water, I have found a falling off in their gain 

 of nearly one half, compared with giving their food cooked, 

 such as boiled potatoes and carrots, mixed with meal while hot ; 

 the result being, in a stye containing a number of swine, as 279 

 to 500. In respect to confinement or freedom^ various opinions 



