ANIMALS AND THEIR PRODUCTS. 121 



every day in the year, at an expense of labor not ex- 

 ceeding fifty cents a load, including the application of 

 it to the field in the spring. 



216. Still it must be admitted, the pork and lard 

 will not pay for the corn, unless it be given to good 

 breeds of swine and fed out in the best manner. But 

 if good breeds be chosen, if the shotes be reared eco- 

 nomically till within two or three months of " killing 

 time," if the corn- meal then be *' poured into them" 

 without stint, I believe that pork and lard making can 

 be made a remunerating business, especially when we 

 take into account the great value of the manure. 



217. It has been thought by many that corn-meal 

 should be slightly sour before feeding it to swine. If 

 wet with water, it ferments. First, there is the saccharine 

 fermentation ; the starch turns into sugar. Then there 

 is the vinous fermentation ; by this the sugar turns to 

 alcohol. Then follows the ax:etic fermentation, by 

 which the alcohol turns to vinegar. Now it is mani- 

 fest that if we let the meal pass through all these 

 stages of fermentation, there would be a great loss, for 

 there are few or no fattening properties in vinegar. 

 But many believe that if the fermentation be artested 

 while between the saccharine and vinous stages, while 

 yet there is much sugar and some alcohol, the food 

 thus prepared is congenial to the swine, and that a 

 given quantity will produce more pork and lard than 

 if given unfermented. This looks reasonable ; and it 

 should be thoroughly tried by those who are feeding 

 corn to swine. For all other animals cori^ in its un- 



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