THE PIG. 487 



cases, but cannot be recommended as a system. The feeder 

 gets his profit on a lot of hogs, purchased for finishing for 

 market, from the increase in weight and improvement in 

 quality that he expects to make. He will, therefore, be 

 governed by different considerations in the purchase of pigs 

 for fattening than he would in rearing his own pigs. In 

 the latter case, he would find his profit in keeping them 

 growing as rapidly and constantly as possible. He would 

 want them always in condition for slaughter; but, in select- 

 ing pigs for feeding, he will look for a well- developed, rangy 

 frame, with more muscle than fat, and healthy, vigorous 

 condition ; and, by good feeding, he will expect to increase 

 the weight rapidly, and add to his profit. But these lean 

 hogs were raised at a loss, which must be pocketed by the 

 seller. When vigorous, lean hogs are put up and well fed, 

 they have simply to fill up with fat, to round out into great 

 weight. Such hogs will stand heavy feeding with clear 

 corn for a few months, and make very profitable packing 

 pork. 



PHILOSOPHY OF COOKING FOOD. 



Our first inquiry here should be, what is the effect of cook- 

 ing food ? The bulk of all our cereal grains used as food 

 for pigs is composed of starch ; and starch, as manufact- 

 ured, or as found in the cells of vegetables, consists of 

 globules or grains, contained in a kind of sac, and in order 

 to burst these grains, heat must be applied. Payen, on 

 mixing starch with water, and heating to 140 F., examined 

 it with a microscope, and found only some of the smaller 

 grains had absorbed water and burst, most remained still 

 unaffected, and only bursting when heated to from 162 to 

 212 F. These experiments have been often repeated, and 

 seem to show, conclusively, that the heat of the animal 

 stomach is not sufficient to fully utilize starch. Pereira, 

 one of the best writers upon food, says: "To render 

 starchy substances digestible, they require to be cooked to 



