CHAPTER XXIX 

 FATTENING FOR MA RICE T 



Fattening swine for market covers that part of the 

 pig's life from the time he is put on full feed until he is 

 ready for slaughter. Usually a pig weighing from 80 

 to 125 pounds is known as a feeder, and is put on fatten- 

 ing feed to finish him for pork. 



Fattening, as the term implies, increases not only the 

 absolute weight of fat in the pig's body, which is one of 

 its main purposes, but increases the proportion of fat to 

 other constituents. Since lean meat contains a greater 

 proportion of water than does fat meat, making a pig fat 

 also decreases the amount of water in the carcass. This 

 renders curing easy without hardening of the meat by the 

 abstraction of too much water, and without the meat 

 taking up too much salt. Making the pig fat increases 

 the dressing percentage and, within reasona,ble limits, 

 improves the flavor and quality of the meat. The butcher, 

 therefore, insists on purchasing a fat pig and will pay more 

 for it since the fat pig yields better meat and more of it. 

 A thin pig may not dress over 70 per cent, while a fat one 

 will dress 75 to 80 per cent. The feeder wishes to have his 

 pigs fat when he sells them, for fat is usually put on at 

 less outlay for each pound than it costs to grow the pig's 

 frame, while the fat pig will bring from 1 cent to H cents 

 a pound more for slaughter than will the same pig in 

 thin condition. In addition to those noted, other signifi- 



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