Swine. 105 
as they are apt to gorge themselves; or, if any be left in the 
trough, to return to it frequently till it is all gone. In both 
cases their digestive organs, and consequently their ability to 
fatten, are impaired. 
Swine will eat animal food, but it is not favorable to the 
flavor of their flesh, and shoulé always be withheld while they 
are fattening. ; 
Pigs always eat more when first put up to fatten than they 
do afterward, therefore the most nutritious food should be re- 
served till they are getting pretty fat. 
In reference to fattening the hog, a writer in the Boston 
Cultivator remarks : 
“Tf circumstances are favorable, he is inclined to lay up such 
a supply of fat during antumn as would render it unnecessary 
for him to undergo much exercise or exposure during inclement 
weather. With plenty of lard oil to keep his lamp burning, 
he would prefer dozing in a bed of leaves in the forest while 
the ground is covered with snow, rather than to grub daily for 
a living. He fattens most rapidly in such a state of the atmo- 
sphere as is most congenial to his comfort—neither too hot nor 
too cold; hence the months of September and October are 
best for making pork. The more agreeable the weather, the 
less is the amount of food required to supply the waste of life. 
“ Against fattening hogs so early in the season, it may be 
objected that Indian corn, the crop chiefly depended on for the 
purpose, is not matured. Taking everything into considera- 
tion, it may be better to begin to feed corn before it is ripe, or 
even at the stage of considerable greenness. After the plant 
has blossomed it possesses a considerable degree of sweetness ; 
hogs will chew it, swallow the juice, and leave nothing but the 
dry fibrous matter, which they eject from their mouths when 
no more sweetness can be extracted. They thrive on this 
fodder, and will continue to eat it till the nutriment is concen- 
trated in the ear, and then they will eat the cob and grain 
together till the cob gets hard and dry. Farmers who have 
practiced this mode of feeding consider it more advantageous 
5* 
