652 



THE SOUTHERNT PLANTER. 



ed that result from the cooking process. 

 But the period is so short when the corn 

 is in this condition, that but a temporary 

 advantage is gained by feeding in that 

 way, anti some more permanent arrange- 

 ment must be adopted lo secure the same 

 results. 



In the last volume of the Valley Far- 

 mer, (page 376,) we gave a detailed ac- 

 count of the experiments of Samuel H. 

 Clay, of Kentucky,. in feeding several lots 

 of hogs, alternately changed from raw to 

 cooked, and from cooked to raw food, 

 ground and unground. With considerable 

 trouble to ourselves, we prepared the 

 statement in tabular form, so as to present 

 at a glance the various facts afforded by 

 a well conducted and most thorough ex- 

 periment. 



Mr. Clay's experiments show, that to 

 make pork on dry corn, one bushel gave, 

 in one instance, a gain of five pounds and 

 ten ounces. In changing the food, on the 

 same animals, to boiled corn, one bushel 

 produced a gain of fourteen pounds and 

 seven ounces, and a bushel of corn ground 

 and cooked, gave a gain of sixteen pounds 

 and seven ounces ; while in another in- 

 stance, after a change from dry corn to 

 cooked meal, the gain upon one bushel 

 was but a fraction short of eighteen 

 pounds. 



These experiments then show an aver- 

 age gain of about three pounds, when the 

 animals were fed on cooked food, to a gain 

 of one pound when fed on dry corn. Or, 

 to reduce the comparative cost of the 

 gain per pound, estimating the corn at 28 

 cents per bn?hel, the following are the 

 results: When the hogs were fed on 

 dry corn, the average gain cost a fraction 

 over 4^ cents per pound. The same ani- 

 mals, when fed on cooked meal, the gain 

 cost a fraction over \\ cents a pound, or 

 when fed on cooked corn, unground, the 

 gain cost 1 cent and 9 mills per pound, 

 leaving but four mills, or less than half a 

 cent, per pound in favour of that which 

 was cooked unground, or allowing but four 

 mills per pound for grinding, exclusive of 

 the greater time required to cook whole 

 corn, over that which is ground. But to 

 come to the point more definitely, we will 

 reduce the price of the corn to 25 cents 

 per bushel, (which is as low as may now 

 ever be expected, except, perhaps, in 

 some remote quarter.) and reduce the^ 



gain from two-thirds to onel-half, for the . 



difference between cooked and uncooked 

 food, v/hich will be equal to twelve and a 

 half cents on each bushel of corn fed out, 

 and see how the question will stand. 



With a properly constructed apparatus 

 and suitable feeding arrangements, one 

 man can cook and feed out 100 bushels of 

 meal in a day. To do this, his meal must 

 be placed in bins so as to be conducted 

 into the steam vat without handling, and 

 his feed troughs so arranged that the slop 

 will flo\^ into them in the same manner, 

 without handling. But if corn is cooked 

 without shelling or grinding, two men 

 would be required to manage the same 

 quantity. In the first instance, then, there 

 would be a saving of 50 bushels of corn, 

 which, at 25 cents per bushel, is $12 50, 

 to be offset by the labour of one man, one 

 day, which, at $1 25 per day, leaves a 

 profit of $11 25 in favour of cooking. 

 But, if the corn be cooked whole, and re- 

 quires to be fed out by hand, allowing two 

 bands, at the same cost per day, there 

 will still be a gain of $10. 



But to simplify the question still fur- 

 ther. Is it not cheaper to cook 100 bush- 

 els of corn than it is to raise 50 bushels? 

 But besides a saving of one-half of the 

 corn, by the process of cooking, there are 

 numerous other advantages to be taken 

 into the account. The same weight is 

 attained, according to the experiment 

 above quoted, in one-third o{ the time, or 

 we will reduce this also to one-half avoid- 

 ing the risk of accidents to animals on the 

 time gained, the care and attendance in 

 feeding, the advantages of weather in the 

 earlier and more favourable season for 

 feeding, together with other incidental 

 matters not enumerated. 



The conclusions, which are generally 

 arrived at, are predicated upon the idea 

 that prevails in regard to the cost of cook- 

 ing food, according to the primitive meth- 

 ods employed in the East in a single ket- 

 tle, or Mott's agricultural boiler. These 

 are adapted only to small operations, and, 

 of course, to depend on them, would in- 

 cur considerable cost for labour, fuel, &c. 

 But we should not forget that this is a 

 progressive age, and the inventive powers 

 of our countrymen are adequate to any 

 emergency of the times, or demands pf 

 the age. Every one who is acquainted 

 with distilling, knows that many hundreds 



