Rearing and Fattening oe Pigs. 



the natural heat of the fatting pig by pouring a little hot water 

 on the food during very cold weather, and this at a tithe of the 

 expense which it would cause if the fatting pig had to raise the 

 temperature of the food so that the digestive organs could per- 

 form their duties. How frequently in times gone by, if not even 

 now, in some farms and piggeries not up to date, are the poor 

 pigs seen to be shaking and huddling together after having 

 eaten a breakfast of half- frozen mixed food which is supposed 

 to be given to them to convert into meat ? Little thought is 

 given to the large proportion of the heat and flesh-forming pro- 

 perties of the food which is needed to render it fit to be converted 

 into pork. Experiments have been carried out in the States 

 which clearly proved that in very cold weather the whole of the 

 sustenance in the cold food was required to warm up the food 

 and to furnish warmth, &c, to enable the pig to live without 

 adding an ounce to its weight. Surely heat can be much more 

 cheaply furnished by the consumption of a small quantity of coal 

 than by causing the pig to burn up its natural heat or fat in 

 making its food fit to perform its duties. It is these little things 

 or small neglects which so frequently cause the fatting and 

 keeping of pigs to be less profitable than would be the case were 

 thought, care, and attention given to the simple task of hog- 

 raising and fatting. 



For some years the price of wheat has been so low in propor- 

 tion to the value of barley and other pig-food that many farmers 

 have fed a large portion of their growth of wheat to their stock ; 

 and, so far as can be learned, no farm animal has given a better, 

 or as good, a return for the wheat consumed than has the despised 

 pig. With a great many people the idea of feeding swine on the 

 food of men was distasteful, but sentiment eventually gave way 

 to commonsense, and attempts were made to prove whether or 

 not there was any foundation for the belief that pork made from 

 wheat would be of inferior quality to that made from some other 

 cereals. Experiments were carefully carried out in the United 

 States which clearly proved that the consumption of wheat in the 

 manufacture of pork was a success in every way — a good return 

 was obtained both in the quantity and quality of pork. 



This knowledge has been of immense advantage to our 

 American cousins during the last season, and they have largely 



