rG ’ 
I 1 ' 410 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER, 
DEC. 25 
GROWING AND FATTENING PORK, 
In an article on “Porcine Matters’' the 
New England Farmer gives the average 
Eastern view of hogs. Western readers will 
doubtless differ somewhat from his conclu¬ 
sions : 
“ Pork making has paid better this season 
than for several years. Corn has not been 
very dear, while pork has sold higher by two 
cents per pound than last year, and fifty per 
cent, higher than in 1871, when so many peo¬ 
ple became disgusted with pork raising. 
That year our pork failed to pay expensos, 
while this year it brings In a handsome profit. 
Just which is the best method of feeding 
hogs is a question that many would be glad 
to have answered, but there is, probably, no 
one method applicable or best, under all cir¬ 
cumstances, Even when com is the chief 
food given, it will not in all cases be wdse to 
feed it in the same form. Sometimes it may 
pay to grind it into meal, and perhaps, under 
favorable circumstances, to cook the meal 
before feeding it, while at other times, under 
different circumstances, whole raw com may 
bring the best results, according to the cost. 
We have formerly favored feeding pigs in 
such a way that they would make hogs in 
the shortest time possible. 
“ The experiments carefully conducted at, 
the Michigan Agricultural College, a few 
years ago, under the superintendence of Mr, 
Miles, showed conclusively that a bushel of 
meal made more pork when fed to young 
pigs than to old hogs. Tin’s being the case, if 
would appear that, if pork is to be made 
wholly from purchased food, it would be the 
better way to force the fattening process as 
fast as possible, while the animals are young 
and growing, and that the practice of keep¬ 
ing shoats in a ‘store 7 condition, cannot be 
the true method of economizing the food con¬ 
sumed. But if the food is made up largely 1 
of milk, which alone would not tend to make 1 
fat, it may pay better to feed for growth for 1 
a season, and without crowding very hard. - 
“For some years past, we have aimed to 1 
keep pigs enough to use up all the surplus < 
milk from the dairy, in the form of drink, f 
and have depended largely upon corn meal c 
for food, even while the pigs were quite * 
young, but having seen some very fine hogs 
grown to a large size upon a diet made up f 
almost exclusively of milk, w’e determined c 
this year to give milk, as food, a more thor- n 
ough trial than wo had ever before done. v 
“On the 17th of last November wo bought 0 
four pigs, six weeks and two days old. They 
did not have all the milk they could drink, 
but considerably more than enough to wet I 
the grain fed in connection with it. Up to I 
the first of April, a period of 133 days, the 
four pigs had consumed ”20 pounds of coarse o1 
wheat bran, and 900 pounds of corn meal, ^ 
costing $22.33. The daily average weight of 
grain was 9 1-6 pounds, costing a fraction less a< 
than seventeen cents per day, or About four li; 
cents per day for each pig. On the first of d< 
April an account of stock was taken, and ai 
the pigs were prized at $64. giving a profit of I 
$23.67, if the milk and labor of feeding had 
been offset against the valueof their manure Vl 
and labor at composting. On November 3d prt 
the four hogs had eaten 300 pounds bran and 
3,950 pounds corn meal, at a cost of $84.00, He 
or 24 cents per day for the 350 days they 9” 
were fed, being six cents per day for each ?° 
hog. At no time duviiig the year were they or 
fed all they would eat, excepting the last I 
month, and during the hottest weather about [ ,)n 
one-third bran, by measure, was mixed with ' s 1 
the meal at every feeding. On the 3d of 1 
November three of the four were slauglx- ^hc 
tered and weighed, after deducting for I er „° 
shrinkage, 880, 372 and 8S4 pounds, respect- I ^ * 
ively, and the fourth one is larger than ei/her * 8 1 
of those dressed, which would make the wej 
four average at least 372 pounds each, or I e 9 u 
1,4.88 pounds in the aggregate, which, at I 
eleven cents per pound, the most common I par 
price paid within our knowledge, would raa ' 
make them worth $183.68, of $81.(58 above I raat 
cost, giving on each pig fed a profit of $15.82, ^ 
This is from two to three times better than I imp 
any lot of hogs has done in our pens for sev- or K 
cral years. I K °° ( 
“In 1872, with meat selling at about $1.50 I "j 11 
per hundred pounds, and pork selling at from I "" es 
seven to eight cents per pound, six spring I or .* 
pigs paid a profit of $4.72 each. In 1873 four | we *£ 
spring pigs paid a profit of $5.85 each, with prod 
meal averaging about $1.50 per hundred I sfcoc * 
pounds, and pork selling at 7>£ to 8 cents. 
In 1874, two pigs wintered paid a profit of I 
$6.95 each, with pork selling at ten cents, I Th 
and meal at about $1.00 per bushel. I ing 
Our success the present year we attribute < pigs < 
to two causes : First and principally, the 
high price of pork and the low price of grain; 
and second, to the large proportion of milk 
used in feeding the pigs previous to the mid¬ 
dle of summer. Our method of feeding is 
very simple. The meal is scattered in the 
troughs, and the milk poured over it with¬ 
out any labor of stirring or mixing. We 
don’t believe it pays us to spend much time 
scalding meal, or in mixing it with milk or 
water. 
---♦♦♦- 
HOG CHOLERA, 
r This is a diesease which of late years has 
- prevailed to a fearful extent in various por- 
tions of the country. Very little is yet 
, known of the cause or the best mode of 
treatment, although thousands of animals 
, are annually lost by what is said to be hog 
I cholera. But like many other diseases 
> common among farm stock, there is little 
doubt, that this is the result of improper 
food or general neglect. In a late number 
i of the National Live Stock Jou/nal, a cor¬ 
respondent, in speaking of the prevalence 
of this disease in the Western States, makes 
the following very pertinent remarks on this 
point: 
The causes of the diseases are obscure ; but 
as it is more prevalent In low and undrain¬ 
ed localities than on high and well drained 
soil, it is considered to be due mainly to 
miasmatic and malarious emanations. Con¬ 
finement in filthy sties, impure drinking 
water, and want of change in food, &c., are 
also among the causes. We are convinced 
that many animals of this class are annually 
lost from the effects of improper food, from 
living in an atmosphere surcharged with 
poisonous effluvia, the product of animal or 
vegetable decomposition. Decomposing sub¬ 
stances, both animal and vegetable, corn 
that, has undergone a change from longkeep- 
ing or exposure to damp, and which is load¬ 
ed, perhaps, with the sporulos of poisonous 
fungi, brine from the meat tub—these and 
other similar substances are often given to 
pigs as food, and in many instances have 
been known to cause very great, losses. 
Much that we have seen convinces us cf the 
necessity of more attention being paid to the 
quality of the food of these animals than is 
generally being done and also to the nature 
of their lodgings, as well as the air they 
breathe. 
This disease doubtless assumes different 
forms under different circumstances, but the 
causes are probably, the same in all, and 1 
might be traced to something radically 1 
wrong in the food or general surroundings i 
of the affected animals .—Weekly Sun. : 
many farms is because they do not have 
enough clean yard-room in which to run and 
forage. Too often they are confined to a 
small pen and a very small yard, both of 
which are dirty. They have not even a 
clean grass spot, or grass or other gieen food 
to cat, but must constantly stay in a close 
yard or pen. For large hogs, this restriction 
is injurious, but for little pigs it. is very much 
worse. Young animals want liberty to ex¬ 
ercise their muscles and clean grass on which 
to feed. A few farmers let their pigs run at 
will, but they are apt to do a great deal of 
mischief. One of my neighbors, who raises 
a great many pigs, used to let them run into 
my garden, com and potatoes, tread down 
my grass, and they did a great deal of dam¬ 
age to my crops ; but, he always had nice 
pigs, and there was no evident reason ex¬ 
cept that he allowed them full liberty out of 
doors. Now I do not approve of having a 
drove of pigs running through gardens and 
crops, but I think it would pay even small 
farmers to fence in an eighth or a fourth of 
an acre of land adjoining their hog-yards, 
and let their pigs run a part of the time 
every day in this inclosure, When they get 
large enough to root turf land, they can be 
PROFITABLE WINTER FEEDING OF 
STOCK. 
I BERKSHIRES AND ESSEX—EFFECT 
OF CROSSING. 
' 
A. correspondent of the Southern Farmer 
objects to crossing Essex and Berkshire as 
forming an undesirable breed. The pecu¬ 
liarities of each do not harmonize, and no 
advantage is gained. He states the pecu¬ 
liarities of the Berkshires as being lean, ten¬ 
der, Juicy meat, suitable for hams and bacon, 
and for these the Berkshire is superior to all 
other swine. 
What is the peculiarity of the Essex f 
Very fat pork, suitahle for salting down and 
pocking in barrels. Thus each breed has 
it.s own peculiar quality of meat, and each is 
best suited for the particular purpose re¬ 
quired of it. If yon cross the two breeds 
you injure the meat of both, either for hams 
or bacon or for clear side pork to salt down. 
There is another objection to crossing full 
n ed varieties of any kind of animal, that it 
s a waste of stock, high-priced, and necessa¬ 
rily costly. Full bred animals will impress 
heir characteristics on their progeny, if 
rossed with grades or common stook. 
Vhen two full breds are crossed, the result 
i not the impress of the strong upon the 
weaker, but the clash of characteristics 
qually strongly marked. With hogs, part 
f the litter will rake after Berkshire and 
art after the Eesex, some large, and slow in 
laturing ; others smaller, but fattening and 
laturing earlier. 
A Berkshire or Essex Boar will leave his ! 
impress clearly if bred to a common native j 
or good sow, and either of these crosses are I 
good. The Berkshire being the larger breed j 
will, probably, prove most popular in the 
West; but, where the pork market, is mainly j 
or best for young pigs, or light porkers » 
weighing 100 to 180 lbs., these can best, bo 
produced by a cross of Essex with native 
stock. * ® I 
■-*■-*--♦- S' 
YARD FOR FIGS. e 
The Live Stock Journal gives the follow¬ 
ing I believe that one great reason why 
pigs do not prove more profitable on a great 
ej>- Ed. Rural New-Yorker :— I read a val- 
ad- Uft Hle and interesting article in the Rural 
jus of. A U g, 7 ) 1875, on pages 89 and 90, giving an 
, n< j account of a visit by the Editor of tlie Rural 
to Home to Mr, Isaac Budlong’s stock farm in 
tve Wheatland, Monroe County, near Rochester, 
es. N.Y. 
he Mr. B.’s method of grazing and fattening 
he steers by feeding hay for one or two months 
is in the early spring and then jiasturing during 
ire the grazing season, making the steers in- 
ey crease in weight two pounds a day, or 450 
pounds by the end of the season of about 225 
I days, proved to be quite profitable and satis¬ 
factory. But the calculation was not en- 
fcirwly correct, as his profits were even more 
than stated in the article referred to. It 
says, “Mr. B. is grazing this season 550 
steers, bought in Canada and brought to his 
farm, weighing on the average 850 pounds 
each,’’ and as he did not pay over four cents 
per pound, live weight, amounting to $34 per 
head, and $6 more for expenses to his farm, 
in all $40 per head, and he makes them weigh 
1,300 pounds by the end of the grazing sea¬ 
son, selling them at home for 7 cents per 
pound, be gets an advance of $51 per steer, 
which on 550 head amounts to $28,050 ; from 
this deduct, the yearly rent on 1,800 acres of 
pasture, which, at $3.50 per acre, is $0,300, 
leaving a clean profit of $21,750, instead of 
$11,025, ns was stated in the article referred 
to. “When the pasture season is over Mr. 
B. purchases anot her lot in Canada, to con- 
sumo his hay, and sajs that ho can make 
them gain one pound per day on hay exclu¬ 
sively in winter.” But the writer remarked 
'.hat he could not see the profit of winter 
’ceding so plainly as he could of summer. I 
MU explain. : 
* 
Supposing he bought his steers in the fall, 
he same as he did in early spring, weighing ^ 
50 pounds, at 4 cents per pound, they, being 1 
lock cattle, could easily be purchased at ( 
hat price, which would be $84 each ; then * 
dd $6 for expenses in getting them home, 1 
laking the first cost $40 per head, as before.' i 
a 200 days lie adds 200 pounds, making 1 
lem weigh 1,050 pounds each, and ns they a 
re then fat, he sells them at 7 cents per 
ound, live weight, amounting to $73.50 per a 
sad. Deduct from this the first cost, $40, a 
hieh leaves $33.50 ; then deduct the value ° 
the hay, 7 cents per day for 200 days, or o1 
4 per bead, and it leaves $19.50 ; then al- Cl 
wing he feeds in winter only 400head to con- 111 
me his surplus hay, the cost, at $19.50 per ^ 
ad, would be $7,800. Now deduct the rent 
600 acres of meadow at $3.50 per acre, 
ing $2,100, and there is left a clear profit of gi 
700 for whiter feeding ; then add $2 per ar 
head for the manure and droppings of the sh 
stock, and tho profit is $6,500, and instead of ur 
selling the hay off the farm, it is retained t© de 
enrich and fertilize the soil. Lastly, if we wi 
add together the profits of summer grazing an 
and winter feeding, we have the snug sum pa: 
of $28,250 clear profit for the year. Of course toe 
there will be some trouble and expenso not usi 
lave taken into account, but the profits and b-ne 
and fits received from the 200 acres for promis- 
° a cuous fanning should balance all these and 
l of leave the $28,250 clear. 
n a The Editor of the Rural Home, in making 
ood his calculations, only took into account the 
lose increased weight of the cattle at 7 cents per 
tion pound. To this should have been added the 
ueh increased value of the original weight, viz. 
ex- 3 cents per pound on 850 pounds, making an 
uch addition of about $25.50 on each and every 
; a i 8 t f er * Tsaac Esmay. 
I of South Bend, Ind. 
ises-- t __ 
nto management OF LARGE BULLS 
wn _ 
im- A correspondent of the Country Gentle- 
lice man has the following novel method of sub- 
ex- duing and exercising bulls : 
°f Ail stock breeders know that large bulls 
ga have a perfect disregard for fences, and 
“2 ther « fo ™ »>ave to be kept in the stable, 
^ om etimes for years. Experience has shown 
, in most cases where bulls are kept so con- 
os. fined, without air or exercise, that they be- 
me come cither impotent, or very precarious 
be 8t0 1 < ' k prfcu>rs - alBo headstrong and dangerous 
shut into their ordinary yards or else have When Ho wJ a hull C years, 
the tendons of their noses cut or rings put him with a rone ^ 2 ’ beffan handling 
in to keep them from doing mischief But * tVT? n* ° M 0rdinari| y 
whether it is used for largo hogs or not it ^ ^ m * ke « reat 
would certainly pay farmers who raise many have to come d * r ' ar< stru 8'gl« would 
pigs to furnish them such a yard. * * * 1 .T** 4 ‘^ 
-_--- S1X months that 1 had him, and he never 
-- knew he had any strength. His lofty head 
JTflv it /Tff YYYWVt- WaS levoled t'he ground in a manner very 
wilfl f-**•), humiliating to him ; he was always as kind 
I as an ox. and any child could lead him to 
— water. Throwing him took the conceit 
• entirely out of him. 
I then invented a plan to exercise him. I 
set a post in tho ground about three feet 
d- high, with a cart wheel on top, then lashed 
lL a 16-foot ash pole across it, made a frame for 
in hi* neck at the end, so that the pole would 
a) He against his breast with a rod running out 
in in front to tie his strap to. He very soon 
r, learned to go round, describing a circle thir¬ 
ty-two feet in diameter, with a good track, 
g lie was putin this every day, and would 
is wa,,t two After a few days he need- 
g ed 110 attention, ns he seemed to enjoy it 
i- and ' vas80 Impatient to start Mint we could 
0 har, % hold him still long enough to tie him. 
5 result of this, was that he was the 
i- niosfc active bull I ever saw ; and out of 
i- mgbty-seveu cows served the summer he 
e was four y 0ar » old, only four missed. Some 
t of icy stock breeding friends have tried 
9 1 t,ieso experiments, and say that they have 
b ,ecn the means of prolonging the usefulness 
b of their valuable bulls for years. We all 
, know that far too many of our high priced 
r and choicc bu lls go prematurely to the sham- 
, blcs in consequence of the above troubles. 
i ---- 
COMFORT OF FARM STOCK. 
A writer in the Country Gentleman 
man makes the following timely suggestion : 
“Some ten years ago, in December, I de¬ 
voted a half day’s work, $2, to tightening up 
a stable for five cows, so that no manure 
froze in it afterwards, and instead of having 
less milk every cold snap and more every 
thaw, it was more, right along, in milk, com¬ 
fort in milking, cleauing the |stable, health 
of cows and thrift of calves, and only legs in 
amount of feed required. One small Ayrshire 
coming in just then didn’t vary 8 pounds 
from 85 pounds of milk per day, and 10 
pounds of butter per week, for five months! 
Publishing my experience in the New Eng¬ 
land Farmer led others to go and do like¬ 
wise, aud some years after, one correspond¬ 
ent said that one item was worth more to 
him than the cost of the paper—and so gave 
the ball another push, as allj should do. I 
found that with a properly constructed sta¬ 
ble, the animal heat from a cow will keep 
a space five times her size above freezing 
temperature, and still allow good ventilation 
about her head, regulated at pleasure by an 
adjustable door in front. The winter profit 
of dairies may be increased a third, in saving 
of caloric and food, and increased milk and 
calf product, by remembering that a kind 
man is kind to his beasts, aud that disregard¬ 
ing their comfort costs more.” 
Waste of FonDER must be carefully 
guarded against if feeding is to be done in 
an economical manner. Cattle and sheep 
should be fed in racks, and as far as possible 
under shelter. Stock will often trample un¬ 
der foot and waste almost as much as they 
will eat, especially if the weather is open 
and the ground muddy. The cost of pre¬ 
paring and storing this provender has been 
too great to allow of any wastefulness in 
using it. 
—Ji 
