PRACTICAL PAPERS—PORK RAISING. 339 
Whether to cook food for hogs, either in the fattening or 
"breeding departments, depends much on the cost of cooking, and 
the kind of food, and its relative nourishing value when cooked. 
If corn cobs or clover hay can be steamed into a pulp, and 
used with more concentrated food to cheapen the cost of pro¬ 
duction, it becomes a plain proposition of economy. Potatoes 
are much improved by cooking, indeed are worthless as food 
without it, as the dextrine of their stafch can in no other way 
be released as well. The starch of the cereals, however, it is 
said, can be rendered available by fermentation, care being 
taken that too much acid be not evolved. But in any process 
of cooking, we would suggest that it be done rapidly, by the 
blaze of the fire, and that the live coals be watered out and 
fed to the hogs. They should at all times have access to 
charcoal as well as salt. 
In regard to what to feed , modifying circumstances must de¬ 
termine the matter. The hog’s main food-elements are sugar 
and starch, and in whatever forms these can be produced and 
used in your latitude and locality the cheapest through the 
whole year, those are the forms in which to grow them. It 
will not do to use any kind of food that is too concentrated or 
too gross for a length of time without adding its opposite. 
There is probably no one thing better for fattening hogs in 
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all latitudes than corn, and yet whoever aims to make pork in 
all localities exclusively on corn will do it at a loss. He must 
have cheaper food, of more bulk, and no matter how great 
variety. 
We suggest that pumpkins be used in their season, either 
cooked or not. Hubbard squashes are better. Both can be 
kept well into winter, and make a nice mash with any kind of 
steamed chop, or thrown into the pen occasionally uncooked, 
are much relished. The artichoke is a good fall and spring 
mess for store hogs when there is no clover. It is an enor¬ 
mous yielder, nutritious, and needs no winter storage. Sweet 
German turnips have done me good service as an early spring 
and summer feed for hogs. They are sweet, keep till July 
and yield well. 
