themselves so far as cleanliness went, and the other three were carefully curried, brushed, and washed. These latter consumed in the seven weeks less food by five bushels than the other three, and yet, when killed, weighed more by 32 lbs. on the average."
It should be the duty of some one person to keep the skins of the pigs put up to fatten—indeed we would rather say, of all the pigs kept—perfectly free from mud, dust, or filth of any kind; and this will best be done by taking care that they always have clear water to bathe in within their reach, clean litter to lie upon, are occasionally combed and brushed, and that the sty is always kept free from filth. Nothing is so likely to engender lice and diseases of the skin as for it to be suffered to remain in a dirty state. It is true that the maintenance of cleanliness will cost some trouble and expense, but every owner of pigs will best consult his own interests by attention to this point.
The best period for fattening pigs is the autumn; then almost every kind of food is to be had in plenty, as well as in perfection; the weather is neither too hot nor too cold; and the humidity generally prevalent at this season acts beneficially upon the skin and tissues, and as it were lubricates the whole animal economy. Besides, they are ready to be slaughtered at the period when this can be done with most advantage; when the lowness of the temperature allows more time, and consequently enables the owner to turn the flesh to the greatest advantage; whereas in hot weather the meat must be salted or pickled, eaten or disposed of immediately, or it turns off and is spoiled. In the immediate neighborhood of large towns alone will it be found advantageous to fatten pigs so as to have them ready to kill in the summer; there the prices which can often be obtained may compensate the dealer for the difficulty and risk he undergoes; but even the facilities afforded by railways will hardly do this to those who reside in remote localities, as here the expense of the transit has to be added to the other items, and the risk is increased by close packing.
The best kinds of food for fattening pigs are:—
Milk or whey mixed with barley, oat, corn, or pea-meal, or with boiled and mashed potatoes.
Potatoes and rice; potatoes and meal of any of the above kinds, or mashed potatoes and whole grain.
Peas given whole, or crushed, or in the form of soup, and either alone or mixed with barley-meal or potatoes.
Carrots and parsnips; and especially boiled carrots, which some persons consider to be the most nutritious and fattening food that can be giver to swine.
Pasturage on clover, lucerne, or sainfoin, or a run in the stubble of corn-fields immediately after the crop has been cut and got in.
