The Hillsborough Recorder

FEEDING STOCK.

As a further improvement in feeding of cattle, I would recommend the shucks to be well wet with brine, as they are stowed away in the fall. This was recommended to me the last winter, and was done in this way; as many shucks were thrown in the house at a time, as would raise it six inches, after being well trod down; and as soon as they were sufficiently trod, the surface was well sprinkled with brine, as many more were then put in, and the same process observed, until the whole were put away. In this way one bushel and a half of salt were applied to the shucks taken from a hundred bushels of corn, and the consequence was, my shucks were heartily eaten by my cattle, and until last winter, they never would eat them, as long as they could get pea vines. This is not all the advantage resulting from salting them; it was very evident that they were rendered much more nourishing, as the dry cattle which were fed on the shucks alone, were in nearly as good order as those which were fed on the vines. To do this properly they should be made so wet as to heat and mould. The expense need not be counted at all, as cattle, while those shucks are given to them will require no other salting.

As there is so little economy observed in fattening hogs in this part of the country, I beg leave to notice the subject, and point out a better and cheaper mode. The common practice is to put them in a large pen and throw the corn on the ground; in a wet season they are soon up to their knees in mire, and not a dry spot to lay on. In this situation there must be much corn wasted, and they cannot possibly thrive but very slowly. My practice has been to make two square pens adjoining; they are both floored with rails, and one of them is so covered as to turn the rain and is well littered with leaves or straw, and fresh litter added at least once a week. In the other pen a trough is placed in which they are fed from twice to three times a day. One meal they are fed on peas, and the other two on corn; it is sometimes boiled and well salted, and at other times raw. This has been my practice for three winters; and my hogs have always fattened very fast and ate much less than those fed in the uncomfortable manner above described.

Last winter after killing off half of my fattening hogs, the others were fed altogether on fine corn meal, and although the weather had got much more severe, they fattened much faster than they had done before, and ate still less. Last winter when my fields were cut, I commenced feeding my little stock of cut hogs on corn; their allowance was six quarts; but when the weather became severe, they fell away fast on this allowance. I then laid the corn aside, and had four quarts of corn meal boiled every day, in ten gallons of water, until it boiled down to about eight; in this a half pint of salt was occasionally thrown while boiling; when done it was taken up in a large tub, and given them the next day, and in one week from the dry this practice was adopted, they looked much better, and from that time increased in flesh. When the spring opened, they were fed only three times a week, in the same manner, and in the month of May, reduced to twice a week, and by the middle of June it was discontinued. Had I persisted in giving them the six quarts of raw corn, I am satisfied more than half would not have seen the spring.

I have also adopted the practice of giving all my horse corn to fine meal, and find thus that I save a third after paying the toll.

J. D. GALLIARD.