202 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



lected to an extent beyond what a reasonably enterprising spirit 

 among our farmers would seem to warrant. 



Our State, which is essentially an agricultural one, annually con- 

 sumes many thousand dollars' worth of western pork, which it must 

 be conceded by all, is less healthy than that of domestic growth. 

 Now, since we labor under many disadvantages in respect to some 

 agricultural products, we ought to make the best use of our facilities 

 for rearinnj domestic animals, to which our climate is well adanted. 



1 know of no difficulties or obstacles in the rearing of swine, that 

 should prevent our supplying at least home consumption, thus annu- 

 ally saving to the State, a large amount of money, which could be 

 successfully employed as capital, in other departments of industry, 

 but which now adds to the wealth of other States. We are able to 

 raise all that is necessary to fatten swine, and there is as little or 

 less risk attending: them than other domestic animals. In order to 

 show that the usual prices of pork are sufficiently remunerative to 

 make the raising of it profitable, I will add a statement of facts 

 which came under my own observation, which is far from being as 

 favorable to my object as in ordinary cases it should, since the farmer 

 should raise his own pigs and corn. 



A hired sixty dollars ; with twenty dollars he purchased eight 

 pigs ; the remaining forty dollars he expended in corn. He after- 

 wards disposed of four pigs, and expended the proceeds in corn. 

 The remaining four yielded him one thousand pounds of pork, which 

 he sold for eight cents per pound, thus netting him $16.4G. And 

 in addition to this he made manure sufficient for one acre of corn. 



8 pigs, $2.50 each, $20 001 1,000 lbs. pork at 8c., $80 00 



Corn, . . 40 00 



Interest on $G0, . 3 60 



$03 60 



Cost, . . 63 60 



Net profit, . . $16 40 



In this statement, I have taken it for granted, that the manure 

 would be amply sufficient, to pay for the labor. But the profits 

 are not confined exclusively to the sales of pork. Swine seem 

 to be a natural accompaniment to the dairy ; and true economy 

 would demand of the farmer that the number of swine should 

 bear a due proportion to the number of cows ; otherwise he cannot 



