392 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



tious food, and no branch of farm husbandry pays so well for 

 the required care and attention as the raising and fattening of 

 swine for the market. 



Much has been written and said in regard to different breeds ; 

 while some prefer the Suffolk, others are as much in favor of 

 some other breed, or the crossing of different breeds. In dis- 

 charging the duty assigned them, your committee are fully aware 

 of the prejudice in many minds in favor of different breeds of 

 swine ; yet, conceding to every breed its just merit, and to every 

 man's opinion all that is due, we claim for ourselves like prefer- 

 ences. It is a fair and an important inquiry to make : What, 

 and how many really distinct breeds of hogs are there ? Some 

 are so, clearly ; but the question is much more easily asked 

 than answered. That there is a difference, your committee do 

 not doubt, but the question in point is, whether there is not 

 more stress laid upon the breed, than upon the manner of feed- 

 ing and taking care of them, providing them with suitable 

 places for eating, sleeping, <fec. ; also, accommodations for man- 

 ufacturing manures. This is an important source of profit. 



It seems clear, that the Sufifolks being small and easy to fat, 

 are a suitable breed to cross with. The only difficulty is to 

 know and obtain the best breed for crossing with them ; to put 

 a case within the reach of all, almost any of the large, " old 

 fashioned kind," would make a good crossing with the Suffolk. 



J. Warren Bigelow, Chairman. 



POULTRY. 



ESSEX. 



From the Report of the Committee. 



The committee regret that the entries were not so numerous 

 as in years past ; mainly, as they suppose, to be attributed to 

 the reaction which has followed the excitement of former years. 



In the opinion of your committee, the subject is one of great 



