10 On the Benefit of keeping a Slock of Swine, Z^^^' 



from the ftraw than was gained when the flail was employed. 

 To ufe this extra quantity to advantage becomes an important 

 concern to the occupiers of land ; and I venture to fay, that the 

 ufing of it in raifing and fupporting fvvine is by far the moft pro- 

 fitable mode of confuming an article, which, in other refpe£ts, 

 is comparatively of little value. 



Upon a tillage farm confifting of 300 acres, whereof 200 arc 

 kept under the plough, it is my opinion, that a fum not lefs 

 than lool. Sterling may be annually gained from keeping fwinc, 

 were the management arranged in a fyftematic manner. One 

 main advantage of fuch a branch of rural economy arifes from 

 little or no capital being required to carry it on, while the trouble 

 and outlay attending it fcarcely deferve notice. With the addi- 

 tion of one acre of broad clover, and one acre of tares, for the 

 fummer and autumn months, and the like extent of ground for 

 turnips and yams during the winter and fpring months, the 

 whole not exceeding 20I. in value, the (lock of fwine that I am 

 now to recommend may be amply fupported. 



Were two breeding fows kept on a farm of the (izc I have 

 mentioned, and their produce reared by the farmer, it may be cal- 

 culated, that 40 fwine would be annually fed off, the value of 

 which, in the months of January and February each year, th« 

 lime when pork is moft in demand, would be 50s. each^ even 

 granting that the price of pork was much lower than at prefent, 

 and the total amount the fum I have already condefcended upon. 

 That fuch a number of fwine can be fupported and fed upon the 

 offals of a 300 acre farm, and the other auxiliary articles fpeci- 

 lied, may be pronounced a certain fa6t. I have tried it myfelf, 

 though rather upon a fmaller icale, and the profit gained has 

 been fully more than I have ftated. Where I'uch a fyftem of 

 management is purfued, I decidedly recommend the fmall breed 

 of fwine, becauie they will feed in a ihortcr period, and thrive 

 upon articles that would ftarve the larger fized animals. When 

 1 ipeak of a fmall breed, I do not mean thofe that pafs by the 

 name oi Chinefe or pot-bellied fwine. The kind I have in view 

 is Iwine that will feed upon common fare to 7 or 8 ftones Am- 

 fterdam when ix or 12 months of age, or to 9 or 10 ftone when 

 put up in the houle to receive better fare. I am forry that I 

 cannot claflify this breed, but it is by far the beft for going on. 

 u farmer's dunghill, and will thrive where finer and larger breeds 

 would be Hunted and ftarvtd. 



The mode of management which I beg leave to recommend 

 is, that a boar and two good fows of a proper age iliould con- 

 stantly be kept, and that one young fow Ihall annually be 

 icaTcd, in order to fupply the others when they pafs maturity. 



