Chap. II.] RuTA Baca culture. 91 



as they will eat. Amongst this boiled Ruta Baga, the 

 pot-liquor of the house goes, of course ; but, then, the 

 dogs, I dare say, take care that the best shall fall to 

 their lot ; and as there are four of them pretty fat, their 

 share cannot be very small. Every one knows what 

 good food, how much meal and milk are necessary to 

 sows which have pigs. 1 have no milk, for my cow 

 has not yet calved. And, then, what a chance concern 

 this is ; for, the soavs may perversely have pigs at the 

 time when the cows do not please to give milk; or, ra- 

 ther, when they, poor things, without any fault of theirs, 

 are permitted to go dry, which never need be, and never 

 ought to be the case. I had a cow ?once that made 

 more than two pounds of butter during the week, and 

 had a calf on the Saturday night. Cows always ought 

 to be milked to the very day of their calving, and dur- 

 ing the whole time of their suckling their calves. But, 

 " sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." Let us 

 leave this matter till another time. Having, however, 

 accidentally mentioned eoics, I Avill just observe, that 

 in the little publication of Mr. Cramp, mentioned above, 

 as having been printed by the Board of Agriculture, it 

 was stated and the proof given, that his single cow gave 

 him, clear profit, for several successive years, more 

 than jfiftij pounds sterling a year, or upAvards of tico 

 hundred and ticenty dollars. This was clear profit ; 

 reckoning the food and labour, and taking credit for the 

 calf, the butter, and for the skim-milk at a penny a 

 quart only. Mr. Cramp's was a Sussex cow. Mine 

 were of the Alderney breed. Little small-boned things; 

 but, two of my cows, fed upon three quarters of an, 

 aci'e of grass ground, in the middle of my shrubbery, 

 and fastened to pins in the ground, which were shifted 

 twice a-day, made three hundred pounds of hitter from 

 the 28th of March to the 27th of June. This is a finer 

 country for cattle than England; and yet, what do I see! 

 133. This difficulty about feeding sows with young 

 pigs and weaning pigs, is one of the greatest hinder- 

 ances to improvement ; for, after all, Avhat animal 

 produces flesh meat liive the hog? Applicable to all 

 uses, either fresh or salted, is the meat. Good in all its 

 various shapes. The animal killable at all ages. 



