170 RUTA BAGA CULTURE. [PART I. 



are, indeed, not worth having. To have milk, 

 you must have cows, and cows are vast con 

 sumers ! To have cows, you must have female 

 labour, which, in .America, is a very precious 

 commodity. You cannot have meal without 

 sharing in kind pretty liberally with the miller, 

 besides bestowing labour, however busy you 

 may be, to carry the corn to mill and bring 

 the meal back. I am, however, speaking here 

 of the pigs from my English breed; though I 

 am far from supposing that the common pigs 

 might not be weaned in the same way. 



132. Sows with young pigs I feed thus : 

 boiled Ruta Baga twice a day. About three 

 ears of Indian corn a piece twice a day. As 

 much offal Ruta Baga raw 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 lott 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. I have no milk, for my cow 

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

 concern this is ; for, the sows may perversely 

 have pigs at the time when the cows do not 

 please to give milk ; or, rather, when they, poor 

 things, without any fault of theirs, are per 

 mitted to go dry, which never need be, and never 



