THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



From tlie same 

 bo fattened still p 



publica 

 resents 



on wc give 

 all the prorni 



THE OX. 



tile picture of an ox of the Devonshire breed : this ox begun to 

 nent points of that breed : 



[Fig. No, 2.] 



The author of British Husbandry says — "Where the ground is not heaving, the Devonshire oxen 

 are unrivalled at the plough. They have a quickness of action wliich no other breed can equal, and 

 which verv few horses exceed. They have also a degree of docility and goodness of temper and also 

 stoutness and honesty of work to which many teams of horses cannot pretend." The Devonshire oxen 

 were introduced into the county of Berksliire, Mass. several years ago: they are considered as admi- 

 rably fitted to cross, for working cattle, with some of our native breeds. 



Althouijli great attention has not been paid to improving our breeds of cattle, the hills of New-Hamp- 

 shire present some as fine working and fattened oxen as we have seen elsewhere. The HuniuRD ox 

 raised in Clarcmont (of which we hope hereafter to present some account) is the most beautiful and the 

 largest animal of the cattle kind we have ever seen : his superior, we believe, was never raised in tliis 

 country. No part of America can furnish liner specimens of cattle than are annually driven from the 

 hills of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts to the Brighton market. They reiurn 

 abundance of money to the farmer. What animal is more profitable tha.i tlie ox, which, after having 

 faithfully served his master, yields this return .' The docility of this animal is wortliy of admiration : 

 the well instructed ox performs at the plough with a sagacity scarcely less than human. 



SWINE, 



That there is a great diflferenee in the different 

 breeds of swine, and perhaps sometimes a differ- 

 ence between individuals of the same breed, and a 

 still greater difference between the two sexes, we 

 have reason to believe. There has been a breed of 

 hogs in high repute in this vicinity called the Sha- 

 ker BKEED — they are of great length of body, but 

 small of limb and fair proportion : they have thin 

 liair and are of a sallow dingy color. If we can 

 procure a drawing, we will hereafter present a fig- 

 ure of this kind, although we are not quite sure 

 they ought to be recora.r.ended. One year ago in 

 the last da} .s ;jf December wc engaged a pair of 

 hogs, abariov,' and a sow — -they were brought, and 

 the sow weighed ISO and the barrow about 120. In 

 the passage about twelve miles, the hip of the bar- 

 row was dislocated, and he wa.^ slaughtered by the 

 owner, leaving us with only one. To supply the 

 deficiency we made inquiries of the butciier in our 

 neighborhood, and found tliat he would sell from 

 his flock only one inferior looking, stunted, dirty 

 barrow pig ; and this weighed only fifty pounds. 

 The animal was placed in the same pen with the 

 sow: she proved to be as haughty, do:nineering 

 and discontented, as the smaller pig was quiet, pa- 

 tient and peaceable. If the hogs at all times had 

 not enough to eat, the barrow w.''.s always the 

 sufferer; for whether fed at one or two places, the 

 tyrannical superior would not suffer the inferior to 

 eat until she had completed her meal. Both hogs 

 were slaughtered in the same week one year from 

 the time in which they were placed in their pen ; 

 and it was found the barrow had become tlie larger 

 hog — he weighed when slaughtered 3.52 and the 

 sow onlv 340. They liad been carefully attended, 

 although not higlily fed. With the same feeding, 

 we are of opinion that two liarrows kept together 

 of the same contented disposition of the small one 

 would have weighed at the time of slaughtering at 

 least toUT hundred each. The discontented sow at 

 the commencement e.xeoeded the barrow one hun- 

 dred and tliirty pounds. The latter jjroved to be 

 a clean, white skinned animal, of beautiful limb 

 and proportion. 



Among the various articles of live stock,' few are 

 more profitable than swine. In the western and 

 southern country they are kept in droves and fed 

 upon clover fields and grass pastures. A farmer in 



Washington county, New York, told us he had two 

 hundred liogs which he intended to drive to Bos- 

 ton market after they had fattened tliemselves in a 

 field of a dozen rieres of peas, which he could not 

 spare the time to thrasli and gatlier ! Farmers with 

 large dairies can raise and fatten hogs to good ad- 

 vantage. But since the failure and uncertainty of 

 crops of corn in New England, it is not perhaps 

 good policy for a common farmer or mechanic to 

 keep more swine than the natural wash of the 

 kitchen will feed in the season before fattening. 

 At all events it will be well to select and keep that 

 kind of hogs wliich will yield the most pork with 

 the least feeding. Siys tlie Philadelphia Farmer's 

 Cabinet — "The Characteristic w«r/isof agood hog, 

 are a moderate length as to the carcass in general ; 

 the head and cheeks being plump and full, and the 

 neck thick and short; bone fine; quarters full; 

 the carcass thick and full ; his bristly hide fine and 

 thin ; tlie symmetry or proportion of the v.-liole 

 well adapted to tlie respective breeds or varieties; 

 and above all, a kindly disposition to fatten earlv.'' 

 We present in this number pictorial representa- 

 tions of two kinds of hogs, the first of which is 

 undoubtedly familiar to many of our readers 



[Fig. 3.] 



"The CiiiMnsK Bheed, (says the Cabinet,) of 

 the general appearance of which, the above is a tol- 

 erable correct delineation, when fit, was originally 

 obtained, as their name imports, from China. Of 

 these there are two nearly distinct kinds : the white 

 and the Much : both are small ; and although of an 

 extraordinary disposition to fatten, will seldom ar- 

 rive to a greater weight than si.vteen or eighteen 

 stone, of fourteen pounds, at two years of age. 



The former are better shaped than the latter ; but 

 lliey are less hardy, and less prolific. They are 

 liotli very small limbed ; round in the carcass; thin 

 skinned and fine bristled, and have the head so bed- 

 d(^d in the neck, that when quite fat, the end only 

 of the snout is jierceptible. Tliev are tender and 

 •lifiicultto rear, and the sows are bad nurses; yet, 

 from their early aptitude to fatten, they are in great 

 esteem with those wiio only rear young porkers. 

 The flesh is rather too delicate for bacon ; it is also 

 deficient in lean; and their hind quarters beinf 

 small, in proportion to the body, they cut up to dis- 

 advantage when intended for ham ; they, however, 

 possess the valuable properties of being very thrif- 

 ty, and of fattening on a comparatively small qu;in- 

 tity of food. There is also a mixed breed of this 

 kind, being white variously patched with black ; 

 some of v.'hich have prick ears, like the true breed, 

 which tiiey otherwise resemble in form, and others 

 liave the ears round at the ends, and hangintr down- 

 wards. These last are in every respect coarser 

 than the former; but they are remarkably prolific; 

 are good nurses, and, with proper care, will bring 

 up two litters within the year. Tliey are, howev- 

 er, only valuable as breeding sows and roasters ; for 

 they are very indifferent store pigs, rarely attaining 

 any great weight, and infinitely more difficult to 

 fatten than the original stock." 



[Fig. 4.] 



"The excellence of the Berkshire breed of 

 hogs, (saj's the Genesee Farmer) consists in eurhj 

 ■maturity — viaif he fattened at any age — quick feed- 

 ers — very prolific — good nurses — returning a great- 

 er iptantitij of flesh for the amiiujit o^food consumed^ 

 superior quality nC park and larger hams in pvo- 

 portion to the carcass^ than any other breed I am 

 acquainted witii. Loudon in lis " Encyclopedia 

 of Agriculture," says "they are excellent to cross 

 witli the slow-feeding sorts, is the sort mostly fat- 

 tened at the distilleries, feeds to a great weight, is 

 good either for pork or bacon, and is supposed by 

 many, as the most hardy, both in respect to their 

 nature and the f od in which thev are fed." Tliey 

 are distinguish:ible by their color, being invariably' 

 black, with white spots, and no bristles — ears of 

 medium size, thin and very little hair on them — 

 long and round in the body — broad on the back^ 

 heavy in the fore qua ter — heads of medium size, 

 and when in low condition appear rather coarse — 

 legs not large, but of suitable size to support them 

 when fattened. They will improve any breed by 

 crossing. In tliis country the pigs have been in 

 such great demand, very few have been fed. Some 

 have been made to attain from .500 to .5.50 lbs. A 

 sow tliat got injured in the back, was slauglitered, 

 and when dressed weighed nearly 5.50. In Entr- 

 land they have been made to weigh from si.x, seven 

 and in one instance, 904 lbs." 



A pair of fine Berkshire pigs, sow and barrow, 

 have (juite recently been lironght from New York by 

 thelower family of United Brethren at Canterbury, 

 N. H.; and if the breed proves to be what is above 

 represented, there is no doubt that society will take 

 measures soon to give them an extensive spread 

 among the farmers of this State. 



John Eayrs, Esq. of Nashua, (after losing two 

 pairs on the M*ay,) has at length succeeded in bring- 

 ing a fine pair of tiie English Berkshire pi^s from 

 Albany, N. Y. 



Fit the F-Trnii-r's .Munthly Visitor. 



Agriculture, 



This most important branch of industry bco-in.i 

 to be estimated according to its true value, among 

 tlioso, who arc immmediately concerned in its 

 transactions, as well as the whole Community. 



The maxiui, that the man, who makes two spears 

 of grass grow, where but one grew before, renders 

 more essential service to the public, than the whole 

 race of politicians since Adam, is somewhat oracu- 

 lar and gains credence with the people. Tlie dim- 

 inution of ruinous and unprofitable lav/ suits and 

 pettifogging, augurs well to the manual labor sys- 

 tem and the productive classes. 



That a monthly paper devoted exclusively to the 

 cause of agriculture, to developo its resources and 



