FARMERS' REGISTER 



13 



But it is not the great weight which this hreeJ 

 of hogs are brought to, that gives them their great 

 intrinsic value. They are docile, quiet, come to 

 early maturily, have but little od'al, give a large 

 and excellent ham, one of the most valuable parts, 

 sweet, sound and hi^h flavored pork, and is be- 

 lieved, rnalce as great, if not greater returns for the 

 Ibod consumeil, than any other breed amongst us. 



It is a matter of congralulaiioti to the admirer 

 of this breed of hogs, that INlr. Lossiiig of thiscily 

 has recently imported three animals of this breed 

 carefully selected by Mr. Hawes, in England. 

 This, it is hoped, will preventthe necessity of breed- 

 ing in-and-in, and thus preserve to us the breed 

 in its purity. 



In corroboration of the higli opinion entertained 

 of this breed of liogs, 1 will state, that Col. Wil- 

 liams, a spirited and wealthy irenileman, residing 

 on Long- Island, desirous of procuring a superior 

 breed of liogs, wrote to his friend and agent at 

 Liverpool, to procure for him, witJiorit regard to 

 price, six pigs of the best breed in England, and 

 to take lime and satisfy himself before purchasing. 

 After diligent inquiry, his friend finally settled on 

 the Berkshire, as being considered, taking all 

 things into view, the best and most approved breed, 

 and purchased seven, (bur males and three females, 

 being the entire litter, (the owner relusinj? to sel! 

 a part,) and forwarding them to New- York, 

 where they arrived in October last. One of the 

 male pigs will be forwarded to the chairman of 

 this committe in the sprinsr, which will go still 

 further to keep the breed from degenerating. 



There are other good breeds of hogs in some 

 sections of the country, each of which have their 

 advocates and admirers, such as the Bedford or 

 Woburn, JVlackey, Leicesters, Mocho, China, By- 

 field and Grass-breed, as they are termed. 



Much loss has been sustained by our farmers, 

 in not keeping up the purity of t)lood, when pos- 

 sessed : the importance of which has been too 

 little regarded, and before they were aware of it, 

 the good qualities were lost, either by breednig in- 

 and-in, or by crossing with inferior animals. 



As regards the choice of hogs for breeding, it 

 is recommended that the male should be small 

 headed, deep and broad in the chest, the chine 

 rather arched, the ribs and barrel well rounded, 

 and the hams falling full dov/n nearly !o the hock. 

 He should also be more compact in his firm, and 

 rather smaller than the females, for if she be 

 coarse, her progen}' will be improved in form and 

 flesh by the cross, and the more roomy she is, the 

 better chance will she afford of producing a large 

 and healthy litter. Respecting her make, no other 

 observation need be made than to choose her of a 

 deep and capacious body wiih a good appearance, 

 and belonging to as good a race as can be found. 



The boar should be well f(?d, and when young, 

 used sparingly. The sow should also be kept in 

 good condition, so as to support her offspring, but 

 should not be made too fat ; for if in very high 

 order she will probably bring but a weak and in- 

 different litter of pigs. She should not be allowed 

 to farrow in the winter, as the young are tlien ex- 

 tremely tender, and of all animals the least able to 

 endure cold, and thrive with <jreat difficulty. The 

 months ofMarch and the first of April for tiie spring, 

 and the months of August and Septpmber,fbr the Itill 

 litters, are therefore to be preferred for farrowing. 



When the breeders possess a good kind of slock, 



ihey are too apt to follow it up, by breeding what 

 is termed " in-and-in" with ihe same family; a 

 practice whicli is well known cannot be successful- 

 ly persevered in, for they will become bad feeders, 

 grow delicate, fiill off in size, and almost entirely 

 give up breeding; and should they casually have 

 a litter, the pigs will be small, weak, and die al- 

 most as soon as they are born. 



It not unfrequenily happens, that a young sow 

 will devour her young ; she should therefore, be 

 carefully watched, and well led, when about to 

 farrow : which may be known by her carrying 

 straw in her mouth, about to form her bed. It is 

 a good precaution to sponge the backs of the piorg 

 immediately after they are born, with a strong in- 

 fusion of aloes, in luke-warm water, as its bitter 

 taste will prevent her from destroying them ; care 

 should also be taken before farrowing to separate 

 her from other hogs. She should have a dry and 

 warm place, and be provided with a good supply 

 of straw cut short, to prevent the pigs from getting 

 entangled, in which case she is apt to lay on and 

 kill them. To protect the pigs, an open frame or 

 strong rail on each side of her, elevated a few in- 

 ches from the ground, under which the pigs may 

 run, has been recommended. Eight or ten days 

 after farrowing, the sow may be allowed to leave 

 her stye fiiir a short time every da}', and when the 

 pigs acquire a liiile strength, they may accompany 

 her. A grass field is the best place, for the her- 

 bage improves the sow's milk ; the pigs grow fas- 

 ter as well as more healthy, and the stye is render- 

 ed more sweet by their absence. If the brood be 

 numerous, they should be lessened, in order to re- 

 lieve the sow, to eight or at most to nine ; tliough 

 from ten to thirteen have been brought up in per- 

 fect order, without any apparent injury to the mo- 

 ther. In such cases, however, she should be a, 

 strong and healthy animal, as well as supplied, 

 with an abundance of the most nutritious food. 

 During the whole period of her nursing, the oflals 

 of the kitchen, or dairy wash with ship etuflsj 

 ground oats, bailey, buckwheat or corn, mixed and 

 given luke-warm, morning and evening, and with 

 a little Indian meal or peas and barley ground and 

 mixed, or something equally nutritious. 



The young pigs, while sucklers, shou-Id not be 

 lelt wholly to the nourishment offered by the sow, 

 but should be (iirnishcd, two or three times a day, 

 with skim-milk, or buttermilk-whey or pot liquor, 

 made lukewarm, and having a little meal, shorts 

 and boiled roots, mixed up with it; or if this be 

 thought too troublesome, skim-milk, with a small 

 quantity of meal may be left constantly for them, 

 in a part of the stye to vvhich the sow cannot 

 have access. In six or seven weeks, they will 

 generally weigh from thirty to thirty-five pounds 

 and be strong enough to wean. After weaning, 

 they should not only be kept dry and clean, but 

 regularly fed. 



The importance of ihe value of swine, with re- 

 gard to the consuming of the refuse or coarse grain 

 of' the farm, and production of manure, is too well 

 known to the farmer to require further notice. 



Pigs that come in March, and are intended to 

 be killed in December, should be well fed with the 

 wash of the kitchen and dairy, from the time of 

 weaning, and have a run in good clover where 

 there is plenty of water, and as soon as peas will 

 answer, a small (juanliiy added lo their feed daily 

 and the quantity increased as they increase in size; 



