FARMERS' REGISTER. 



669 



trials of this kind, and from some acquaintance 

 we have hnd wiih swine in England. In the first 

 place it is hardly necessary to mention that tlie 

 Chinese hog has been always distinguished above 

 nil other breeds by its pcciUiar aptitude to lay on 

 fat; but owing 10 its bein^^ but a poor breeder, 

 the pure breed is but litlle cultivated. Of this 

 breed there are two nearly distinct kinds, the white 

 and the black. There is also a juixed breed of this 

 kind, being spotted and mixed black and white; 

 some of them have prick ears, hke the true breed, 

 and others have ears round at the ends, and 

 hanging downwards. These are coarser than the 

 former, but they, unlike them, are remarkably 

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

 bring up two litters within the year. They are, 

 however, not good store pigs, rarely attaining any 

 great weight, and much more difficult to fatten 

 than the original stock of the Chinese breed. 



The next in order of fattening propensities, after 

 the true China breed, eiiher while or black, seems 

 to be the Woburn or Bedford breed, a new varie- 

 ty introduced by the Duke of Bedford. They are 

 of various colors, well I'ormed, hardy, very prolific, 

 and have attained to nearly twice the weight of all 

 other hogs, except the Cliincse and Berkshire, 

 within the same given period of litre — and even 

 the Berkshire ihey have surpassed to some not 

 inconsiderable amount. Then, as almost univer- 

 sally admilted, follow the Berkshire, too well 

 known to require description. Thesecrossed with 

 the Chinese have produced a race possessing some 

 excellent fa'tening and other good qualiiies, and 

 are known in England as the Tonkey breed. The 

 Berkshires are dispersed over the whole of Eng- 

 land, and have therefore varied both in form and 

 color; but the best are in the neighborhood of 

 Tamworth, in Staffordshire, from the famous 

 Tamworth Boar. The crosses also from this 

 breed are very numerous in England, and are 

 highly rated in their ditl'erent districts. After the 

 Berkshire in kindliness of fattening, must be rated 

 the Essex half black pigs, raised by Mr. Western, 

 of Felix hall. They are short haired, fine skin- 

 ned, smaller head and ears than the Berkshires ; 

 short snubby noses, very fine bone, broad and deep 

 in the belly, and full in the hind quarters ; the sows 

 are good breeders, but they are not near sucfi 

 good nurses as the Berkshires. The Lincolnshire 

 rank next, and in point of profit are hardly less 

 than the Essex, They are white, and rather 

 tender. This breed is much the same as the 

 Norfolk and Suffolk. The iSussea: breed is small- 

 er tfian the Berkshire. It is a variety of the 

 Essex, and is a very valuable kind of hog. It 

 may be classed next in order for fattening proper- 

 ties, and what is deserving of notice, airivcs at 

 maturity sooner than any other kind. The Hamp- 

 shire fatten kindly to a very great size and weight. 

 The Northampton, Shropshire and Yorkshire, 

 are of large size, but fatten more slowly. The 

 Cheshire are the largest hogs except the Rudg- 

 wick, which is the largest in the kingdom of Great 

 Britain. The Essex anei Hertford breed, as it is 

 called, has taken premiums from the London and 

 Smithfield cattle club, and is held in high estima- 

 tion. We then classify ihe different breeds lor 

 fattening propensities (until we are further in- 

 formed by sufficient comparative experiments) in 

 the following order : — 



1. The Chinese. 



2. The Woburn, or Bedford. 



3. The Berkshire. 



4. The Essex half black. 



5. The Lincolnshire, &c. &c. 



We ought not to omit to mention that the 

 Neapolitan stock of swine have a very great apti- 

 tude to fatten. In the tneanwhile we copy from 

 the Franklin Farmer, the following interesting 

 letter from Samuel D. Martin, Esq., of Kentucky, 

 on this subject, and it would seem that as far as 

 his friend's experiments have gone, the Woburn 

 breed of hogs, as we have stated, stand pre-emi- 

 nent in that most valuable characteristic — quick- 

 ness in taking on flesh. 



^ proposition to test the relative disposition to 

 fatten, of different breeds of hogs. 



The hogs raised and fattened in Kentucky, it is 

 believed, amount to more than two millions of 

 dollars annually, and consume in the raising and 

 fattening more than a million of bushels of corn, 

 besides rye, oats, wheat, and grass. 



It would be of great value to the state to have 

 such experiments made as will test the value of 

 the diflisrent breeds, and ascertain which is the 

 best machine for turning our surplus grain info 

 meat. 



Some hogs will make double the quantity of 

 meat out of a given measure of corn that will be 

 made by others. Therefore it must be very plain, 

 that the persons feeding bad breeds must sufler 

 considerable loss. No man should keep a bad 

 breed when he can get a better. But it is to be 

 regretted that sufficient experiments have not been 

 made, to determine clearly which is the best breed. 



I have made some experiments between the 

 two most valuable breeds that I have, but they 

 were not conducted so as to be clearly satisfactory. 

 I put two Berkshires and two Woburns into the 

 same pen, and fed them together. The experi- 

 ment resulted in favor of the Woburns. But they 

 were all fed in the same trough, nor do I know 

 what was consumed by each. 



In a trial lately made by William and Isaac 

 Barclay, of Jessamine, between two boars, the 

 Woburn seined fifiy pounds more in thirty days 

 than the Berkshire. But here again we have no 

 account of what each consumed. The trial was 

 made for the reputation of the stock, and ii is 

 presumed that bulh had as much as they would 

 eat. 



For the purpose of making a set ofexperiments 

 that will be satisfactory, I would propose to the 

 advoca'es of other breeds, to furnish Woburn 

 hogs or pigs, bairow or sow, to be fed by some 

 disinterested person, in such a way as to ascertain 

 which will come earliest to maturity, fatten easiest, 

 consume the least food, and travel best to market. 



[ would propose that two or three pigs be fed 

 upon a certain allowance, and that the balance shall 

 have as much as they will eat. That they be 

 kept in separate stalls, and an exact account be 

 kept of what is consumed by each one. To be 

 kept in this way until ihey are ready lor market, 

 and one of each kind be sent to our most distant 

 market, weighed at starting, at the journey's end, 

 and after they are dressed. The balance to be 

 sent to our nearest market, weighed belore starting, 

 and upon reaching the place have their gross and 

 neat weights ascertained. 



