222 DOMESTIC AITTMALS. 



a large amount of gross increase tliat makes the farmer's profit upon 

 his sties. When pigs are fed freely upon highly succulent food, such 

 as cooked roots, the refuse of starch, herbs, and the like, they are fre- 

 quently found to give a very rapid increase. But pork so fed is found 

 to sink rapidly in the salting process, and to waste considerably when 

 boiled. And although the first batch of pigs so fed may fetch a good 

 price, their character is at once detected, and the market closed against 

 a second sale. 



"On the other hand, when pigs are fattened upon the highly nitro- 

 genized leguminous seeds — peas being, however, much less objection- 

 able than some others — the lean is hard, and the fat wastes in cooking. 

 Fish, flesh, and strong oily matters give the pork a rank flavor. 



"Finally, it is the interest of the farmer to use highly nitrogenous 

 leguminous seeds, and even refuse flesh, if at command, during the 

 earlier and growing stages of his bacon hogs. But if a constant mar- 

 ket is to be secured for pork, barley-meal or other cereal grain must 

 supersede every thing else as fattening proceeds." Thus Mr. Lawes 

 confirms Mr. Tyrrel, and gives us a golden maxim for making a pig pay 

 — a little bran or bean meal, and plenty of Indian corn. 



Diseases of Swine. — In order to prescribe with any reasonable hopes of 

 success, for any animal, a knowledge of that animal's anatomy, physiol- 

 ogy, and habits when in health, are indispensable, and an intimate ac- 

 quaintance with the characters of the substances employed as remedies, 

 we would not recommend you to place any confidence in books pub- 

 lished by quacks, and purporting to contain infallible specifics for the 

 several diseases to which live-stock are liable. Veterinary text-books, 

 written by competent persons, are very diff'erent things. A host of 

 honorable names stand upon record, on the face of their publications, 

 in proof of the correctness of my assertion. By diligent study of these 

 books, farmers might, I have little doubt, eventually arrive at a very 

 respectable share of veterinary knowledge ; acquire a tolerable idea of 

 the internal structure of the several inhabitants of the farm-yard, and 

 of their physiology ; by practical observation they would become able 

 to detect the presence of disease from the symptoms present, and be 

 able to adopt such a course of treatment as might be suggested in the 

 books they possessed. Under these circumstances, apply, if possible, to 

 a regular veterinary surgeon. 



Swine are by no means the most tractable of patients. It is any 

 thing but an easy matter to compel them to swallow any thing to which 

 their appetite does not incite them, and hence, " prevention " will be 

 found " better than cure." Cleanhness is, in my opinion, the great point 

 to be insisted upon in swine management ; if this, and warmth, be duly 

 attended to, the animal will not, save in one case perhaps in a hundred, 

 become afi'ected with any ailment. 



As, however, even under the most careful system of management, an 

 occasional disappointment may occur, the reader is furnished with the 

 following brief view of the principal complaints by which some are, un- 

 der the most unfavorable circumstances, liable to be attacked, and the 

 plainest eflfectual mode of sanatory treatment, in such cases, to be 

 adopted. 



