362 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



whole catalogue. "What else affords such agreeable, such 

 wholesome food — is preserved by salt so easily in all climates — 

 is procured and reared with so little expense, and when fairly 

 packed in the family pork barrel, sends such a spirit of inde- 

 pendence to every member thereof? Let old winter come in 

 all its frigidity — old boreas blow his creaking blast, till not a 

 single autumnal leaf shivers to the breeze, the happy bipeds 

 who gather around the cheerful fireside of " sweet home," from 

 parents to four-year-olds, can sit at the family fire place (wouli 

 that we had more of them) and complacently look at back-log 

 and fore-stick, hear the joyful serenade of snapping during the 

 longest winter eve ; raising their thoughts, their emotions, their 

 gratitude to that Source from whence all our blessings flow, — 

 which always adds dignity and elevation to humanity, — for why ? 

 there are layers enough still left in the barrel of this nutritious 

 food, till spring time and harvest. 



The committee will now indicate what they deem the essen- 

 tial characteristics of a good hog. He should not be too long, 

 full in the head and cheek, short neck, good round carcass and 

 full quarters. Formerly the Berkshire breed was preferred, 

 but now it is believed that a cross with the small Chinese 

 breed is the most profitable, they being susceptible of consider- 

 able weight, with comparative light feeding, while the cross 

 has produced a more mild disposition in the animal. 



Your committee deem it their duty to urge upon every family 

 that has a small patch or garden, to rear their own pork. The 

 public have but a vague, imperfect idea of the large sum's of 

 money which might be saved by substituting hogs for dogs. 

 In the expense it will be less, while, by a little care and econo- 

 my, by the saving the wash or swill, the weeds of the garden, 

 and surplus vegetables, adding a little corn meal at the end, 

 they may eat their own pork, in lieu of eating as they do, many 

 times, the rattlesnake, beech-nut pork of the West. Our native 

 born citizens may well take a useful hint from our Celtish 

 brethren, with their clean, well-washed pigs, well-secured pig- 

 stys, and potato patches to feed them. 



To the farmer, they would say, build warm, comfortable hog 

 houses, which shall sliclter this abused animal from our keen 

 wintry winds, and he will pay you for it in additional pork. 



