12 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER, 



made for the grain, I have become acquainted 

 with its qualities, and no grass better deserves to 

 be brought into culture. The Vulpin loves humid- 

 ity. In Jbrmer editions of this work 1 have said 

 that it could not be cultivated with other grasses, 

 on account of its precocity. Later observations 

 have caused me to change my opinion on this sub- 

 ject. Although the head is ripe much sooner than 

 the other grasses, yet its vegetation continues, and/ 

 a Jong reproduction ol'leavts renders it green and 

 succulent, when the ray grass, and other good 

 varieties, are ready for tlie sickle, h may be 

 sown early in the autumn, or in the spring. 

 About Ibriy pounds of seed per hectare are neces- 

 sary. 



CURE OF MANGE I« DOGS. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



In the last " Southern Planter," a writer gives 

 us a remedy for the mange in dogs. Although in 

 common life things which are considered valueless 

 are compared to a dog, yet the fidelity and affec- 

 tion of that valuable domestic animal have always 

 made him an object of gratitude and care with 

 man. If we should disregard his comforts, or ne- 

 glect to alleviate his maladies, we should be want- 

 ing in those noble qualities in which lie has set us 

 the example. 



Some yeara ago, when jesiding in the upper 

 country, I had a very beautiful and favorite 

 pointer. He became mangy over his whole body, 

 and very much reduced, so that I expected to lose 

 him. 1 had a (riend residing in the neighborhood 

 who owned a tan-yard. He was kind enough to 

 take my dog for a week or ten days, and dip him in 

 the tan-vat several times each day. He was then 

 rubbed well with a mixture of tanner's oil and tar, 

 and sent home. In the course of a short lime the 

 scales began to peel off, and new hair to grow 

 out. He soon became the sleekest and preuiesi 

 animal I ever saw, and was never again affected 

 with the disease, or even visited by vermin lor 

 a year or two. 1 often thought, by his playlul an- 

 tics, that he was conscious of his obligations, and 

 wished to express with kindness a gratitude which 

 he felt ; but the obligations were trans/erred to me, 

 for he lived to aflbrd me many an hour of sport 

 and many a nice dish of game. 



The disease is evidently inlectious, and those 

 that are subjects of it should not be peimitted to 

 consort with those that are not. 



I hope the few brief remarks above, may lead 

 to the relief of many a valuable animal lur the 

 mutual protection and enjoyment of himself and 

 owner. W. J. Dupuy. 



P. S. Id the case above related, I first resorted 

 to the usual remedies, such as sulphur, &c., with- 

 out ef!'ect. 



For the Farmers' llegiater, 

 BXPSRIjaElVT OF FATTENING HOGS. 



Sxirry county, January 1, 1842. 

 For the benefit of those persons who are giving 

 twenty and thirty dollars a pair for genuine Berk- 

 shire pigs, I will give the result of an experiment 



made on feeding a lot of half Berkshiree. These 

 hoga were a cross of the Berkshire hog and the 

 China, than which no hog, in my opinion, will- 

 yield more meat proportional to the quantity of 

 Ibod consumed. 1 must conl'ess that 1 was some- 

 what disappointed with the result, as the pork 

 cost me a good deal more than I expected it to do ; 

 nevertheless, I will give a detail of the trial, and 

 let every one judge lor himself. 



On the 24ih October, 1840, a lot of half Berk- 

 shire [)igs, just eight weeks, old, was separated 

 from other hogs when led, but suflered to run at 

 large in a standing pasture, which was bad 

 enough, producing little else than broom straw and 

 poverty grass. The corn was ground into homi- 

 ny, and measured out to them daily; and they 

 were fed in this way until the latter part of July, 

 when fbr several weeks, nearly two months, I put 

 them on half rations, as they were allowed as 

 much apple pomace during that time as ihey 

 would eat. A few squashes and pumpkins, &c., 

 were also given them in the summer and fall. 

 And on the 30lh ol' November they were slaugh- 

 tered, being then just fifteen months and five days 

 old. On the Ibllovving day they were weighed, 

 and averaged 374 pounds, which, at 4 cents, (the 

 price Kentucky pork sold lor in this county this 

 winter,) amounts to S14.96. They ate 37 bushels 

 I5 peck of corn each, at 60 cents per bushel 

 r= $22.42^. -So it will be perceived that 1 sustained 

 a loss of i7.46| on each hog. This startled me, 

 and it was some time before I could convince my- 

 self that there was no error in the calculation ; but 

 it was fact ; there could not be a shadow of doubt 

 about it. 



Hogs can be and are raised much cheaper than 

 those mentioned above, but under dissimilar cir- 

 cumstances. W a farmer provide good clover (or 

 his hogs to graze, they will consume scarcely half 

 as much grain ; or il he be surrounded by a forest 

 of oaks, they are easily and cheaply kept on mast, 

 and perhaps this is the cheapest way hogs can be 

 raised in eastern Virginia. 



From the foregoing experiment I am well satis- 

 fied that, so long as pork can be bought for $4 

 per hundred, and corn sold fbr 60 cents per bushel, 

 neither the Berkshire nor any other hog can be 

 raised with profit, when corn is to form the princi- 

 pal article of ibod. It matters not whether it be 

 given in the form of swill, be steamed, or baked 

 into bread, it will vary in cost but little, and ulti- 

 mately prove a sinking business. 



BoLLiNG Jones. 



FOURTH REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURAL 

 SURVEY OP MASSACHUSETTS, BY THE 

 REV. HENRY COLMAN. 



We have had the gratification of receiving, 

 from the author, the volume under the above title 

 which has just been published, from which we 

 shall make sundry extracts for the present num- 

 ber. The report is a new evidence of the zeal and 

 ability of the Agricultural Surveyor ofMassachu- 

 setts, and of the utility of the survey. Neverthe- 

 less!, we find that it is the last report that is to be 

 expected ; the legislature, in a paroxysm of " pen- 



