1839] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



177 



every corn-field and potato ground too, of the re- 

 gions which they inhabit at all, provided the fen- 

 ces enclosing them to be not remarkably close and of 

 an extraordinary height. Their cheif excellen- 

 cies are, the possefrsion of a surpassingly active 

 and vigorous lever power in the poll and snout, 

 acting by an ingenious co-operation of the spinal 

 and nasal muscles ; a celerity of speed, equalled 

 only by the fox, or the hound, in a chase; and an 

 indomitable propensity to all evil, conclusively il- 

 lustrative of their lineage from a conspicious race 

 of scripture date. And this is the material from 

 which is produced, in more than three-fourths of 

 the United States, and indeed in almost the entire 

 continent of America, the vast supplies of pork 

 which are annually sold, purchased and consumed 

 in the land! 



Important improvemenls, and wonderful chan- 

 ges, have been introduced in most of our breeds 

 of domestic animals and farming stock ; but less 

 in our swine than in any other. Why this uni- 

 versal neglect in the improvement of an animal 

 furnishing us with our richest meats, and adapted 

 to consume, in the most profitable manner, not 

 only to thelarmer, butto the common house-keep- 

 er the ofTal of both the harvest and the kitchen, is, 

 not easy of answer, unless it be that its remarka- 

 ble propensities of shifting for itself in its semi- 

 savage condition, render it more acceptable to 

 those who consider that every thing pillaged from 

 their neighbors, or from the public, is so much di- 

 rect benefit to themselves. Thiis perhaps, is an 

 uncharitable solution of the problem ; but 1 feel- 

 ingly appeal to those who. having a due regard 

 to neighborhood comfort, and to individual right, 

 if any other reason will account for the legions 

 of miserable, starved, and mischievious brutes 

 running at large, disgracing the name of even a — 

 hog, and infesting almost the entire land. 



Nor are the characteristics above named, the 

 only objections to the common swine of our coun- 

 try. They are huge and gross feeders ; equally 

 gluttonous in offensive animal offal, even to car- 

 rion, as in vegetable food and grains. iVleasured 

 by well chosen and approved physiological rules, 

 and none other will or can be admitted by true 

 economy, utility, or common sense, the animal in 

 question will be found utterly inadequate in com- 

 parison, to the main purposes of the farmer or 

 house-keeper for profit. From fifty to one hundred 

 per cent, more food, as the case may be, is re- 

 quired to make a given quantity of pork of inle- 

 rior quality, both in taste, and marketable varieties, 

 from the common hog, than is required in the 

 improved breeds of our swine. This fact has 

 been so often demonstrated, that it needs no fur- 

 ther confirmation, as all those who are conversant 

 with the subject will readily testify. iMy own 

 experience for many years, is satisfactory on this 

 point, and with all intelligent men, and practical 

 farmers, no doubt exists upon the subject. 



Within the last three or four years, the public 

 attention has become much awakened to (he ne- 

 cessity of a reform in this important branch of 

 agriculture, and following the rapid spirit of im- 

 provement in our neat stock by the importation of 

 many valuable breeds of short-horn cattle from 

 abroad, and their dissemination throughout our 

 country, the better and more approved breeds of 

 ewine have been eagerly sought after, and to a 

 considerable extent introduced into many sections 

 Vol. VII-23 



of the union. Among our truly intelligent and 

 thrillly farmers, the spirit of acquisition in all im- 

 proved breeds of animals was never so active, and 

 1 imagine that it only needs the dissemination of 

 lact and information among them, to draw their 

 attention yet more closely to it. 



So important does the question of a thorough 

 improvement in the swine of the United States ap- 

 pear, as connected with notonly the quality of our 

 pork, but as a means of the absolute saving of 

 hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars 

 annually to our farmers, that, since I have com- 

 menced the subject, [ feel disposed, even at the ex- 

 pense of prolixity, to speak of some of our most 

 approved breeds of swine ; yet I shall discourse 

 of' nothing but such as I know and have tried by 

 actual demonstrations, and such as [ can with en- 

 tire confidence declare to be worthy of attention. 



As first among the most desirable breeds, I 

 name the improved Chinese. These animals in 

 their purity, arc exceedingly scarce in the coun- 

 try. They may exist in several parts of the Uni- 

 ted States, but I know of them now at only one 

 farm in this region. I first purchased a pair of 

 Caleb N. Bement, Es(i. at Albany, in the fall of 

 1S33, he having obtained them of Mr. Dunn of 

 that city, who many years before, procured the 

 breed ft-om New Jersey. At the time I pur- 

 chased these of Mr. Bemant, he had many others 

 of the kind, and I then thought, as the lact haa 

 since proved, that he placed altogether too low 

 an estimate on their value as an onghial stock for 

 the improvement of other breeds. That gentle- 

 man has lor some years past, I believe, been 

 entirely out of the breed, having turned his at- 

 tention almost exclusively to the breeding of Berk- 

 shires. 



The principal and most important characteris- 

 tics of this breed are, their exceeding quietness 

 of disposition and habit ; round and perfi^ct pro- 

 portions ; tolerable length of body ; delicacy of 

 bone and limb; smallness of head, legs and feet ; 

 lighter in the offal parts than any other breed 

 whatsoever ; and a propensity to take on fat to a 

 greater extent with less food than |)robably any 

 other animal in existence. They are in lact the 

 beau ideal of hogs! [n sii^e ihe'y are only mid- 

 dling, weiiihingat nine month? old from 180to200; 

 and at fifteen to eighteen months, 250 to 400 

 pounds; dependinir much upon their previous keep 

 and flittening. Of the original pair wliich I pur- 

 chased, the sow still survives, a fftiod breeder, 

 weighing in fair condition about 200 pounds. The 

 boar at the age of four years, w;i>^ overfrrown 

 with fat, and useless, alihouiili kept unly on grass 

 in summer and with low (bod in winltr. He^died 

 when five years old, and his usual weight was 

 about 400 lbs. One of their decemlanls is now 

 four years old past, and has arrived at the same 

 condition, being useless for breedmjr purposes. 

 Numbers of their progeny have Iuhmj scattered 

 far and wide ovrr the country. \ bred many of 

 them on my own farm, but the calU were loo in- 

 cessant for me to part with them, and not being 

 conveniently located for their distiibulion, I parted 

 with nearly my entire stock a year or two since, 

 to Mr. A. B. Allen, who has bred them exten- 

 sively for sale on his farm on the Niagara River, 

 two miles below Black Rock. 1 have farted many 

 of this breed, mostly mixed vviili En(rli.^h blood, 

 and a few full blood, and I never made pork with 



