1S39] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



57? 



ficierit <rruvvili by fijood clover nnd blue grass — wil! 

 winter kindly, wliicli will insure ihn (anner a rpiju- 

 jiir jjrowili in his lot of hoys by ihe common 

 nioile ul' corn leedinir, or follovviniT corn-led caitle. 

 the excrements iliey collect from them is equal to 

 cooked or sieamed mall. After weaning their lit- 

 ter orpig?, F would advise all tiie old sows to be 

 s|)ay«d, while reduced in flesh bj' suckling, as the 

 perioil IS most fa volatile. A careful hand perfor- 

 ming !he operation in (he left side, I seldom or 

 ever lose any of that atre and heidlhy ^earin!,^ 

 They will fallen kindly, and make about as much 

 weight at selling time as their brothers of the same 

 litter. You now perceive I do not winter any 

 hogs more than one winter. I can say jrom expe- 

 rience, that sows with piij, winter better than bar- 

 rows. They should be kept in a large woodland 

 pasture if practicable by themselves, to prevent any 

 injury from other hogs. Be careful to have a house j 

 or shelter to protect them in imclement weaiher. 

 Continue to select every spring the best lemale 

 pigs out of your litters, as many as you may think 

 will produce as many pigs as you may want to 

 breed from, and by so doiny ynu may rear j'our 

 hogs on your farm at a moderate calculation of 20 

 per cent over above the prevailing practice of the 

 day. As in the common way ihe larmer has his 

 males and female running toirelhcr at larce, then 

 they may expect to have litters of piizs every 

 month in the year; the uneveness of thelot of hogs 

 and consequently the stronger will be certain lo 

 abuse the weak (a hog is a hog by name and na- 

 ture) and having masterly strengh and in all cases 

 the weaker are driven from their lood and comfort- 

 able shelter in the forest; and in ntany cases we 

 have a proof of theuneconomizinir rural system of 

 our farmers by having all sizes and ages. In our 

 usual winters we see the small class of hogs, when 

 pinched with cold, deep snows and wet weather, 

 iail victims ofdeath by smothering and suppression 

 by the lartrer class bein<T with ihcsmall ones. On 

 all occasions hogs ought lo be separated aiul clas- 

 sed according lo size, and kept in the woodland 

 pastures where they may provide shelter in the Ibr- 

 est foliage. Every farmer should provide himself 

 with hog houses in his wood-land pastureg where 

 they can set the foliage of tiie forest to make their 

 beds. The best place /or these houses should be 

 selected on the south or north-east side of a hill, 

 so as to receive the warntth of the sun in the win- 

 ter, and on a moderate slope so as to drain ofi' the 

 water, and that the sun may the better dry and 

 warm theearih. As to form I am not p:\rficular, but 

 always recommend the shelter to be close and dry; 

 10 aid in keeping dry much care should be observed, 

 in trenching around the house to turn the water. 



Rearing a herd of blooded females swine; spring 

 and summer ireatvtent; breeding and winter treat- 

 ment.— T\wy should be left in a lot sufficienllv 

 large tl)r exercise, containing plenty of water (for 

 wailowinir) and shade. If the grazing is not suffi- 

 cient, I would advise a litile corn, dish-water, slops 

 and soap-suds, mixed toirether, to be n-iven lliem,so 

 as to keep the animals in a good healthy look, but 

 by no means like latteniiig, to hurrying tliem in 

 their growth. 



My practice for winter treatment; afier my sows 

 are all pregnant, if practicable, 1 always have a 

 large field of clover or meadow for their crrazing, 

 or put them on rye or wheat fields, and let them 

 graze about 21 houre, twice a week; whcrt ilie 



snow is ofi'the cround; always providing a coin- 

 forlable dry shed or houses tor them, having a 

 regular time (Ijr leedinir Cmorning and evening) 

 and if any animal stands in danger (rom the want 

 of regular feeding while pregnant, it is the sow; 

 and there is great danger of their being fed loo 

 much at a time, by careless or inexperienced ser- 

 vants, which is apt to produce abortions. Anotlier 

 cause is ihe severe weather on sows, snow and 

 wet weather, when they have frequently to make 

 their beds in the snow, and sometimes in mud and 

 water — vvhen shelters are not provided lor them ; 

 this is ihe cause why we so often hear ourfiirmers 

 say all their sows have slunk their pigs, and shall 

 have no pigs in the spring, and another cause still 

 more particular I leave to the carelul to observe; 

 when my sows are half gone with pig, (sometime 

 in February,) without fail 1 separate mysowsand 

 put them in lots (4 or 5 in number) to prevent 

 Itom laying one upon another along in February 

 and March cold snowy spells, which causes them, 

 by oppression, to miscarry. This is the time that 

 Ihe irreaiest care should l)e taken vviih sows, as 

 the period of litteiincr is close at hand, lor if they 

 should miscarry, you have again to breed them, 

 when their piffs will come late and much lime lost. 

 Breeding of blooded sows. — When they have 

 attained to the age of eight months or thereabout, 

 my practice is to breed them between the Isi and 

 15lh Dec, so as lo make their litlerintr to the lat- 

 ter end of March, and by having shelieis or hou- 

 ses for their litterincj in, I can veniure breeding 

 sooner than 1 would otherwise advise. I can rear 

 this litter and have my sows stinted to boar, and 

 brinii Ihe second litter in and about the 1st and 

 middle of September, so as to have lime lo rear 

 them and so they will stand the ensuing winter. 

 Then my sows can have about a month's rest un- 

 til Ihe 1st Dec, which I very much approve of for 

 breeding again, and by so doing I have three lit- 

 ters in the period of 12 months. You now see the 

 monihs I prefer for my blooded sows to litter, end 

 of March and ihe 1st of April. The second litter 

 from 1st to 15ih Sept., and the 3d litter the latter 

 end of March and 1st of April, which makes the 

 period I have noticed. In stinting my sows to the 

 boar according lo the time mentioned, I have been 

 very particular to aid my memory by committing 

 to writing the time when they were stinted and 

 the mode of stinting. I was in the habii of ihe 

 old custom in my first beginning of doing business 

 in this way. I soon saw there was an error some 

 where, a-nd my intentions were deleated some how 

 — as I would reserve my lot of common sows to be 

 bred in December, so as lo brinsj il;e pigs the 1st 

 of April when the weather was warm, and ihe old 

 custom would be to let the bonrgo wiih some Iweiily 

 or thirty sows, with the expectation of having a 

 lot of piiis of one age, and in a common way there, 

 v.'ould come in season at one lime in all probabili- 

 ty one-third of the sows. Admit the boar to be 

 in good healih and a full flow of animal spirits and 

 strength, he will soon by severe service be impo- 

 tenl, and consequently only the first few sows may 

 be impregnated. The sows will in ail fM-o!.nnility 

 continue to come in season, and ihe boar stiil re- 

 ducing every day, and yet his lasciviousncss keepg. 

 him incapable of being fruitful. Hence, I found 

 bv experience my sows were nnproduciive, some 

 havirij/ twoor three pigs, and they coming in tnueit 

 later than 1 expected, con-'equenily I. wouid re.- 



