n^ Kr rv iXM'i^mr V^ 



^\)c JTarmer's iUnntl)lL3 lUsitor. 



|)iii|io.s(' of iKtilrcssin^' llu^in on tin? siilijcct, and 

 Ciilniinf; llie tiinuill lli:it was bc'u'innitij; to v:>i;i' in 

 tlieir liosonis. He helil a papiM- in liis hand, on 

 uliici) ilie reinailis lit; iiitiMidcd to njiike werti 

 written ; and llien it wn.x.tlint tiiidin^' liiiMf^tdl' nn- 

 uldu to ii'ad «iiliont a.-.si.>itance, a.s lii- was diaw- 

 inii his s|ii'claid<'s IVoni his piM'liet, that iinpre- 

 njoditalHd expression hroke iViiin him — (ini: ol' 

 the must pathetir that ever fell Ij'cnn hnnian lips : 



" I'Vllow eitizens," said he "yon peiceive I 

 have not only jjiowii gray, hut hlind in yoiu' sci'- 

 vice !" 



'J'hfi efTect of this was electrical. No hosoiii, 

 no eye was proof against it. 



On the .llaiia;;cmeut of Pi^s. 



There is prohahly no animal so mncli lilielled, 

 so iinjnslly denonnced as li I thy, so preposterous- 

 ly aoensed ol' u hat he is not gnilty ot as a pij,'. 

 'j'o sny "asdrnnkas a pi;;." is an nndeserved 

 sli^'iija upon his <'haraeier for temperance. Is 

 there aleolnd left in the hreuer's grains after the 

 smallest of tin' small, the t.ihle and the lamen- 

 tahle have heeri I'Xirartfd therefrom? As to his 

 proverhial (hrliness, look into his stye and see if 

 iiis haliits of cleaidincss aje not ol' a superior 

 order to those of other domestic ainmals. To 

 be as "stupid," as " ignorant," iS»:c., is comradii'- 

 ted by the liicl that a eonsiderahle mnnher are 

 |)eramhnlatirig th<' provinces in caravans as lear- 

 ned professors (or enlightening the coimtiy 

 " raws " at fairs. 



To speak serionsly, there is, perhaps, no ani- 

 mal in a diimestie point of view more valnahle 

 tijan the pi^'. and afo'r a life spent in (|niein(le 

 and contentiiieni in a space of gronnd many ani- 

 mals woidd piin' and die in, his ulinh' carcass, 

 even those portions which in other farnr prod- 

 uce are thrown away or thought lillli- of, are all 

 rejoiced in as luxuries, and then his jolly sides 

 form the tinest and best peices of lurnilme in 

 the duellings of a lar^e portion of the inhabi- 

 tants of this happy land. 



There is in the economy of raising and feeding 

 pigs a vast improvement required in practical 

 management. 'I'he usual couslrncliou of the sty 

 is bad, cominnidy placed so as to fill np some va- 

 cant corner, often in a situation when^ the eaves 

 of some higher huildiugs drip into it; this wilh 

 imperfect drainage fr(jiii the sty, and the dung 

 kept for day.s, sometimes weeks inside this place 

 of confinement, render these dens anything but 

 what the animal requires. 



It is the management of breeding that is most 

 deii.-ciive, lliere l>eirig generally no system, no 

 order of regtdariiy, attempted. The sow is put 

 to the hoar at all seasons of the year, and the 

 progeny often come into the world nniiujely. — 

 The productions of this animal might be regula- 

 ted wilh periodical e,\;ieiuess, which would he 

 binelicial !o the stock, and advantageous to the 

 feerler and breeder. 



Suppose a row of styes, one row in each, for 

 they shoidd be couslrucled small. We will be- 

 gin the year in iVoveirdier. The boar m.iy be put 

 to each sow during the monih (probably during 

 the latter half of the month,) the period id' ges- 

 tation will end in Maivli, early in the mouth; 

 the season is then favorable to the giouiiig prog- 

 eny. After an interval of 10 weeks (a snlKcieut 

 s()ace of tinje and longer than is rerpnred for the 

 liner to get aw;i\,) the boar is again put to the 

 sow at the end of May ; tliis second litter will 

 fall in the next September (a good and seasona- 

 ble period,) end the young get away the Ibllow- 

 ing November, to f()llow out the system for anoth- 

 er year. The advantages here are, the seasona- 

 ble periods of gestation, and the growth of the 

 young; the imiformity of connng in together af- 

 fording a saving of time and labor and attend- 

 ance. The food should be prepared for the diff- 

 erent states of ilie sow's reqinremeuts ; in ihe 

 early part of her time tmiups, Swedes, grains, &c, 

 for the November period ; and green vetches, 

 or any odds and ends of growing produce, for 

 May and some followini; weeks. .More generous 

 food is required as the lime of farrowin;: ap- 

 proa'-lips: and good living sm-h as oatmeal, pol- 

 lard, &c., when the yoimg require iiourishmeni. 



The most remarkable contrast between this 

 animal and the sheep, cow, &c., is in the produce 

 of its young, for whih' the latter are confined to 

 one Ol- t«-o exrept in r.'.re c .sis. \'.f Coi u er av- 

 erages nii.'nlull groiMi nul i.-cjs liiau ten or 

 twelve, often more. If, tliefefoie, number be 



of value, the- intrinsic worth of ihisaidmal is ve- 

 ry sujierior to other breeding slock. 



It is a coimnon practice, but a mistaken notion 

 as to the |U'ofi!:ible advantage of the systi-m, to 

 let a yonng sow Imve hut dim? litter, ami then be- 

 ing tatiened she is of the same age as those gen- 

 erally killed for bacon, and equal to them ; this 

 is true, but for llii.' firs! liner, on account of Imm' 

 age, the produce is small in inunher; it is only 

 upon arriving at matures age that the prolific- pow- 

 ers of this cieatnre are shown, ami that too I'm' a 

 series of years ; being then not eipial in qmdity 

 as bacon to a younger :inimal, but fidly making 

 iq) (()r loss in quality by size. 



The apliuidif to lalteii is a marked peculiarity 

 in this branch of stock, and to secure its speedy 

 anil elfeciu.d attainmcul, it is necessary to pro- 

 vide dry loilgin:; — the advamages of a well-drain- 

 ed sly can oidy be kiujwn from practical experi- 

 ence ; the habit of the animal, in the excrements 

 being I'omul in one spot generally the liavest 

 ground, plainly imiicale that natiu'e inteudeil him 

 to be cleanly to thrive, ami thrive he will lo a de- 

 gree, miller such circumstaiiees calculated to 

 content and deli;;ht his (<?eder. 



I'erliaps one of the most interesting scenes in 

 rural life is the working man's care of, and at- 

 lention, to his piy and sly. It is only in the Irish 

 cabin that our lero is the principal member in 

 the fiimily circle, and takes his meals as such ; — 

 with the Eiigllsli cott.iger he is kept in his priper 

 station in life, and wilh consisleul treatment. To 

 keep a pig is to this m.in a [loiut of dislinction 

 to arrive at his sphere, it is the line of demarca- 

 tion helween the iuilustiious peasant and the 

 poor laborer, between poverty and daily bread ; 

 ■ he possession of tlietreasura is to him a rise in 

 the affairs of life, it has a cheering influence 

 upon the inmates of the cottage circle, and a 

 cominanding mflnence in his own private circle 

 of friend.s. And when some kind neighbor lean- 

 ing over the sty, asks how the pig goes on — be- 

 fore any inquiries are made after the fiimily — 

 the self-satisfied response of" Why he's thriving " 

 — displays u fervency of good feeling and of 

 thaiikfidness. Loin; may tliy hardy sons of toil, 

 oh, happy England ! possess this time revered 

 reward of their honest labors. 



There is no doubt but that the object here des- 

 canted upon is one of the most valuable produc- 

 tions in agricultnnd afliiiis. As food il is a long 

 relished article, and a more genenil diet in this 

 country than any other animal food, and yet the 

 creature itself like other useful dredges is not 

 looked upon by the million ill a respectable com- 

 parison wilh his brethren of the yard and fold ; 

 although he may be treated contemptnosly while 

 living, yet the most liistidions fancier of his viil- 

 gaiity will condescend lo partake of his dried 

 haunches, and will, like the overscrupulous Ma- 

 homedans, at length " eat up the hog." — Jlgticul- 

 tural Gazelle. 



Frciiii till' I^n:tnn Journal. 

 Railroads* 



We live in an age of Locomotives, and yet 

 few persons have p.iused to trace their origin and 

 progress, oi know even what year tliey first com- 

 inenced running. 



The first Kaih-oad Company in ICuKlatul was 

 incorporated in the year 18"2t'. The experiment 

 was made between Liverpool and Manchester. 

 The charter was vigorously opposed in Parlia- 

 ment by Ihe inland navigation interest. Those 

 who owned the slock in Canals, trembled jit any 

 new mode of conveyance. Before this period, 

 a cargo of cotton, "which was traiisporled 3000 

 miles across the Atl.inlic fiom New York to Liv- 

 erpool in 20 days, took six weeks to be carricil to 

 the mills of the spinners of Jlaiichester — a dis- 

 tance of only thirty miles." The description of 

 the road across this tract of country, as travelled 

 by Arthur Voung seventy-five years ago, " when 

 lliere were ruts ineasurin:; four fi'et deep and 

 floating wilh mud only," is appalling to those 

 who never travelled through the suanqis of the 

 far-West. It makes one think, what a charm 

 the road between S.-iraloga and Glenn's F.ills 

 must have had in the rainy seasons, when even 

 Ihe last Slimmer, crowds li.ive been wedijed into 

 rickety stages, and drawn over rough, broken, 

 and dangerous paths, by horses so lean and wo- 



l>. L'O :^ ll.J 'li'V I.Mil,, d like lie skeleton (le. 



sceiiiianto irum liuauianle. In Euglunii not a 

 century ago, goods were conveyed on pack-hor- 



ses from London to Edinburgh ; and from Ediii- 

 bnrgh lo Glasgow, only thirly-eight miles, it took 

 a fortnight going and returning. In I7l>3, one 

 stage coach once a monlli started from London 

 and another fiom Ediubiirgh, and each was a 

 fortnight on tin- way. These are tacts worthy 

 of remembrance, when a steamer can now cross 

 ihe All.inliir in eleven ilavs, and tlie mail she 

 brinus fin- the (^'apital in thirty-six hours more, 

 can be deposiied in the Post Oflice at Washing- 

 ton, a distance of 4-10 mill's from her landing. 



There was not only an opposition lo the first 

 project of Ihe Liverpool llailioad, but discour- 

 agement at every step liefore it went into opera- 

 tion. When that great and enterprising engi- 

 neer, Mr. Stephenson, talked to his companions 

 on the committee, of the application of steam 

 power and of a rate of twelve miles an hour, 

 they were astonniled. I'hey stared at him as a 

 man of lunar reveries. The iiicrednlous public 

 derided his plans, and set him down as the olil 

 fashioned thinkers once did our own immortal 

 l-'ullon, for a visionary empiric. Indeed, they 

 regarded the project as impossible : and eveu 

 one distinguished writer withdrew his inftnence 

 and his name from such a mail scheme, and, 

 says the Edinburgh Keviewer, ^' lejt his disclaimer 

 on record in n published work." And yet, to the 

 astonishment of every one, that Railway within 

 two years was traversed bi/ " The Rocket " at up- 

 wards of twenlij-nine miles an hour ! The ques- 

 tion was thus settled forever. The problem, on 

 which hung a revolution in commerce, a rapid 

 intercourse and ihe diffusion of knowledge, and 

 indeed the future destiny of the world, was sol- 

 ved, clearly, fidly, irrefragibly solved. A won- 

 derfid theory became a practical and fiimiliar 

 fact. I can hardly think of a subject of such 

 overwhelming magnitude, and touching so dee|)- 

 ly all the relations of m:m to man, and nation to 

 nation as this. It has set a new world in motion, 

 and may change the face of the earth, by bring- 

 ing the inhaliitants of all countries into mote 

 friendly and indissoluble union. 



This railway vvas opened in 1830. At that 

 time there were private railways, for carriages 

 drawn by horses in Eiitflaud, at some of the mines 

 in France, and at Quiiicy, in this country ; but 

 there icere no locotnolives in use before this lime ; — 

 and therefore il was the first public passenger rail- 

 way in the world. Many obstacles, as the railway 

 progressed, however, impeded the first trials : ma- 

 ny experiments were made and rejected, nulil, fi- 

 nally, a system was introduced which has now be- 

 come a matter of certain science. "Originally 

 the rails were laid on square stone blocks a foot 

 deep and two feet wide." Now, in England, the 

 stone blocks are everywhere abandoned and 

 cross sleepers of tindier permanently and uni- 

 versally used." Great changes have been made 

 in the construction of locomotives, cylinders, 

 cars and niaehinery. The engines at first moved 

 on liinr wlieels, and afterwanls on six. In 1838 

 Dr. Larduer ascertained by experiments wilh 

 dyuaiiiometric instrnments the amount of resis- 

 tance to be overcome, and railroad science is 

 now reduced to a system involving much inathe- 

 nialical and philosophical leariiing,and has open- 

 ed a new field for skillfid engineering. 



In 1840 there were 1300 miles of travelled 

 railroad in England, and dmiiig that year twelve 

 millions of passengers were conveyed on these 

 roads — regarding Ihe number of travellers and 

 not their identity in this computation. In 184) 

 one hundred and fifty-five miles more were ad- 

 ded. In 184.3 eighteen hnmlred miles more were 

 travelled ; and in 1844 nineteen hundred, and 

 thirty millions of passengers weie then convey- 

 ed. Near sixty millions slerling had been inves- 

 ted in this stock, and exjiended in 1844. In 1845, 

 300 miles more were added, and it vvas calcula- 

 ted that the work of .'50,000 stage coaches was 

 done by the railroads in Great Britain. The 

 general gauge or distance between the rails has 

 been as it were by common consent 5(j and a 

 half inches— hnl for about 200 nnles from Loii- 

 don towards Bristol and Exeter, the gauge is 

 sercnti/-hro inche.>J, which separates and insulates 

 this road from all others. This difference of 

 gauge is said to be a great evil, and the track 

 must eventually be remodelled. In all other 

 countries the gauge ailopted has been .56 iind a 

 half inches, lli ir..ro in , bevonit ^lloth..- con- 

 siderations, it IS lii;;hly miportunt, in every coun- 



