1835.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



359 



side of a good fence, arc worth more to me, ulti- 

 mately, than ten outside — or, in plain English, 

 "raised in the woods." Bat I will here remark, 

 that tor a hundred "good reasons me thereunto 

 moving," I always include in every field, if possi- 

 ble, water and woodland, especially if marshy, or 

 the heads of branches. With the raising and fat- 

 tening of hogs, I combine, as far as possible, the 

 fabrication of manure. For my stock hogs, I have 

 a standing pen adjoining my dungstead, for the 

 purpose of occasionally mixing their manure with 

 that of the cattle, horses, mules, &c. This pen is 

 littered with leaves, or pine, straw, regularly — and 

 as regularly emptied. Through one end, a long 

 shed, sufficient lor the standing stoi'k, shelters 

 them when they choose to avail themselves of it. 

 That part not. covered is densely shaded with 

 trees that were topped for the. purpose. The 

 whole is what every person of common means and 

 capacity may have. For my breeding sows, I 

 take care to have a good rye pasture, after they 

 produce, pigs — or a rich crab grass one — and for 

 all a plum orchard, peach orchard — and for win- 

 ter range, a field of the black and red tory pea, for 

 about two hours in the day. This, with ripe cu- 

 cumbers, melon rinds, simblins, pumpkins, cab- 

 bage leaves, and turnips of different kinds, &c. 

 secures them plenty. For the purpose of securing 

 the progress of the manure heap, all that can con- 

 veniently, and with economy of time, be thrown 

 to them is so given. A part of every day they 

 are permitted, unless in very wet, or severe wea- 

 ther, to run into the field, and adjoining woodland, 

 and which latter, I conceive, contains what nature 

 may require in that animal, for the preservation of 

 its health — aiding in the formation of manure, as 

 well as health of the animal. Rotten wood is oc- 

 casionally thrown into the pen, with the remains 

 of coal-kilns, or tar-kilns, &c. The time they are 

 out of the pen. does not embrace more than one- 

 third of the day. Every second day in the even- 

 ing, or rather near night, I give to every four head, 

 one ear of corn, shelled into water in the morning, 

 and every fourth day, just before giving, drained 

 off, and rolled in fine salt, suffering as much to 

 adhere to it. as will adhere. Every Monday, I 

 add a sprinkling of powdered copperas, and every 

 second Monday, a little brimstone. The corn I 

 give in narrow troughs, laying it down in hand- 

 t'uls, or mixing it carefully in the trough, in the 

 bottom of which, every Monday, is placed some 

 dry hickory, or black-jack ashes. At one year 

 old, each hog averages one bushel of corn. At 

 two years my hogs average 200 lbs. of pork each. 

 Whenever time and circumstances will possibly 

 admit, I cut rye and oats, and gather the peaches 

 and apples, and throw into their pen — detaining 

 the hogs in it as long as possible. During those 

 days, they get about one hour out to go to water. 

 In the fattening, I pursue the same rule precise- 

 ly, varying only in the time they are allowed to 

 roam abroad, not exceeding one hour in the mid- 

 dle of the day. All the vegetable diet they get, 

 such as pumpkins, ruta baga, sweet potatoes, &c. 

 is steamed, and mashed up with corn meal. Fer- 

 mented drink that has just reached the acetous 

 fermentation, is given three times per day, in a 

 clean trough. For lazy hoo;s, the saking, by dou- 

 bling the quantity, is a perfect cure. The excite- 

 ment it produces in the stomach for green food 

 and water, drives them to the woods, and the ap- 



petite it keeps us, keeps them going. My hogs 

 have uniform health. [ have not lost one by any 

 other disease than the knife, for years. They fat- 

 ten kindly, and my meat has been pronounced by 

 Virginians to be fine. I believe that the real fat- 

 tening disposition of the animal is only kept up 

 by the best state of animal health. There is a 

 fattening disposition. The production of disease 

 and obesity, is the result generally of gorging 

 with improper food, or rather (bod not altogether 

 calculated to produce sound animal flesh. 



Pursuing the foregoing, I will insure freedom 

 from worms, in every part, and in every stage of 

 the life of the hog, and also a fine quantity of su- 

 perior manure, with sound animal flesh for diet. 



Alabama, July 29th, 1S35. 



AGRICOLA. 



ON THE USE OF LIME AS A MANURE. 



By M. Puvis. 



Translated for the Farmers' Register from the Annates de I'Ag- 

 ricultwre Francaise, of 1835. 



[The publication of the following communication to 

 the Annates de ^Agriculture Francaise, was commenc- 

 ed in the February No. of that journal, (which was 

 received here in May,) and the June No. contains the 

 end of the first part, "On Liming," and enables us to 

 offer the translation of that portion to our readers. On- 

 ly a few pages of the next portion of the series, "On 

 marling,'" has yet appeared, and not enough to permit 

 a judgement to be formed of its worth. 



Though there are many deficiencies in this treatise 

 on liming — and also opinions as to the theory .>fthe ac- 

 tion of lime, in which we cannot coincide — still, on 

 the whole, we consider it as presenting far more cor- 

 rect views, and more satisfactory information, both on 

 theory and practice, than any other work on liming 

 that we have before seen. In other points, and those 

 of most importance, the facts here presented, (and now 

 first learned from any European authority,) strongly 

 sustain the views maintained in the Essay on Calca- 

 reous Manures. It would be both unnecessary and ob- 

 trusive to remind the reader of these points of differ- 

 ence, and of agreement, whenever passages exhibiting 

 either may occur. They will therefore generally be 

 submitted in the author's words, without comment. A 

 few exceptions only to this rule will be made, in cases 

 which appear particularly to call for them. 



We have no information whatever of M. Puvis, the 

 author of this treatise, previous to the appearance of 

 the commencement of the publication in the Annates. 

 But he is evidently well informed on his subject, and 

 is stated by the introductory remarks of the French 

 editor, to be entitled to all respect, for his long expe- 

 rience, and his practical, as well as scientific investi- 

 gation of the subject. If then there remains no 

 ground to distrust his judgement or his facts, the state- 

 ments made are most important to a very large portion 

 of this country, which has heretofore been generally 

 supposed to be deprived of all possible benefit from 

 the use of calcareous manures, on account of their re- 

 moteness and high price of carriage. M. Puvis states 

 that the most successful and profitable liming in Eu- 

 rope (for the expense incurred) is in repeated applica- 



