274 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



BIARCH 3. 1^41. 



From the Alliany Cullivator. 



ting broken as some mi j!it tliink, by the cattle go- I 



ing out and in. I have used mine two years near- , — 



ly, and not a sinrric liyht has been even cracked. QQjyjp;^jj^;\'pjyp Y'\luE OF PIGS FOR CUT- 



(Tlie manure made by the ca.tle in their stalls is 

 not thrown out of the windows, but is let down 

 through the floor into the cellar.) There should 

 likewise be two rows of liijhts over the great doors 

 and a window in each end near the ridgepole, that 

 is if your barn is to be 50 or an 100 feet in length. 



iM. C. P. 



TING UP. 



That there is a very great difference in the value 

 of pigs of equal weight, when fattened and killed, 

 is known to every buyer and packer of pork, and 

 should be well understood by every farmer. There 

 are certain parts of a hog, such as the hams, lard 

 and mess, much more valuable than other parts, 

 such as the head and feet, and those hogs which 

 give the greatest weight where it is of the most 

 value, other things being equal, are the best ani- 



For tlie New England Farmiir. 



BERKSHIRE AND CHINA SWINE. 

 iMi< EuiTOR— Under this head I noticed in the ! "'"'^ f"'' •>"!•'' "elier and buyer. Weight, however, 

 32d No. of the Farmer, some remarks on the Berk- without reference to the place whore it is found, is 

 shire swine in your vicinity, as being a cross bo 



tween the black hog and alligator ; being " misera- 

 ble feeders, and gaining less than half a pound a 

 day on good feed." Now, IMr Editor, if the Berk- 



generally the standard of value, and a hog that 

 weigh three or four hundred, even if one third 



of it is in the bend and legs, is by many consider- 

 ed first rate. A breed of hogs then, having large 



shire hogs in the vicinity of Boston are of the kind h^ni'S ''''<='' ^'''''^ "'''' '^"' "■<■"' '■"'^^ «''«" "ecks. 



described by " .\ Beginner," they do not ''begin" 

 to be like what we call Berkshire here. Mine are 

 from Bemeiit's stock at Albany. They do not re- 

 semble the alligator, unless he be a very quiet ani- 

 mal. In form they resemble the very best of the '' pig- 

 ships," and as to " moonshine," they only resemble \ 



small heads, and slender legs and feet, is the one 

 which is to be preferred, if there is sufficient weight 

 of carcass and aptitude to fatten. Perhaps with 

 an exception in a single point, (that of weiglit,) the 

 Chinese hog comes nearer the standard of perfec- 

 tion than any other ; and this defect in size, while 



that when the hair is off, which leaves a fine white i ^^^ "^'i'"' valuable points have been retained, has 

 skin, which resembles somewhat the moon's light I been best corrected, we think, by the cross with 

 rays. As to gaining on good food half a pound a j t''" Berkshires. The gn-at thickness of these hogs 

 day, I tried one in the summer of '39, which weigh- g'^^s a weight of ham unequaled in any other, and 

 ed 74 lbs. to commence with; and at the end of ^''oir round, capacious carcass furnishes ample room 

 14 days it weighed 100 Ib.s., being 20 lbs. gained I f"""" '^'<^' '^''ich experience shows is usually fully 

 in 14 days—the food not the best. A pig which I [ f":cupted. Many liave been disappointed in killing 

 thought not fit to breed from, I fattened for cxperi- Berkshire pigs, because they looked smooth and 

 ment the same season : whole cost of keeping .$14, '■°""'' "■'"^" =°"'P"'^'' with the Alhgat.,rs, .ind it 



(corn being only $1 per bu.-ihel at that time;) — 

 weight at ten months old, 270 lbs. ; price 7 cts. per 

 lb. Last fall I fattened a full blood lierkshire at 

 the usual age of fattening here, (about 18 months ) 

 I fed him on corn meal alone for near two months ; 

 he consumed one bushel in nine days; weighed 

 when dressed 474 lbs. I also fed several three 

 fourths Berkshire, one fourtli white Clina, all were 



seems to have been supposed that they should 

 weigh without feeding, as much as the latter after 

 months of stuffing. No one has a right to expect 

 this : the true point at issue is — which pig, with 

 the same food, will make the most meat, and of the 

 most valuable kind ? — and, tried by this rule, we 

 have no fears for the Berkshir". 



Our pen of hogs this year consisted of five hogs 



good feeders, put on liesh well, and when killed of one of the best common breeds, and one Berk- 



shire. The lot was from 18 to 24 months old, the 

 lierkshire the oldest, 'i'hey were none of them in 

 higli order when put up, anJ were fed wholly on 

 steamed apples and potatoes, with the exception of 

 about twenty bushels of screenings, refuse wheat 

 and oats mixed tot;ether and ground. The ave- 

 rage weight of the whole was 37.5 lbs. eacli ; that 

 of the Berkshire alone was 430 lbs. Several of 



were falter than any liogs I have ever fattened des- 

 titute of Berkshire blood, although I have tried the 

 razor back, Byfield and many of the improved 

 breeds. If, however, I wanted a hardy hog, a good 

 feeder, and one that would put on the most flesh, 

 on a given portion of food, and was satisfied with a 

 hog of 300 or 350 lbs. weight, I would prefer three 

 quarters Berkshire, one quarter White China, to 

 any other breed with which I am acquainted ; but if I 'he common pigs were longer than the Berkshire, 

 I wanted a good feeder, a hardy hog, and one that ! but the weight in the latter was on the most valua- 

 would weigh from 4 to .TOO, 1 would take the full , ^'e parts, and we have never seen a hog that ex 

 blood Berkshire. As " A Beginner" would bo sat- 



isfied with a three liundred hog, I would recommend 

 the cross named, and think by commencing with it, 

 and seli'cting his whitish pigs to breed from, ob- 

 taining occasionally one from another family to pre- 

 vent breeding in and in, I think he would soon have 

 " ivhite hogs to his mark." But why does " A Be- 

 ginner" abominate black) If he is an anti-aboli- 

 tionist, be it known unto him that the Berkshire 

 has not a black skin. Many of our beet men have 

 black hair, and wear black coats : why may not a 

 hog do the same without committing an abomina- 

 tion ? especially since men do not eat bristle.';, and 

 if they did, it is not likely there is a diffisrence be- 

 tween the taste of a black and a white one. 



Onk who phekkhs Form to Color. 

 West Thompson, Ct., Feb. 14, 1841. 



ceeded him in the hams and lard, while the weight 

 of the less valuable parts was proportionably less. 

 They were fed little more than two months. 



Since writing the 'above, we have been favored 

 with a copy of the Report of the Committee on 

 Swine, made to the Tompkins Co. Agricultural So- 

 ciety, in which are some very just remarks on the 

 subject discussed above, and on the relative value 

 of the several varieties of pigs now generally grown 

 und fed in the country. Prom this report we make 

 the fidlowing extract, as illustrating more fiiHy the 

 opinions we have expressed. 



"The following experiment, made by the chair- 

 man of thi.-i committee last December, in cutting 

 up his pork, will show that the Berkshire pig cuts 

 up well, and has less offal than other breeds, in 

 proportion to the valuable parts. The first exam- 



ple is a sow, common breed, 2 1-2 years old; had 

 raised one litter of pigs in July and August, 1839. 

 She weighed as follows in parcels — whole weight 

 235 pounds. 'J he second is a half biood Berkshire 

 sow, IS months old ; had raised two litters of pigs; 

 one in March and April, and the other in Seplember 

 and October, 1839 — slauglitered in December — 

 Whole weight 204 pounds, in parcels as below. 

 The third example that we will give is a half blood 

 Berkshire barrow, 18 months old, killed at the same 

 time, and all fattened in the ordinary way — whole 

 weight 330 pounds, in parcels as follows: 



235 lbs. 2i 4 lbs. 3:56 lbs. 



The following from the same report, is commen- 

 dation strongly expressed, but we think facts will 

 fully bear out the writer in his remarks : 



" The Berkshire is a hardy hog, and a good feeder, 

 and is as well adapted to consume t!ie coarse food 

 of the farm, as any other breed ; and it is believed 

 they will make a greater return in flesh for the food 

 they consume than any other breed, except perhaps 

 the China, and as large a return as they will. They 

 are also remarkable quiet hogs, which is a very de- 

 sirable quality with the farmer. 'I hey keep out of 

 mischief, and save their flesh by their gentleness. 

 Their skin is white when dressed and very thin. — 

 Their pork is firm and solid, and of the very best 

 quality. Their hams are unrivalled ; and possess a 

 higher character where known, than the ham of any 

 other breed of hogs in existence." 



From the same. 



USEFUL RECIPES. 



To citre poisoned Lambs. — I send you a recipe to 

 cure lambs when poisoned with M'ilhey, so called 

 here. It grows on lowlands, about one foot high, 

 and is green the year round. To half a pound of 

 black tea, put one quart of water — boil it until you 

 get the strength of the tea, sweeten with molasses 

 and give two table spoonfuls at a time. One dose 

 is in most cases sufficient. 



ISAAC CHANDLER, 



Great Falls, A". H. 



For Bots in Horses. — A junk bottle full of strong 

 sage tea, made very sweet with molasses. Two or 

 three doses is generally sufficient for a cure. 



J. PARKER, Jr. 



Trenton, jY. J. 



Hiccough or Hicup. — We have been sometimes 

 racked for an hour or two by this uncomfortable af- 

 fection ; but we think we have found a simple reme- 

 dy : about a table spoonful of good vinegar with as 

 much sugar as the vinegar will dissolve, has given 

 us instant and effiective relief. — Ed. 



Happy is he who in regretting his past indiscre- 

 tions, can say, I never led a companion into evil. 



