SWINE. 



fended as cures. The diseases of swine are 

 generally the result of want of care and clean- 

 liness, or arise from injudicious and irregular 

 feeding; from their being kept in loathsome 

 and uncomfortable situations, inhaling the most 

 noxious vapours^ and at one time overfed, and 

 another stinted in their supply of food. Is it 

 to be wondered at that they become subject to 

 internal and cutaneous diseases 1 Fortunately 

 they will generally eat when even sick ; and 

 salts (1 to 2 oz.), sulphur (2 to 3 drachms), an- 

 timony, and such like aperients, may be mixed 

 with their food for measles, and other disorders 

 arising from an impure state of the blood. If 

 they will not eat, there can of course be no 

 cure applied. 



In swine-pox, sulphur and madder may be 

 administered in small quantities, with treacle, 

 in the wash ; fresh brewer's grains, or pollard, 

 may also be given. Madder and sulphur will 

 also be found the best alterants in foulness of 

 the skin or habit. Salt, mixed with ground 

 ivy, leeks, or other similar vegetables, is one 

 of the best applications for the sores of swine. 

 But for cutaneous diseases in general, an oint- 

 ment formed of equal parts of mutton suet and 

 tar, with the addition of a little sulphur, will 

 be found beneficial. Strong beer and pea- 

 porridge are recommended as tonics. 



In cases of surfeit, indigestion, or injury 

 from eating slightly poisonous matter, swine 

 \rill refuse their food, constantly lie down, and 

 have the stomach distended. In this case, two 

 heads of garlic, mixed with 6 oz. of fresh but- 

 ter, will afford relief, given every 6 hours. 

 Soap-suds are said to have the effect of empty- 

 ing the stomach. 



The most formidable of the diseases to which 

 swine are liable, is inflammation of the lungs, 

 and other internal parts. This disease has 

 been known to destroy a fourth of the hogs in 

 a distillery in the course of a few weeks. The 

 chief indications of the disease will be the dis- 

 tressing cough, the heaving of the flanks, and 

 the refusal of all food. Bleeding must be 

 promptly resorted to, and moderate purges 

 cautiously administered. The safest aperients 

 are castor oil or Epsom salts, after which the 

 following sedative powder may be given : fox- 

 glove (digitalis) 2 grs., antim. powd. 2 grs., 

 nitre half a drachm. 



In cases of murrain, a species of leprosy, 

 which prevails chiefly in hot seasons, the best 

 advice that can be given is to keep the animal 

 cool, and not suffer carrion or portions of ani- 

 mal food to be given. 



The health of swine is to be estimated by 

 their cheerfulness, by the gloss upon their 

 coats, their skin being wholly free from erup- 

 tion. If pigs snort on being disturbed, it is an 

 excellent sign of sound health and good keep. 

 The state of the excrement or digestions will 

 generally indicate pretty correctly the thriving 

 condition of the animal, for unless these are 

 of a firm consistence, the hog will not fatten 

 rapidly. If store or stock-pigs are kept well 

 and in good condition, it will prevent most of 

 the diseases to which the animals are subject, 

 and they will also thrive and fatten at half the 

 expense when shut up for that purpose. From 

 the confinement of the hog, and the nature of 

 1030 



SWINE. 



his food, a description of dyspepsia take* ph 

 a superabundant acid is formed in the stoms 



ace, 



the stomach, 



and, the skin sympathizing, cutaneous erup- 

 tions display themselves ; one of the best pro- 

 phylactics in such a condition of the animal 

 are cinders or charcoal. It operates as a most 

 salutary tonic, and improves the general pow- 

 ers of digestion. Hogs are so fond of cinders, 

 that when a handful of them is thrown into a 

 sly, the animals light for them. 



Weaning. If the young pigs have been well 

 fed, they may be weaned after six weeks, and 

 in all cases in two months. In their after 

 treatment, when separated from their mother, 

 they should be regularly fed 3 times a day, 

 and their food should at first consist of warm 

 liquid food, such as whey, milk, or the refuse 

 of the dairy and kitchen, &c., raised to the 

 temperature of the mother's milk by the addi- 

 tion of a little warm water. They will soon 

 learn to partake of more solid substances. 



The rearing and fattening of the hog pre- 

 sents little difficulty, for this animal is reared 

 equally well on a small or a large scale ; by 

 the cottager, from the wash and refuse of his 

 house and garden, or by the extensive breeder, 

 who has more abundance and variety of food 

 at command. 



As the situation, climate, crops, and other 

 local circumstances must to a great extent 

 regulate the breeding and feeding of swine, it 

 is quite impossible to lay down rules of gene- 

 ral application, or to describe a practice which 

 necessarily varies in almost every district. I 

 shall content myself, therefore, with noticing a 

 few of the substances upon which the animals 

 are usually fed and found to thrive best. 



It constitutes the principal value of swine, 

 that they can be maintained on almost any 

 kind of aliment. In America, Indian corn or 

 maize is largely used. In the West Indies, the 

 cane tops, refuse trash from the cane after the 

 juice has been expressed, and the washings of 

 the sugar-coolers, boilers, distillery vats, &c., 

 form their principal food. In Newfoundland, 

 Labrador, and other parts where fish is plenti- 

 ful, they are freely fed upon the waste refuse 

 from the fisheries; and although they thrive 

 well upon this food, their flesh is coarse and 

 strong. 



Where the farmer or breeder has a rich 

 piece of grass or clover unemployed, hogs 

 which are not put up for feeding may be turned 

 into it with advantage ; but there is an objec- 

 tion to this on the score of the manure which 

 is lost. When the field is so situated that the 

 hogs can return at night to the well-littered 

 sties, the practice may then be found beneficial. 



But roots, rather than herbage, is their na- 

 tural food, such as earthnuts, the roots of 

 couch grass, &c.: acorns, chestnuts, beechmast, 

 hazel-nuts, and other dry seeds and fruits, are 

 eagerly consumed by them ; and hence, in the 

 countries in the south of Europe, in the neigh- 

 bourhood of forests where these abound, they 

 are frequently suffered to range at large and 

 collect their own food. Hogs are also very 

 partial to juicy and pulpy fruits, such as the 

 grape, the orange, the refuse of apples, pears, 

 olives, &c., after the juice has been expressed. 

 Although hay and dried fodder is not adapted 



