156 



NEW KNGLAND FARMER, 



NOVEBIBER 8S, 1833. 



MIDDLESEX CATTLE SHOW. 



THE COaiJHITTEE ON SWINE 



Respedfull}/ Report : — Tliat they \m\c ililitrently 

 ntfpnded to the duty assignee! them, and submit 

 the followiug. 



From ohservtition in different parts of the 

 County, yonr cnminittee believe tint tliere is no 

 animal whose management is better imderstood, 

 and more succcssfiilly jjractised, than tiiat of the 

 hog. And yet it necessarily happens that the an- 

 nual exhibition is more deficient iu this part, than 

 in the case of any other animal. This remark is 

 more particularly applicable to very large and fat 

 Siviue, which cannot be driven, at all, nor trans- 

 ])ortpd, without considerable expense and injury. 

 Ti'.is is a misfortune, not imputable to any one ; 

 but it should be taken into consideration, in esti- 

 niaiius the relative merits of the ditfcrent ])arts of 

 the exliibition. 



It is believed that no other branch of husbandry 

 is more valuable, on the whole, than this. For if 

 it be true, that sometimes, and even often, the 

 proceeds of pork in the market, do not much, if 

 any, exceed what might have been taken for the 

 corn, still the man*we is an ample compensation 

 for the labor. And it is what the farmer must 

 have, and what he could not procure in sufficient 

 quantity in any other way. It is true that economy 

 must be used, in this, as in all thinirs else, not 

 thai economy, which consists in parsimoniously 

 dealing out food, after the manner of a contractor 

 in a poor house. True economy consists in re- 

 pleni.ihiug the trough, at regular and short inter- 

 vals. With such management, the hogs will eat 

 less, and fat faster. A hog, to fat ^vcU, should 

 have nothing to prey upon his mind. It is with 

 him, as with us, the mere apprehension of pov- 

 erty often makes us poor. Feed liiui well, so 

 that he may not be obliged to squeal for a living. 

 He is, in truth, a jjrofessional ch.iractcr. His of- 

 fice is to grow fat. Let him not he disturbed with 

 other cares. So shall his leisuie hours, which 

 would otherAvise be wasted in idle squealing, be 

 devoted to those sound and refreshing slumbers, 

 whose end is fatness. 



Your Conmiittee have been dicply impressed 

 with the consideration that the spot, which they 

 now tread, is no other than the H-eue, where a 

 celebrated individual of this inteii^sting class of 

 animals, came to a most niclauclioy and untimely 

 end ; and they ask leave to relate generally, the 

 facts connected with that tragical event. It ^\as 

 on a flue morning, towards the dose of the last 

 century, that the sun arose iu smiling splendor 

 and cast his cheering beams on the time-worn 

 dwelling of the unsuspecting victim. His two 

 legged tyrant Avas yet enjoying his morning slum- 

 bers, when his black man Cato, proceeded to 

 execute the orders of the preceding evening, by 

 removing the tenant to what they pleased to style 

 " the new hog-house." Without iiuch explana- 

 tion, a rope was made fast to the mse of the de- 

 fondant, who, not understanding exactly what 

 Calo would be at, and doubting moreover his au- 

 thority iu the premises, made his ippeal to the 

 right of the strongest ; insomuch that the knight 

 of the rope was obliged to take respie, by making 

 the other end fast to a tree. It happened that a 

 wood merchant, from another town, had already 

 aiTived with his load, and had left his team, m 

 search of a purchaser. The thought struck Cato, 

 that there would be no harm in just trjing the 



strength of his horse ; and so loosing him from 

 the oxen, he made him fast to the rope. 



Your committee had well nigh forgot to men- 

 tion, that the hero of the tragedy had, all along, 

 raised his voice in decided accents against these 

 proceedings, fearing, no doubt, that some lawyer 

 might trap him on the ground of assent ; and 

 when he perceived that Cato intended to take ad- 

 vantage oi" horse-power, his indignation was roused 

 to a most becoming height, imd he resisted with 

 an obstinacy little le.ss than human. Yonr com- 

 mittee regret to say, that it was all in vain ! The 

 horse, not uiulerstaudiug the precise nature of his 

 loading, and not miudi fancj'iug the looks of the 

 driver, set ofi'fbr home at full .speed, with the hog 

 at his heels. Cato stood aghast! mid taking the 

 subject into sudden consideration, cleared out, 

 leaving appearimces to explain themselves. Metm- 

 while the master had been awakened by the re- 

 monstrances of his hog, and the o^^^ler of the 

 horse returned just in season to take a farewell 

 glimpse. Each viewed the other as the undoubted 

 author of the mischief, and a battle of words en- 

 sued, which every one will conceive, according to 

 the powers of his imagination. They were only 

 restrained from blows, by the necessity of looking 

 after their departed favorites. Suffice it to add, 

 that the horse was found safe at home, with no 

 other injiu-y, than being a little overstrained in his 

 wondering department ; insomuch, that, to his 

 last day, he coidd never form any satisfactory 

 opinion of the kind of business they carry on at 

 Concord. But aUus ! for the sequel. The hog 

 continued to resist manfully to the last ; being lefV 

 by the way side, a mangled and breathless corse ; 

 a victim to the spirit of freedom ; and a glorious 

 example of resistance to arliitrary power ! And 

 here was spilt the first blood that was shed in that 

 memorable war. 



Yonr conunittee would, on no account, dismiss 

 this part of their report, without embodying there- 

 in, tho.se useful maxuus which it naturally suggests 



And they see not why a jilaiu relation of facts 

 shoidd not as well be entitled to a moral, as n 

 mere fable of the imagination. 



1. Be sure to rise early and .sec to your hogs. 

 2. Never apjieal to the right of tlie strongest, till 

 you know with whom you are dealing. 3. Do 

 not forget lliat hogs have some rights as well as 

 other people. 4. Never set Cato to do what yoii 

 can do better yourself. 5. When you come tu 

 Concord, keep watch of your horse. 6. Always 

 suspect Cato. 7. Remend)er, one and all, that a 

 rope may bring you to an untimely end. 



In view of this truly tragical scene, yonr com- 

 mittee caimot but con.sider it as a specimen o! 

 that flagrant injustice, which has been too long 

 exercised toward the race, of which the deceased 

 was a worthy member. From the time of the 

 ancient Jews, this animal seems to have been ;i 

 couuuon object of obloquy and reproach. Anil 

 your committee camiot better express their own 

 views, than by inserting herein, entire, a commu- 

 uication addres.sed to them by a sensible individ- 

 ual of a drove which lately passed through the 

 County. 

 To the Hog Committee of the .Igriailtural Societij of the 

 County of Miildlesez. 



Gentlemen — While niy fellow travellers are takinir 

 their repose, and our drover his dram, I seize the occa- 

 sion to address you in behalf of my species, with a hope 

 that you will abate something of your prejudices against 

 us, and be made more sensible of our merits and our 

 wrongs ; and I am not without some hope of exciting a 



friloir feeling iu the members of your Society, and most 

 especially in y ourseWes. We flatter ourselves moreover, 

 til it in the report, which you will soon be called upon 

 to niiike. you will be induced to exercise, toward us, 

 that charily which you profess so ioudiy for each other; 

 ind that you will do to us, as you would wish us to do, 

 f c.illi d on to report our opinion cf you. We all have 

 ur failings, you know ; and if we find ours in tlie Coii- 

 ord Gazette, you may look for yours in tlie Charlestown 

 Lurora. 



\Ve think we hare some reason to complain of the 

 onduct of your ancestors towards ours. The practice 

 f ijokiiia and ringing, introduced so long ago as the 

 ?irrn of William and Mary, and continued in force in 

 our st.ilute bonk to the present time, savors to us 

 roni^rly of what you would call a hoffirish ao-e. We 

 liipluin especially, that, while your constitutional writ 

 h ibeas corpus secures, to you, your personal liberty, 

 is made to depend on the contradictory decisions of 

 t you arc pleased to call your primary assemblies, in 

 licli we are generally represented by a small minority. 

 { your statute of 17df- Chapter 5{i, it is enacted among- 

 ofier strange things, that •' any town may give libeitv 

 swine to go at large, from the l.^ith day of April, to 

 1st day of November, proriilal they be sujirirntty 

 ■III. and constantly ringed in the nose," And that it 

 y be known what a sv^icient yoking doth mean, " Be 

 itjfiirlher enacted, that a yoke, which is the full depth 

 0^ the .s;n.ine's neck, above the neck, and half so much 

 bdlow the neck; and the soal, or bottom of the yoke, 

 f^l! three times as Ions as the breadth or thickness of 

 tile Swine's neck. on which it is placed, shall be deemed 

 and t;ikeii to be a sufficient yoking, within tlie true in- 

 tent and meaning of this act." 



It is true, that these leg-al enactments have, in some 

 ^grco, become inoperative; but, whether this refine- 

 lenl in the manners of the age is to be attributid prin- 

 pally to your species or ours, it would not be modesty 

 1 us to say — 



We know it would be vain to reason against your 

 ptactice of ending our existence in the morning of life ; 

 iiasiiiuch as your interest is your motive. We are 

 a,ya:e that you consider us as created for your use, and 

 we submit in silence ; soring ulways, to us, and our suc- 

 ceitdrs, our ancient right of squeaking ad libitum, when- 

 cv^ you lay a finger upon us. We only nsk tiiat. dur- 

 ing our short sojournment among you, you will treat us 

 with {rreater respect, and endeavor to make our situation 

 more cninibrlablc. We do not like, for instance, to hear 

 you sjii-ak of the " swinish multitude." We consider 

 it an invidious comparison. We have also been greatly 

 astonished in our minds, and shocked in our feelings, 

 when we have overheard you accuse each other of " get- 

 ting ns lirunh os n beiist."^ For we are not so iii-norant 

 of men and things, as not to know that man is the only 

 iiniinnl that gets drunk at all. And we think espe- 

 cially that you should cease such language, when you 

 call to mind how kindly we tucked up one of your frail 

 brethren, when he lately sought repose in our bed of 

 straw. 



We would not boast of our merits ; but we hope to be 

 cused for mentioning some of the benefits which we 

 nfl-r on your race. And, first of all, have we not 

 iriven name and character to a society inyourfirstlilerary 

 nstltution .' Who does not know that the " Pi}; Club," 

 n Harvard University, has grown immensely wise and 

 fat, by the iinmolation of our infant offspring ? And 

 (rain, does not your favorite dish of the bean pot, owe 

 tlie richness of its flavor, to the once dcspiicd tenant of 

 the hog pen ? And do we not often gratify your pride, 

 aye, and fill your empty purses too, by appearing at 

 your Cattle Shows? And are we not tolerable good 

 company, on your way thither, and back ? What sup- 

 ports, and sustains your militia officers, in their loftiest 

 elevation, and in their proudest moments i" Does not 

 even your Major General rest entirely on our skins 

 when performing Iiis most glorious achievements at a 

 muster.' 



Then again you complain of our want of neatness ! 

 and who pray furnishes you with the means of being 

 otherwise ? If we were disposed to paint our habita- 

 tions, inside and out, as you do ; or even to white wash 

 tliem, as you do your out houses ; can you. of your ow'n 

 substance, furnish us with brushes, or any thing else for 

 the purpose .' If we were supplied as you are, who can 

 sav whether yemr parlor floor or ours would e.\cel in 

 neatness? Without any aid from youT flesh brush, Ao 

 we not contrive to keep our pores as open, and our skins 

 ,Ts cholera proof as your own? With all the aids you 

 might have from the clothes brush, are you quite sure 

 that your outer man will, in all cases, compare with 

 ours ? Though we furnish you with the means of pre- 



