110 



Farming. — Medium Sized vs. Large Hogs. 



Vol. VI. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Fariniug. 



Mr. Editor, — For several years I have 

 been a subscriber to three of the agricultural 

 works of this country, and to the "Cabinet" 

 from its commencoment: I have not, of 

 course, failed to read them, and I am free to 

 say tiiat I have done so with equal pleasure 

 and instruction; and I may add, lliat the in- 

 terest I feel in ae^riculture has been greatly 

 enhanced from the time 1 began regularly to 

 peruse these publications. I am entirely ig- 

 )iorant of the practical operations of farming, 

 having been brought up in the city, and a 

 constant resident thereof; bur, of the theory, 

 it may be presumed I know some little from 

 my readings. I have always been disposed 

 to think, and now more than ever, that the 

 pursuit of farming is as honourable and enno- 

 bling to man as it is conducive to pleasure, 

 health and contentment; and when contrasted 

 with the pursuit of mercantile affairs in the 

 city, with all their exciting, perplexing, and 

 harassing career, leaves them far in the shade; 

 but of the proftis of tilling the earth I am not 

 so certain, and as they belong to the practi- 

 cal part of farming, I confess I am not able 

 to form any correct idea of them, in order to 

 contrast the two. You, or some of your sub- 

 scribers, can enable me to do so, by furnishing 

 me with some data to serve as a basis on 

 which to make my calculations. I incline to 

 the belief, that the same amount of capital 

 judiciously invested in the pursuit of agricul- 

 ture, would, at the termination of a series 

 of years, say 20, show quite as great profits 

 as it would if invested in the pursuit of com- 

 merce. There are exceptions, of course, in 

 some cases of extraordinary success in com- 

 merce, but I desire to contrast the mass. I 

 have myself been engaged in the commercial 

 business for the past 15 years, having com- 

 menced in 1827, with good connections and 

 a capital of $15,000, and have been looked 

 upon and am now deemed a successful mer- 

 chant; and 1 can assure you so great have 

 been my reverses at one time or another, and 

 so numerous have been our convulsions and 

 crises, that I am iiot now worth any more 

 than when I began, if so much. 1 have had 

 my living out of my business, of course, but 

 tliat has been all my profit. 



Now I can assure you, seriously, that I am 

 much inclined to quit this and buy a farm, 

 before I am rendered unable to do so; and if 

 from those who can speak practically on the 

 subject of farming, I can have any encourage- 

 ment, I think I will add another to the list 

 of those who profit by experience. G. M. 



We cannot break the connexion in our 

 own ideas between gentleness and goodness. 



From the Western Fanner. 

 Medium Sized vs. Large Hogs. 



Mr. Editor, — You are aware that I am 

 now, and have been ever since lb20, exten- 

 sively engaged in pork-packing in this city; 

 and I feel that I may without presumption, 

 lay claim to not a little experience in the bu- 

 siness. It is fully as much to my interest, 

 and that of every one else engaged in curing 

 pork for market, as the interest of the farmer, 

 that the very best breeds of hogs should be 

 scattered over the country. 



When 1 first entered into it, the pork 

 brought to us was produced from the same 

 miserable race yet to be found through much 

 the greater part of the West. It yielded us 

 little lard, and the sides were unfit for mess 

 or clear pork — too thin, and only fit for bacon. 

 The first improvement we had was the little 

 chunky China hog — a perfect mass of lard — 

 hams light and too fat — though the waste of 

 offal was trifling. The next we had was the 

 large Warren county hog, requiring years to 

 maUire, and then coming to us of an enor- 

 mous weight — great waste of ofi^al — the hams 

 too large and badly shaped, as was also the 

 shoulder — and the sides, nevertheless of their 

 great size, were thin in proportion. They 

 were still a great improvement. The crosses 

 of these and the Russia and Byfield, in the 

 hands of some of the more judicious breeders, 

 produced a very excellent hog — and we who 

 were the purchasers, were anxious for any 

 improvement on the unprofitable wood hogs 

 usually raised. 



Tliough, as I have remarked, so long en- 

 gau'ed in the business of packing, I had paid 

 but little attention to the breeding of hogs, 

 though always keeping a few of the best I 

 could find, on my farm, and improving them 

 to the best of my ability. It was not until 

 some of the part-bred Berkshires were brought 

 to us from Butler and Warren counties, that 

 I was struck with the great improvement they 

 were on any thing I had yet seen. The per- 

 fect manner in which they were fattened — 

 their extraordinary length of body, and the 

 thickness of the side meat — their small, yet 

 thick, fleshy shoulder — the great weight and 

 handsiime form of their hams — the great yield 

 of lard, and little waste of oflal, either of in- 

 side waste, or head and bone, proved to me 

 that they were a something entirely different 

 and altogether superior to any other breed 

 within my knowledge. On making further 

 inquiry respecting them, I found them equally 

 advantageous to the farmer and drover, as to 

 the pork-packer. Prolific and easily kept; 

 maturing early and fattening kindly to as 

 great weights as were desirable ; stamping 

 their own character strongly on any other 

 breed with which they might be crossed ; and 



