NEW ENGI.AND FARMER. 



IHIUUSHKI) l>\ lllOMAS A\ . SlIKi'AKl >, llOCxF.RV (iUll.nLNG:-,- CO.\C;UI>-- ^'IKi:!; I', (lOUKl'll DCIOH [•ROM ST \T1-; H'lUr.KT.) 



.1.. II. 



BOSTON, SA^I^URDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1823 



Farmer''s and Gardener's Rcincmlirancer. 

 [bv thi". editor.] 



N REARING AND FATTENING SWINE. 



otwilhstamling their evil proponsities, lillhy 



niscliicvous habits, and insatiable voracity, 



e are very prolitable animals to a farmer. 



(1, e^ery lamily, in uhicli (here is an^' 



ng ilono. shoiiUI keep at least one hog, 



s ciinriiied in a proper pen, in order to 



2 the washing of pots, dishes, refuse 



&c. 



much depends on the breed ot swine as of 

 omestic animal, as relates to the protit o) 

 ng. The old fashioned, thin, long-legged, 

 nosed, guant-bodied hogs are now, we be- 

 hirdly tolerated in New England, and 

 ecomiiig as scarce as they are ugly and 

 litable. We are but little acquainted with 

 (ferent breeds of their successors, and shall 

 herelbre assume the responsibility of re- 

 ending any particular race. O. Fiske, 

 of Worcester, an able, enlightened, and 

 tic ciiitivator, says, '• my hogs are of the 

 id brecti, so called in England ; and expe- 

 B has proved, to my satisfaction, that this 

 IS far the best that has been introduced 

 ur country. They are quiet in their na- 

 tal easy and with little expense or trouble. 

 ■i had some weigh, at twelve months old, 

 310 pounds, and a consideradle number of 

 jen months old, 400 pound*."* 

 he marks of a good hog are a moderate 

 , in proportion to the size of the body ; 

 ise short; the cheek plump a'ld fuH ; neck 

 and short; quarters full; carcass thick 

 II ; hair line and thin ; with a symmetry 

 •d to the breed to which it belongs. A- 

 all it is essential that it be of a kindly dis- 

 5a to fatten early. -'t 



2 sow should be selected with great care, 

 and straight-backed ; wide hips ; a greai 

 teats ; short legs, and Hire bone. It is 

 lat the sow will produce the stronger and 

 litter, if not allowed to breed till a year 

 id the boar should not be younger than 

 je when put to sows. Sows may be al- 

 to breed till they are six years old, and 

 till live ; and both be made good pork 

 his period, by methods which do not re- 

 descnplion. One male, according to the 

 ete Grazier, should not be permitted to 

 iccess to more than ten females in a year, 

 will, usually, have pigs twice a year, and 

 be put to the males at such times a^ will 

 one litter in Apnl, and another early ni 

 Bber. 



hose sows are accounted the best breed; 

 ;ays the Farmers' Assistant, " which have 

 ten or twelve paps. They should be kepi 

 and well littered ; but should not ha'e toi' 

 litter at the time of piging, lest they over- 

 ir pigs in it. At the end of a week or 

 ys, they should be let out of thoi" sties 

 e yard, for three or four hours eacn daj . 

 2 several sows are farrowing aboit the 



w England Farmer, vol. i, p. 107, 

 mers' Assistant. 



No. 7. 



same time,' they must be I(^hMKitt|t)rnte apart- 1 

 inf'nls in ihe sly lest they il^vSRir the pigs of 

 each other. Young sows will sometimes cat 

 their own offspring, which may be prevented 

 by washing Ihe backs of the pigs in an infusion 

 of aloes'; and. for this pnrjiose, the so<ss 'must 

 be walched. It is said that supplying them with 

 [ilentv of water, at this time, vvill prevent any 

 ini-;i:iiier taking place of this kind." 



]\Ir. Featherslonhangh says, ■' Farmers differ 

 much in their plans of raising holding stock for 

 pork; some permitting (heir shoals to run at 

 large eighteen months, till they arc penned up 

 to fatten; this is the must troublesome and least 

 prolitable way ; others give them a range in 

 clover pastures, and begin to lalen them earlier. 

 I appr<diend there is a much more prolitable 

 way, and attended with loss trouble for those 

 who have the right breed. According to the 

 <juantity of pork wanted should be the number 

 of breeding sows kept over, and thisre should 

 be no other hogs on the farm [that is kept over 

 winter] but the breeding sows. These, when 

 they pig the latter end of March, should be fed 

 in the most attentive mai' ler, with swill and 

 shorts. The pigs from a full grown sow, will 

 generally he twelve in number; these sbould 

 be thinned down to ei.ght, and as soon as they 

 begin to feed freely out of the trough should be 

 weaned, and afterwards led regularly with green 

 lares, clover, boiled potatoes, ground peas, un- 

 merchantable corn, or any other nonri.'^iiing 

 food; turning them out every day into. a snMI 

 vard, where there is a shallow pond for them 

 to lie in. A remarkable breed of pigs, which 

 iiad been treated pretty much in this manner, 

 were exhibited at Diianesburgh Fair ; when 

 eiglit months old, one of them was slaughtered, 

 and weighed exactly three hundred and eleven 

 pounds; they all attracted universal attention, 

 :ind I never saw such animals before. This 

 method, as it is attended with little trouble, and 

 leaves so small a quantity ot' stock on hand to 

 winter over, appears to me to be more econom- 

 ical in every point of view, than an}' other 

 which is ])ractised.'"* In the county of Pien- 

 sellaer, N. Y. some farmers assert that " ]\Iarch 

 pigs, killed about Christmas, are the moat pro- 

 fitable for pork." Others say, " Pigs ought 

 iiover to come until June ; for the cost of ear- 

 lier pigs exceeds the profit." And further we 

 learn that " the methods proposed for fattening 

 hogs by the different farmers in that county are 

 very various. Gen. H. Slofht, H. Flatt, Esq. 

 Col. Worthmgton, Messrs. J. Phillips, A. Bush, 

 aiul some others, recommend keeping hogs in 

 pastures with some slops from the dairy, Lc. 

 till near the last of August — some say a little 

 later. -MI agree that near this time they maui- 

 lest a disrelish for grass. Small patches of 

 peas, or even of corn, will then be convenient 

 to turn them into for a few weeks. About the 

 lirst of September begin with boiled potatoes 

 and pumpkins, mashed together with a little 

 Indian meal, ground oats and peas, or other 

 grain, stirred into the nii.Kture after it cools. — 



* Memoirs of the New York Koaid of .\gricu!turf, 

 vol. i, p. 2'J2. 



From twO'.to four weeks before killing time, 

 tlio food should be dry Indian corn, and clean 

 cold wafer. Mr. Y'onghans fattens his hogs in 

 a large, yaj-d or licld. with a shelter in it to 

 which thoy may r-Mirc to sleep. But F.lder 

 Turnpi; says iiojs should never know what lib.- 

 erty. ik) hut should be kept close all their lives, 

 ami as inactive as possiiile. That with this me- 

 thod double the quantity of pork can be pro- 

 duced with the same expen.u! of feed."* 



The practice in Scotland is to rear swine 

 chiefly on raw potatoes, and to faltcn them on 

 these roots boiled or ()re|;ared l»y steam, with 

 a mixlure oi' oafs, barley, or bean and pease 

 meal. .Their troughs should be often replen- 

 ished with a small quantity "of food at a time, 

 and kept always clean and seasoned occasion- 

 ally with salt.t The Farmers' Magazine says, 

 " The oufeide leaves of cabbages salted and let 

 siantl a month, and then mixed witli butter- 

 milk, will fill a hog in three weeks," Mr. Mar- 

 shall says (.Midland Counties v, p. -153) "young 

 |)igs require la-arin meat to make them grow. 

 Corn and cold water will make them healthy ; 

 but warm beverage is considered as requisite 

 to a quiclt ;;rowlh." The same writer men- 

 lions anoifhi r practice, which perh.ips il may 

 be thought proj;er to imitate in this country, 

 because ij saves labor and care. Some English 

 farmers, lie sa\s " keep two or three little store 

 pigs ijl tlie l',:tii!ig stye, \Vhilc the fatting hogs 

 are taiiing iheir repast, the little ones wait be- 

 hind tbein ; and as. soon as their butters are 

 s(>rved, licl. out the troughs. 



" It>>*idf the advantage of having by this 

 expedient no waste, nor foul troughs, ti;ere is 

 another. The large pigs rise alertly to their 

 food, lest the small ones should forestall them ; 

 and fill themselves the fuller, knowing that they 

 have it not again to go to. 



"The disadvantage of this practice is, I un- 

 derstand, the large ones are apt to lord it too 

 much over the little ones ; especially in a con- 

 fined stye. If, however, they had a separate 

 apartment assigned them, with an entrance too 

 small for the fatting swine to follow them, this 

 disadvantage woulil be in a great measure re- 

 medied." 



If one wishes to fatten hogs, and cither from 

 indolence or loo much occupation does not ex- 

 pect to give them a constant and regular atten- 

 tion, perhaps he may adopt to advantage the 

 following mode pointed out by an F^nglish wri- 

 ter. " Mr. John Adams, of Cherrington, near 

 Newport, Shropshire, has fattened eight pigs 

 in the lollu'.ving cheap and easy manner : — he 

 places two troughs in the sly, one he fills with 

 raw potatoes, the other with peas, and gives no 

 water ; when the pigs are dry they eat the po- 

 tatoes. The eight pigs were fattened so as to 

 weiah from 10 to 20 score each, and ate no 

 more than 30 bushels of peas, and about 200 

 bushels of potatoes." No doubt dry Indian corn 

 and potatoes might be fed out in this way with 

 as good an effect as peas and potatoes. 



* Memoirs of the New York Board of Agriculture, 

 vol. ii, pp- 39,40. 



l Refort of Agriculture in .Scotland, 



