1854. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



157 



of corn and cob-meal, that will certainly equal, 

 and I think exceed, the real cost of keeping.— 

 Ei"-ht quarts of corn and cob-meal per day, is 56 

 quarts per week, or 35 bushels for 20 weeks, equal 

 to IT-i bushels of clear corn, the price of which we 

 will call 85 cents per bushel, though the average 

 price of corn for ten years past in the region 

 around me will not exceed 80 cents ; say then 



17J bushels of corn, at 85c per bu $14,87 



The miller's toll for grhiduig 35 bu. corn and cob, 



at ic per bu li^O $16,27 



Through Sept. and Oct., which is SK weeks, the 

 four pigs have i bu. per day of peas and oats, 

 ground, mixed with i bu. per day of cooked 

 hot vegetables, the whole slightly fermented ; 

 they consume, then, 3i bu. of peas and oats 

 per week, or say 30 bu. in the 8i weeks, worth 

 60c per bu 18,00 



Also, 30 bu. small potatoes, or other refuse vege- 

 tables, worth, cooked, 20c per bu., which is 

 rather high - 6,00 



The miller's toll for 30 bu. peas and oats, at 4c 



perbu 1,20 25,20 



Through November and December, till kilhng 

 time, say 8 weeks, the four pigs have, on an 

 average, the meal made from 1 bu. of ground 

 corn and cob, per day, well cooked, which is 

 7 bu. corn and cob per week, or 56 bu. in all, 

 equal to 28 bu. of corn, worth 85c per bu 23,80 



Toll for grinding 66 bu. corn and cob, 4c per bu. . . .2,24 26,04 



Worth of the four pigs at 6 weeks old, $2 each 8,00 



.$75.51 



Total cost of fattening the four pigs 



The other side of the account : 



When slaughtered, the pigs will average 300 lbs. 

 each, dressed, or will weigh 1200 lbs. the 

 four, worth 7c per lb 84,00 



They have prepared 30 loads of compost, between 

 the loth of April and 1st of Jan., worth a 

 bushel of corn, or 85c per load 25,50 109,50 



Deduct cost of fattening 75,51 



Balance, over and above market price of the ma- 

 terials consumed $33,99 



MEMORANDCSf. — If the price of corn were $1 per bu., then on 

 the 17^ and 28 bushels of corn in the above account of cost of 

 fattening, there would be au addition of 15c per bushel, makin^ 

 an increased cost of $6,82. 



So fixr as I can judge, or have reason to believe, 

 the above statement of the cost of getting four pigs 

 of a first-rate breed up to the weight of 300 lbs 

 each, dressed, is plenty large enough ; but if the 

 reader should insist that it ought to be made larg- 

 er, I in turn may with propriety claim additions 

 to the other side of the statement, while the aver- 

 age price of corn for a run of 10 years past would 

 not, in my region of country, exceed 80 cents per 

 busliel, my pork has on an average sold for more 

 than 7 cents per lb. ; and I think it may be truly 

 said that an extra quality of pork, such as the 

 system of feeding a first-claas breed of pigs as 

 above described may always make, will any year 

 command, in any considerable market, from ^ to 

 li or 2 cents per lb. more than the current price 

 of pork. As for the weight of the pigs, I may 

 claim some 100 lbs. or more addition on the four; 

 and as for the compost made by the pigs, I had 

 better pay one dollar a load for it rather than not 

 have it. 



By feeding the four pigs from Seiit. 1st, to a1)0ut 

 Dec. 1st, on a greater quantity of cooked vegeta- 

 bles and a less quantity of meal per day than is 

 reckoned in the above account, the expense of feed- 

 ing would be lessened ; but in offset, the pigs thus 

 fed, and. killed at the age of 10 months, would 

 not weigh as much, tlic texture of the pork would 

 not be as firm, nor the price quite as high a.s if 

 fed as stated in the account above. Still, farmers 

 situated in localities rather unfavorable to the 

 profittible raising of grain, and where it commands! 



rather a high price in proportion to the price of 

 pork, may find it advisable, in fattening swine, to 

 feed more largely of cooked vegetables and less of 

 grain than is my custom, and take up with a less 

 amount of pork. 



For (me, I am satisfied that it is profitable to 

 fatten a good breed of swine here in New England, 

 provided the business in all its departments is 

 managed understandingly and with strict system. 

 I have to say to my brother farmers, that before 

 purchasing town manures very largely, or send- 

 ing money off for foreign concentrated fertilizers, 

 it IS well to look about and see if the cheaper ma- 

 terials and means at home are fully employed for 

 fertilizing the soil at. a less cost. The substances 

 near at hand and fit for making a rich compost, 

 are none the less valuable as fertilizers because 

 they lie common and in abundance on every hand. 



F. HOLBROOK. 



Brattlcboro\ March 4, 1854. 



For the Neio England Farmer. 



PRUNING ORCHARDS. 



Mr. Farxier : — Were a tree gifted with speech, 

 what complaints should we hear on visiting most 

 orchards in New England. Of harsh treatment — 

 commencing with that bane of all nurseries tind 

 young trees, the murderous jack-knife in the nur- 

 sery — then torn from its place, leaving a large 

 portion of its roots, and set as we would a stiike to 

 struggle by itself. The poor tree hesitates a year 

 or two whether to attempt a new existence or give 

 up the ghost Avithout further struggling — many 

 of them, particularly root-grafted trees grown in 

 hot-beds of manure, very sensibly prefer the latter 

 course; and who can blame them] 



For a few years past many places in New Eng- 

 land have been flooded with tall shrubbery, mis- 

 namcd apple trees, by unprincipled or ignorant 

 speculators from Western New York. These have 

 been sold by calling on individuals and getting 

 orders for trees (?) to be sent the next season. 

 The seller has a speech for every one, stereotyped 

 for liim l)y the owner before starting, and talks so 

 learnedly of the height of his trees, their rapid 

 growtli and root grafts, that he induces many to 

 engage them in advance. The trees are received 

 in due time, and the purchaser, much to his sur- 

 prise, finds a bundle of long switches of some 

 three years' growth grafted on pieces of mutilated 

 roots, instead of such trees as he expected. But, 

 he says, perhaps they may grow — it is a small mat- 

 ter to quarrel about, so he plants them for an or- 

 chard, and in three years a good portion of them 

 are not to be found in this world. 



Such as have been reared in New England in tlie 

 good old way, practiced and taught by our Far- 

 tJiers, are more hardy, and commence a new strug- 

 gle. Removed from the protection of their fellows 

 in the nursery, they attempt to protect their na- 

 ked trunks from our burning suns by twigs and 

 leaves, but are still pursued by the old enemy, the 

 jack-knife, if the owner finds time to use it. Af- 

 ter growing in a state of half starvation in a soil 

 deprived of its original ingredients necessary for 

 their health and productiveness until thoroughly 

 diseased, they then attempt a new existence by 

 throwing out new limbs or sprouts, but are now 

 met l)y tlie axe and hand-saw, the sprouts are 

 broken off and the large limbs removed in quanti- 



