318 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



In endeavoring to show this, I would maintain 

 that a hog should be fattened in the shortest possi- 

 ble time. That therefore, a good appetite should 

 if possible be created and preserved. If a hog will 

 eat well, he will fat well, and if he will not eat 

 well, he will not fat, but waste more than he will 

 eat. Give him that which suits his palate best, and 

 he will soon gain a good appetite; purchase molas- 

 ses and sweeten his dough, rather than he should 

 not eat up all clean. Sweet apples are good for this 

 purpose, when to be had. Since the potato rot has 

 C(Uiimenced, I have used sweet apples as a substi- 

 tute, boiling them and mixing them with meal, 

 and think them a far superior article to the potato. 



A hog to be fattened cheapest, and in the short- 

 est time, should constantly be fed to the full, and 

 fed regularly at about the same hours daily. I am 

 in the habit of throwing into the pen between meals, 

 ashes, containing some charred coal, rotten wood, 

 weeds from the garden, &c.; all these quicken the 

 appetite. But I have found no practice superior, 

 or equal to sweetening dough with molasses, to 

 give a hog an appetite, and to fatten him. I use 

 the rinsings of molasses hogsheads, which cost noth- 

 ing; but $1,20 would buy all the sweetening neces- 

 sary for one hog. 



But to endeavor to illustrate what I have said, I 

 will show you the result of an experiment I have 

 made the present season on a pig managed in the 

 manner I have recommended. 



Cost of a pig, 50 lbs. live weight, at 4 1-2 cts. 

 per lb., $2,25; 6 bushels of meal fed, up to Sep- 

 tember 5th, at 75c, $4,50; 13 do. fed, to Decem- 

 ber 6th, when killed, 78c, $10,14; total cost, $16-, 

 89. "Weight of hog Deceinber 6th, 411 lbs.; de- 

 duct weight live pig, 50; net gainover live weight, 

 361. 411 lbs., at 6 1-2 c. per lb., market price, 

 comes to $26,71; total cost of feeding, $16,80; net 

 profit, $9,82. 



I have made no account of milk or molasses fed, 

 as we never are in the habit of selling skim-milk, 

 but when sweet, give it to our neighbors for family 

 use, and the molasses costs nothing. I fed to this 

 pig about half the skim-milk produced from a cow, 

 say two gallons per day up to September 5th, 90 

 days, mixing with it meal, which only produced 

 what I desired, a rapid growth. I then commenced 

 fattening hitn, always feeding him to the full, using 

 in the remaining 90 days about six gallons of the 

 rinsings of molasses hogsheads, occasionally sweet- 

 ening the meal, using some skim-milk. In the 

 whole 180 days, the gain per day appears to be a 

 fraction over two lbs., but would have been con- 

 siderably more, had both been weighed alive; the 

 true method of ascertaining the correct net gain. 



Some may think that a single hog in a pen may 

 be made to do better than each, where a number 

 are kept together in a pen; I think I have found the 

 fact to be the reverse of this; hogs seem to love so- 

 ciety, and after a short acquaintance, become at- 

 tached to each other, and aie peaceable and quiet, 

 thriving better than one alone. 



I have taken some pains to show the true reasons 

 of so many failures to find profitable returns from 

 keeping swine, a matter of much general impor- 

 tance, c. 



Hamilton, Dec. 10, 1850. 



[Ty^ The receipts for tickets at the Mechanics' 

 Fair in Providence, were $900 the first day, and 

 i-iSOO the second. 



CENTRAL BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



The above association, composed of delegates 

 from the different County Agricultural Societies, 

 was convened this day at the State House, and called 

 to order by Hon. Seth Sprague, President of the 

 Plymouth County Society. 



A Committee consisting of Professor Fowler, of 

 Amherst, Hon. John Daggett, of Attleboro', and 

 Paoli Lathrop, Esq., of South Hadley, reported a 

 list of officers for a permanent organization of the 

 Board. The following gentlemen were elected: — 



Hon. Marshall P Wilder, President. 



Hon. Henry W. Cushman, ) ^r n ■ ? , 

 XT T u A;ir T • 1 /■ ^ice tresidents. 



Hon. John W. Lincoln, J 



Hon. Allen W. Dodge, Cor. Secretary. 



Hon. Edgar K. Whitaker, Rec. Secretary. 



Voted, That His Excellency, the Governor, His 

 Honor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Secretary of 

 State, and the Members of the Executive Council, 

 be invited to take seats, and participate in the de- 

 liberations of the Board. 



On motion it was ascertained that delegations 

 from all of the fourteen County Societies were pre- 

 sent, and that the State Society was also repre- 

 sented. 



The President stated briefly and pertinently the 

 objects of the organization of the Board, and espe- 

 cially directed attention to the great importance of 

 concert of action on the part of the different socie- 

 ties. 



J. W. Proctor, Esq., President of the Essex Co. 

 Society, concurred with the President in the great 

 necessity of interchange of opinion, and of friendly 

 relations between the agriculturists of the State. 



Simon Brown, Esq., of the Middlesex Society, 

 favored the meeting with some forcible remarks to 

 the same effect. 



Hon. A. W. Dodge, of the Essex Society, en- 

 larged upon the importance of establishing a com- 

 mon standard by vvhicii the County Societies might 

 engage more understandingly in their improvements 

 in stock, especially in relation to Milch Cows — also 

 in a standard measurement of corn; and other well 

 devised rules for the diflerent societies in the regu- 

 lation of Premiums. 



Hon. J. Gardner, of Bristol, concurred in the 

 views of Mr. Dodge, and regretted the irregularity 

 which existed in his own county in relation to stan- 

 dard rules in the adjustment of premiums. 



Dr. Reed, of Berkshire, considered that tie an- 

 nual reports of the different societies were very de- 

 fective, owing to the want of a common understand- 

 ing in relation to just rules at annual exhibitions. 

 In the western part of the State this was certainly 

 a cause of great dissatisfaction. 



Richard Bagg, Esq., of Hampden, thought that 

 much of the uncertainty and want of method in the 

 societies was the result of neglect in the early train- 

 ing of farmers — and was of the opinion that the first 

 principles of farming should be taught in the Com- 

 mon Schools. 



Hon. John C. Gray, President of the State Soci- 

 ety, recommended that a Committee be chosen to 

 report business to the Board, and that said Com- 

 mittee be constituted from the local societies. The 

 State Society had set the example of instituting an- 

 nual shows — and the County Societies had adopted 

 the same course, and had even eclipsed the parent 

 society. Mr. Gray gave a highly instructive state- 

 ment in relation to the movements of the State So- 



