214 



JNEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



IVlf^W FNCtT and FAHMER'. I'o*^^*^*^*^*^®^'"^^^'^^*'""'*^**^^^^'^*^' ^° ^^^^'^^"^" ^ cannot, sir, close this long essiiy wuhoi 



BOSTON, FRIDAY 26, 1827. 



ble breeder, even for this most HBiiatural crime, i pressing my regret that your correspoivient 



SWINE. 



^Extract of a letter to the Editor, dated Gilsum 

 N. H. January 19, 1827.] 

 A few months since, I purchased a pair of j pondciit states, has given rise to this discussion. 



could it be traced to ii palliative cawse. 



A remarkable occurrence of this kind took place 

 under my own view in tKt animal which has dis- 

 seminated the Bedford breed of swine into most 

 parts of the country, one of whicli, as your corres 



pigs of the Bedford breed,of Dr Fiske of Worces- g^e had brought two litters at a season when she 

 ter, a male and a female, and have been antici- Lould be safely indulged in a yard abroad. On the 

 paling the pleasure of rearing a race of swine | approach of the third she was removed to a warm- 

 much superior to what is common among us, but { g^ pen. She brought forth as usual ; and at first 

 have just met with a grievous disappointment. — : dij no injury, although slie seemed constantly un- 

 My sow,the finest I have ever seen, both for shape ] easy. At the end of the first week she killed one. 

 and for a propensity to fatten upon whatever food j jn the course of the second week she dispatched 

 Was given her, has recently produced pigs, but I j another ; and at three weeks old she destroyed 

 have lost them all. Some of them came dead, and .lie third. Suspecting the cause, and to preserve 

 the rest died in about 24 hours after. The sow ■ t|,e residue, I restored her to her old resort, where 

 not only refused to own her yo»ng, but attacked i s[,e became contented, and treated the survivors 

 them with the ferocity of a tigress. Either the ; ^yith maternal affection. 



light or the sound of lier pigs appeared to fill her 

 with the most ungovernable agitation and rage. — 

 She sci/.ed one of her live pigs in tlie first place 



I have known but one case attended with the 

 extreme ferocity mentioned by your correspondent. 

 It was related by tlie owner. After furiously dis 



possess so much good sense and useful kuoM 

 in the economy of husbandry, combined w 

 much modest reluctance at being publicly 

 as •public contributor to the common sti 

 practical information. I have not the pleas 

 a personal acquaintance \Tith the gentleman 

 from letters I have occasionally received froi 

 on subjects relating to husbandry, I am persi 

 that few of your correspondents could conti 

 more to the interest of your valuable publici 

 could he overcome his reluctance and enhanci 

 value of th» productions of his pen, by app»i 

 his name. Let me ask hira with wliat pro| 

 he can request me, impliedly, or any other oi 

 correspondents, to tax their skill in adminisi 

 advice for his pigs, without a reward, ampii 

 most acceptable, — a/ef in kind ? 



Respettlully yours, O. Fli 

 Jl'orcesler, Jan. 23, 1827. 



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and would have dispatched it in an instant, if not patching tbo first, the remaining were removed as 

 prevented. A dead one was then laid before her j f^gt as they were disengaged, to a basket outside 

 to ascertain whether the cry of her pigs was all | the pen. Finding sne continued furiously mad, 

 that excited her rage. Her lury was the same, ! and bent on further mischief, a cord was would 

 seizing this with a quickness of which I had never j round hei suout so tight as to prevent opening ker 



moi:th. After fruitless attempts to get at her pigs, 

 she became quiet and laid down as near to them ns 

 possible, in an attitude, " grunting a note of affec- 

 tion," inviting to their approach. All obstructions 

 being removed, they cautiously crawled to her with 

 mutual satisfaction. She reared them with usual 

 care and kindness. 



The peculiar ferocity of these animals manifest- 

 ed on these occasions, may be increased if not 

 wholly caused by hysteric irrilabiUly. Sliould this 

 be the fact, it does not follow, that a second yean- 

 ins: would cause a similar excitement. This opio 

 ion is inferred from analogy, ratlier than known 

 from any demonstration ; as a repetition is not to 

 be presumed where a first experiment lias proved 

 so discouraging. I should not hesitate to risk th 

 trial under a like commencement, if ths animal in 

 all other respects was of the first character, and 

 not easily replaced. If I succeeded, I should gain 

 also in quality, as the young of all animals inijirove 

 by succession. 



It is of great importance that Swine of all des- 

 criptions, particularly those intended for breeding, 

 should be rendered perfectly tame and gentle, th.it 

 their enclosures may be entered at all times, and 

 on any occasion, without giving alarm and exciting 

 their resentment. This is easily done by gentle 

 treatment and early accustoming them to the brush 



supposed a swine capable, she shook it with such 

 force as to break its bones and tear its limbs. — 

 Nothing we could do availed any tliinf to induce 

 her to own them. ^The want of their natural sup- 

 port, or disease, or both, soon terminated their 

 Jives. A few hours after they were dead, I pre- 

 sented one of them to the sow, her r;\ge appeared 

 to be gone, she oflTered it no abuse, and I laid the 

 rest before her, she moved them gently with her 

 nOse. grunted over them a note of afiection, and 

 appeared, now it was too late, to be disposed to 

 treat them as her own. Her behavior to her young 

 in both cases, appeared to me equally mysterious. 

 Now Sir, if you, or any of your correspondents 

 can communicate any information on this subject, 

 tending to pi event such consequences, I should be 

 much pleased to see it in the Fanner, as it may 

 be beneficial to rai-.ny who are like myself, igno- 

 rant of both the cause, and the remedy, for such 

 an evil." 



[The above letter we enclosed to Dr Fiske, of 

 Worcester, a gentleman abundantly able to throw 

 light upon the subject, who politely sent us the 

 following communication :] 



My Dear Sir — I have read with much interest 

 the letter from your correspondent, which you did 

 me the favor to enclose. I sincerely regret his 



diaappointmcnt ; and feel a peculiar indnceiuent Lf eyrrv-comb. No animal enjoys it more, or de- 



to contribute all in my power to prevent a repeti- 

 tion of his misfortune. It is not uncommon for 

 sows to destroy their first ofispring. It is more 

 rare at a later period. In most cases where I have 

 inquired into the fact, whether in old or young 

 breeders, I have ascertained that they had been 

 disturbed in some of their essential habits — either 



rives from it jreater benefit. Whila it increases 

 their comfort, it adds to their health and growth, 

 and serves in a great manner to correct their tem- 

 pers and di.spositions. 



While on this subject, 1 take the occasion to 

 state a fact of which farmers seem not sufficiently 

 aware, which forcibly illu.strates the importance of 



from having been removed from their companiona 1 keeping their swine warmly housed in an inclera- 

 — their range restricted — or from being removed i g^t season. Late in the autumn I put two shoals, 

 from one pen to another. All these changes how- j ^iijch I had selected for breeders, into a warm 

 ever, may be efi'ectcd with safety, hy allowing , p,^j.|osure in my barn. Theii size and other quali- 

 them sulHcicnt time to beeoma accustomed to them I ties' were of an average with the rest which re 

 four or five weeks at least. I have known sows | niained exposed to tlie weather, except when they 

 do well with a second litter after having destroy- 1 rgturned to their nest There is at least a third 

 ed a first, under one of the above mentioned ex- ,iiffercnce in weight in fiivour of those which arc 

 citoments. Hence it wonld be unwise to condemn I housed, their keeping having been tlie same. 



CONGRESSIONAL. 



An important measure to wool growers has 

 introduced in Congress, by Mr Mallary of Ven 



[Tariff of duties on H'oollen Cluods. On 

 ofMr Mallary, the House resoWed itselfit 

 Committee of the whole on the state of 

 Union, (80 votes to .59,) Mr Buchanan in the 

 and took up the bill "for the alteration of the 

 imposing duties on Imports." 



This bill provides that, from and after the 

 of August next, the duties on importations 

 the United States of all manufactures of VVoi 

 of which Wool is a component part, except 

 ted Stufi" Goods and Blankets, whose value 

 not exceed forty cents the square yard, a' 

 place whence imported, shall be deemed to 

 cost forty cents, and chrirged with the presei 

 ty accordingly. If exceeding two dollars a 

 ty cents, and not exceeding fourdol ars the si 

 yard, to be deemed to have cost the latter 

 and charged accordingly. 



Sec. 2d. provides, that all manufactured W» 

 now chargeable with thirty per cent, duty 

 valorem, shall, from and after the 1st of June, Jf. 

 be charged With thirty-five per cent, duty; a 

 after the first of June, 1829, be charged with for 

 per cent. duty. If the actual value of such VVo^ ' 

 at the place whence imported, shall exceed te ^ 

 and not exceed forty cents per pound, it is to 

 deemed to have cost forty cents, and cliarged 

 in this section provided. 



Sec. 3d. provides that Wool, imported oa fl 

 skin, shall, including the value of the skin, ' 

 charged with thirty per cent, duty, till Aiijust 

 1827; and with thirty-five pei cent, till August 

 1828; after which time, a duty of forty per cci 

 is to be charged. 



Mr M. explained the views of the Committi „ 

 in an opening speech, of contiderakle length ; an | 

 Mr Cambreling having indicated the groind o |, 

 which the bill would be opposed, the House a 

 journed.] 



{)5==As some of our patrons may receive ihi 

 No. of the New England Farmer rather later tin 

 usual, we trust that they will consider the tin) 

 and labour, necessarily devoted to the removing c 

 our apparatus to a new and more convenient ol 

 fice, as a sutlicicnt apology. 



