1853. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



421 



For the. New Ens;land Farmer. 

 INQUIRIES ABOUT SWINE, BREEDING 

 SOWS, SHEEP, PLOWING, MANURES. 



Friend Brown: — Permit me through the columns 

 of the Farmer to make the following inquiries. 



1. What is the best breed of swine for ftirmers 

 to keep ; having for their object the rearing of pigs 

 and pork for marketing ? 



2. What is the best way to manage a breeding 

 sow, from the beginning to the time of weaning the 



pigs- 



3. What breed of sheep is in your opinion the 



most profitable for light land ! 



4. As I am on a farm that has been cultivated 

 for many years, and has never been plowed more 

 than four or five inches deep, Avould it be advis 

 able to deepen the soil at once to seven or eight 

 inches ? 



5. Will it pay for farmers to buy manure, and if 

 so what kind will pay the best 1 



6. What kind of a plow should I use on my land ? 

 It is very level, and smooth, and a lightish sandy 

 loam. 



Please answer the above questions and oblige 

 Yours truly, John Dimon. 



Wakefield, R. I., July, 1853. 



Remarks. — 1. Some of the swine called "na- 

 tive," possess as good points, and are as handsome 

 every way, as any we have ever seen. It is possi- 

 ble they had a touch of foreign blood, but was sup- 

 posed they had not. They ^e prolific breeders, 

 and make as "good pork as ever swelled in a pot," 

 but were great feeders. A cross of such swine with 

 the pure Suffolk, would probably give a breed that 

 would be sufficiently hardy, quiet and easy to take 

 on fat, moderate feeders, and yet rapid growers, 

 and possessing all the qualities to make them as 

 valuable as any breed now known among us. It 

 is difficult to breed freely from the pure Suffolks, 

 as they a^^ a little too tender for our climate, 

 kept as our farmers generally keep their swine. — 

 There is no difficulty in obtaining such a cross as 

 •will give all the desirable points. 



2. Breeding sows should have plenty of room, 

 with a dry, warm bed, and access to the ground ; 

 fed moderately, a portion of the food being green 

 and succulent, such as grass and weeds. 



A week or two before the time for dropping the 

 pigs, most of the straw and litter should be gradu- 

 ally withdrawn from the sleeping apartment, and 

 the animal fed occasionally with bits of fresh meat, 

 or scraps. After having dropt her pigs, if she re- 

 fuses to let them suck, and is disposed to injure 

 them, throw her on her side carefully, and tie her 

 legs ; having allowed the pigs all to suck, untie her 

 and she will treat them in a manner highly "be 

 coming to all nursing mothers." Brood sows, par 

 ticularly, should be made docile by gentle treat 

 ment, and regular and sufficient feeding. Many of 

 them are as ferocious as a hyena, and destroy many 

 of their young in their anxiety to protect them. 



3. Among us we have the native breeds of sheep, 

 also the Leicestera, the Bakewells, the South- 



Downs, the Merinos, Saxon-breeds, and more re- 

 cently, the French sheep, and there are others 

 under different names. It would require a wide 

 operation and large experience to tell you what is 

 the best sheep for '■'light lands." Where forage 

 is light, a less number of any stock should be kept, 

 although it maybe that some breeds will thrive bet- 

 ter than others on the same feed. A cross of the 

 best native with the merinos, produces an animal 

 which does well on the common country pastures, 

 and is sufficiently hardy to endure our winter. — 

 This cross is prolific, and with careful attention will 

 produce a fine grade of wool, and fleeces running 

 from three to six pounds to the, clip. The sheep 

 recently introduced into Vermont are certainly fine 

 specimens, and we have no doubt, judging from 

 those we have seen,and from the statements of those 

 bi'eeding them, are a superior bi'eed. If we have 

 understood the representations made correctly, 

 they do not require any unusual pasturage or win- 

 ter care. 



4. Plow as deep as you please at once if you have 

 plenty of manure : if not, go down gradually, an 

 inch each year, until you get down sixteen inches. 



5. Make all the manure you can, on the farm, 

 by every consistent expedient ; then if you have 

 outlands, such as old pasture, or old fields, which 

 you are particularly desirous to improve, and where 

 the expense of cartage would be heavy, purchase 

 specific manures, unless you can purchase near you 

 good barn or stable manures at $2,00 to $4,00 a 

 cord. Peruvian guano or poudrette is probably the 

 best manure you can purchase. Superphosphate 

 of lime has been used with good results, especially 

 on turnip crops. 



6. On the land you describe use the Double 

 Plow. It works like a charm. 



WHAT SWEET APPLES ARE BEST FOR 

 FARMERS ? 



An article in the Country Gentleman, entitled 

 "Apples for Milch Cows," reminds us of a subject 

 to which we have paid some attention, but as yet 

 not arrived at any definite conclusions. It is this: 

 What varieties of sweet apples are the best for 

 fiirmers, who have plenty of land for orcharding, 

 to cultivate for the uses of their stock? We want 

 those trees that are naturally hardy, quick grow- 

 ers, and profuse bearers, and the fruit of which 

 shall be the sweetest that can be found ; and we 

 want a succession of the apples from September to 

 May. 



A farmer who has a suite of trees answering the 

 above requirements, has a source of rich feed for 

 his cattle, sheep and hogs. 



We are aware that objections are often made to 

 feeding apples to milch cows. It is said that they 

 will cause 'cows to dry in their milk. By overfeed- 

 ing them this will be the result. And so will 

 overfeeding with anything else. 



The writer above alluded to very truly observes, 

 that "an unfavorable opinion of apples as food for 

 cows has sometimes arisen from the furious over- 



