92 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



they were let out to drink. He thought the disease was brought 

 on by lying on the ground and taking cold. 



Mr. Capen, of Boston, explained the philosophy of hot appli- 

 cations to be that the subsequent evaporation carried off the 

 heat. Rubbing, by increasing the circulation, allays the disease 

 in the local part. 



Mr. HoMEB, of Brimfield, asked permission to vary the course 

 of thought for a moment, by reading a report of the result in 

 fattening some pigs, as given by a neighbor of his, Mr. Sumner 

 Parker. It is as follows: 



STATEJIENT ON PIGS. 



Having been requested to give a statement of my management 

 of pigs, the past season, I very cheerfully give the following: 



Last May I purchased four pigs, which were then five weeks 

 old, perhaps about half of the Chester County breed. I was at 

 that time carrying my milk to the factory, to be made into 

 cheese, which left me destitute of that kind of feed which I 

 consider the best adapted for the young pig. But having the 

 whey from my milk, I thought I would try and do the best I 

 could with it. I commenced by putting a very little milk with 

 the whey. The change of feed from the mother's milk to whey 

 being so great that they did not do as well for the first two 

 weeks as I could wish. But I persevered, and at length they 

 began to grow. I had some small potatoes, and I commenced 

 giving them a few at a time, raw, which they soon learned to 

 eat very greedily. And my opinion is that they are worth 

 more for the hog at that season of the year, fed in a raw state, 

 than when cooked ; at least, that is my experience. I gave 

 them enough to keep them growing well, principally of whey 

 and potatoes, until about the middle of August, when I put 

 them into my hog house, upon a stone floor, and did not let 

 them go to the ground at all, furnishing them with plenty of 

 straw, and keeping their styes well cleaned. I then commenced 

 to fat them, feeding them with barley, rye and corn, ground 

 together, in equal parts, giving them their swill for awhile, 

 and increasing the meal as I thought their stomachs and limbs 

 would bear, being very careful not to over-feed at any time. I 

 slaughtered them on the 14th of November — they then being 

 just seven months and a half old — and their dressed and gross 



