SWIXK. • 3G9 



maturity at a very early age, and never, or rarely, weigh more 

 than two hundred and fifty or three hundred pounds. There is 

 a real difficulty in keeping them from taking on fat, it is said, in 

 order to their getting any considerable growth at all. Dr. J. 

 Kittredge informed the committee, while examining his pure 

 Suffolk boars, that he could with difficulty keep them low enough 

 in flesh to answer for breeders or to bring to the show. Their 

 keeping had been one quart of meal a day, with the house 

 slops, and raw apples, both sweet and sour; and upon this 

 keeping they were fat, notwithstanding the large one had served 

 for forty-two sows, and the small one for twenty or thirty, since 

 last spring. It seems, therefore, now clear, that the Suffolks, 

 being easy to fat, (indeed, being always fat, it is said, after 

 bciivj.- a month old,) are a suitable breed to cross with. 



The only remaining difficulty is, to know and obtain the best 

 breed for crossing with them. And, first, it should not be the 

 Chinese, because they incline to fatten too much on the belly 

 and too little on the back ; and besides, according to Youatt, 

 they are too oily, and do not make good bacon. Neither should 

 they cross with either the Berkshire or Byfield, because both 

 are too small and snug boned to make a large hog. But proba- 

 ably. to put a case within the reach of all, almost any of the 

 large kind, the " old-fashioned kind," would make a good cross- 

 ing with the Suffolk. 



To be definite, however, the committee have been exceed- 

 ingly pleased with the sow of Mr. Foster, of Andover, exhibited 

 this year at Lawrence, and her four pigs. This sow is the 

 result of the crossing with a pure SutTolk boar and a large 

 breed of sows, called sometimes the Chester, and sometimes 

 the Westchester, breed. The committee are unable to learn 

 whether this last breed is common in our county. The 

 mother of Mr. Foster's sow referred to was a large, long- 

 sided animal, as we were informed, owned by a Mr. Kimball, of 

 Bradford. One such case, of course, is not sufficient to deter- 

 mine a question of so much consequence; but if Mr. Kimball 

 could be induced to keep his sow for breeding, and Dr. Kit- 

 tredge his pure Suffolk boars for the same purpose, much would 

 be done towards determining the matter. Nothing in the pens 



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