1878. J 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



127 



LIVE Stock. 



Pigs. 



BlacK or flesh-colored piRs are freest from skin 

 diseases in hot climates. Tlie choice is practically 

 between the Essex and Berkshire, for males with 

 which to improve the native stock of hardy grubbers 

 of the root-or-dic variety. Those who have tried 

 the former have been delighted at llrst, l3ut after a 

 few years began to recall with loncring the lean hams 

 and slim but solid and flavorous bacon of the old 

 race-horse breed. The trouble with the Essex pigs 

 for the south is that they are the eat-and-sleep to 

 sleep and-wake-to-eat kind, and their grades are, of 

 course like them. The side fat is superb, and so is 

 the leaf lard, and so far the breed is all that could 

 be desired; but the ham and shoulders are too fat 

 for profit, and the ham is not marbled with fat like 

 the Berkshires. These ithe Berks) are much more 

 wide awake, less easily controlled, but good foragers. 

 Their grades are a wonderful improvement upon tlie 

 original stock, may be made very fat, and yet the 

 proportion between the fat and lean hams, should- 

 ers and side pork or bacon, is such as to develop and 

 preserve the excellencies of the meat. The hams 

 are large and rich and juicy, with diffused fat. Berk- 

 shires are not quite so easily fattened wlien penned 

 and systematically fed as the Essex grade, but they 

 will take much better care of themselves m tlie 

 woods, and when penned or fastened for fattening, 

 may be finished oil' with half the feed the originial 

 "land pikes" would require. 



With many northern and western breeders, the 

 Essex is a more profitable pig tlian the Berkshire, 

 because his nature leads him to take little exercise, 

 so that all he eats goes to flesh and fat. Respiration, 

 which, if rapid reduces fat greatly, is with him never 

 accelerated by moving about, and with plenty of feed, 

 the sole burden of life is to digest it. This breed is 

 pre-eminent among the black breeds^ and. excelled 

 by none as fat prod- ' 



ery year that sheep and 

 nee in the Northwest and 

 All our informa- 



a pint rye flour in it, morning and evening. In the 

 winter I keep them in the stable three days, ami 

 with such treatment I never have a sick cow. My 

 father kept cows for 4.5 years, and he always gave 

 them rye Hour in the winter; he never lost a single 

 cow, and he owned as high as 30 different cows in 

 one year.— Z>. X. Kcan, in Practical Farmer. 



Sheep and Wool. 



We have Indicatioi 

 wool raising is on the 

 Western regions of the liepublic 

 tion, derived from not only agricultural publications, 

 but from the newspapers of the day, satisfies us that 

 this business is destined to become one of our most 

 profitable branches of agriculture. Not only is the 

 wool steadily growing in demand from our own fac- 

 tories, but the carcass is becoming more and more 

 used in domestic economy. Many families now con- 

 sume more or less mutton that twenty years ago 

 never had it upon their table. Mutton is a meat dif- 

 ferent from beef, veal or pork. These we naturally 

 take to as early in life as we are permitted to eat 

 meal at all. But mutton, unless we acquire a taste 

 for it in early life,issomesliines resisted until middle 

 life, when all at once we discover how much we have 

 deprived ourselves by not learning to eat mutton 

 earlier. Getting to like it, there is no meat so de- 

 sirable or palatable ; but it must be young, or what 

 is called "spring lamb ;" or old— that is three or four 

 year old sheep— and what is known as mutton. 

 Thus, good lamb must be young, three to four 

 months ; and good mutton may do at three years, 

 but ought to be four years old. 



Considering that the raisers have the wool, the 

 carcass, and the best manure, the latter all remain- 

 ing on the land, it will be found on a careful figuring 

 up at the end of a year, that every farmer who has 

 the room upon his farm cannot do better than to in- 

 troduce sheep as a branch of his operations. 



ricati Agriculturist. 



Raising Pigs. 

 The National Live Stock .Journal gives the follow- 

 ing valuable information on the subject of raising 

 pigs : The most important thing for the swine 

 breeder at this season oi the year is to get the great- 

 est possible growth from his spring pigs. There is 

 no period in the life of the hog when so great a re- 

 turn for the food consumed is possible, as during the 

 first six months, and it is here that the advantages 

 of skillful feeding are apparent. Unless great care 

 be taken the growth of the pig will be seriously 

 checked when it is from three to five weeks old. The 

 milk of the dam, which was ample to promote a 

 rapid growth in the litter of pigs during the first two 

 or three weeks, is not sufficient to answer the de- 

 mands of the same litter as they grow older ; hence 

 the pi£s should early be taught to look elsewhere for 

 a part of their sustenance. This is an easy matter ; 

 a little milk, or nutritious food of any kind in liquid 

 form, placed conveniently by, where the pigs can 

 have access to it at all times, but beyond the reach 

 of the BOW, will soon do the work, and it should be 

 replenished frequently through the day. If this is 

 attended to there will be no "stunting" of the pigs 

 at this critical period, and their growth will be uni- 

 form and rapid. A good clover pasture is a valuable 

 adjunct and helps wonderfully. The true secret of 

 successful pork-making is to push the pig from the 

 date of birth until it is big enough for the market ; 

 and the earlier the age at which this point can be 

 reached, the greater is the return for the food con- 

 sumed. A slop made of corn and oats, ground in 

 about equal parts, with a littleoil-meal added, makes 

 the best food for the sow while suckling, to increase 

 the flow of milk ; and this, with clover pasture and 

 plenty of soaked corn during the summer, will pro- 

 mote a rapid healthy growth of the pigs. 



Feeding Dry Cows. 

 It is a common practice among some dairymen to 

 give their cows while dry but scanty living. When 

 a cow ceases to give milk or is dried up any feed is 

 considered good enough for her. I think this a 

 great mistake, and the result is a diminished 

 product of milk both in quantity and quality when 

 she comes in. There is a large draft on the system 

 to sustain the calf while the cow is carrying it, and 

 to keep the cow in good condition good feed is as 

 important as when she is giving milk. It is my 

 opinion that a dollar's worth of food when the cow 

 is dry is worth $1.50 after she comes in. An animal 

 in poor condition can not digest as much food as one 

 In good condition. If the cow is poor when she 

 comes in she will not digest enough food to support 

 the system, and at the same time to make a large 

 quantity of milk. The practic of turning cows out 

 on poor feed while dry, expecting to make up when 

 they come in by good feed, is a very uneconomical 

 one, and will not be followed by good and careful 

 dairymen. The way I treat my cows when they get 

 a calf is as follows : In the summer time I keep 

 them in the stable for two days, feed good hay, give 

 one quart wheat bran morning, noon and evening. I 

 also give them a bucketful of lukewarm water with 



Fattening Calves. 

 A sensible, practical farmer says that he has often 

 noticed that calves would thrive better on milk that 

 is not rich in butter than on what is commonly called 

 very rich milk. The nutritive elements of milk reside 

 chiefly in the casein. If you have a cow that gives 

 particularly rich milk, and one that gives a quality 

 poorer in butter, it is better to feed the calf on the 

 milk of the latter. The calf will thrive better, and 

 you will get more butter from the milk of the first 

 cow. 



Evert sheep range shouldhaveplenty of shade. 

 Where trees are scarce, temporary shelters of boards 

 can be constructed, and should be changed from 

 time to time to keep out disease. The ground in 

 permanent shade must be scraped or plowed up, 

 that the standing room may be kept clean. 



The mad itch in cattle is said to arise from their 

 eating indigestible substances, such as the woody 

 fibre of corn stalks after the juices have been ex- 

 tracted from them by hogs, and the feeding of hogs 

 and cattle togther in the West is given as a reason 

 for its prevalence there. 



Poultry. 



The Mother of the Chicken. 

 In some literary societies it is customary at the 

 close of the session to have a "funny night," when 

 all the orations, essays and declamations are humor- 

 ous, and when some amusing or ridiculous question 

 is set for discussion. 



On one such occasion the following speeches, 

 written by a Randolph Macon student, were (in 

 substance) delivered on the question, "Which is the 

 mother of the chicken, the hen that laid the egg or 

 the one that hatched it ?" Messrs. J. and W. on the 

 afiirmative ; Mr. C. negative. 

 Mr. J.— Mr. President: 



Tliis silly-Bouudiiig question, «lr, 



CoucGmiiig fowls' lucreaee 

 Was siiecially desiguel, I think, 

 To allow U8 up as geese. 



But since I'm bid to speak on eggs, 



I'll not eggs-uuse nor sliriuk ; 

 And us a sptecU you will eggs-aot, 



I'll eggs-piese wUat I think. 



That like begets that which is Uke 



The mother of a calf 's a cow. 



That of a wren 's a wren. 

 And thus the mother of a ohick 



Must surely be a hen. 



Now set a duck on a hen's egg, 

 And. granting you have luck? 



Pray, from that, egg say will there come 

 A chicken or a duck? 



Or get a Shanghai egg? 



Will a Shanghai hen hatch a Shanghai chiok 



From a common egg, I beg ; 

 I'll take my chance with a common hen, 



And a ge»oine Shanghai egg. 



And the Shanghai pullet testifies 



Whenever she does lay, 

 She cackleates a Shanghai chick 



Is started on the way. 



Then let jout hatchers strut around, 



And cluck, ami scratch, and pick ; 

 But, sir, the hen that laid that egg 



Is mother to that chick. 



— From the I'ouUry World. 



The Migratory Quail. 



ForeU and Stream publishes a cut of the Italian 

 Migratory Quail, and says; "This quail is between 

 one-half and two-thirds the size of our Ortyz vlrgianut 

 (our native partridge),of lighter color, rufous brown, 

 suflused with fulvous; bill, slim, long and less 

 arched; legs, slender and nearly flesh color; wings, 

 larger proportionately than our quail. The female 

 constructs her nest, a mere depression in the 

 ground, in June and July, and lays from eight to 

 fourteen eggs, whitish-gray, marked with large 

 brown spots. They do not mate, the male being a 

 polygamist, and a desperate fighter in the early sea- 

 son His call is a twice repeated whistle. Food: 

 grain, herbs, hemp, poppy and turnip seeds; insects, 

 and insects' eggs and larv;e. When not migrating 

 they become very plump, and properly prepared for 

 the table, arc delicious morsels. As would naturally 

 be expected from its long migrations, the bird Is 

 strong and rapid of wing, and possesses, in this re- 

 spect every qualification for testing the skill of the 

 sportsman. According to Mundie the migratory 

 quail which appear in England feed in the early 

 morn=ng and in the evening, and squat at mid-day, 

 when they will hot flush until a dog is quite upon 

 tliem; and Bechstein, the careful German naturalist, 

 says that in Germany in August and September the 

 young birds, if marked down, may sometimes be 

 caught with the hand as they squat flat upon the 

 ground." 



This bird, which has caused considerable interest 

 within a year or two, is not as handsome as our own 

 partridge,and looks as if it might he a cross between 

 the partridge and the meadow lark. We shall soon, 

 however, know more about It, as it is lieing Intro- 

 duced in a number of places, and, so far as known, 

 is doing well. We shall be glad to hear from any of 

 our correspondents where the bird has bean let out, 

 about its habits and the readiness with which it is 

 establishing itself and propagating. 



Animal Food. 



Animal food of some sort is necessary for fowls, if 

 we expect them to lay well. This they provide suffi- 

 ciently for themselves when they have their freedom ; 

 but when confined meat must be given them. Scraps 

 from the table, where but few fowls are kept, may be 

 sufficient ; or one pound of bullock's liver for half a 

 dozen fowls, twice a week, will suffice; and the In- 

 crease of eggs will always well repay the cost. A 

 less quantity will be enough, if the fowls have any 

 opportunity to obtain their natural supply of worms 

 and insects. The liver should be boiled, chopped fine 

 and mixed with meal, otherwise it is apt to interfere 

 with a relish for other food, and the more active 

 birds will get the greater share. 



Eggs cannot be produced without nutritious food, 

 and cooked meat, wlten giren in moderation, while It 

 cannot injure the fowls, is more conducive to the 

 production of eggs than any other food. Horse 

 flesh, when it is to be had, is as good as liver. The 

 water in which it is boiled is useful for mixing 

 meal. — Bacon. 



Profits of the Barnyard and Coop. 



I have thought for sometime of sending my statis- 

 tics in poultry keeping, but not having the advantage 

 of oyster shells, bones, and such help in egg pro- 

 duction, my figures will fall below the score of some 

 poultry-keepers ; then the prices here are generally 

 low, which reduced the profit, but I think I have 

 done tolerably well for an old lady of sixty-two years. 



I will give my account for four years. The first 

 year I commenced May 10, with 8 hens and 1 rooster; 

 result 50 dozen eggs. , „ ,. oo« 



Second year 26 hens. Spanish and Brahma: 230 

 eggs, value «35.97 ; chickens killed, $14.90 ; cost of 

 feed, $18.90; profit, $:5'2..S7. 



Third year 40 hens ; 581 dozen egg, value $98.94 ; 

 chickens killed, $18.^4 ; cost of feed, $40.75 ; profit, 



Fourth year 60 hens; ew dozen eggs, value 

 $102.33; chickens killed, ?22.08 ; cost of feed, 

 §34.22 ; profit, 890.18, and I have 75 chicks this year. 

 —Poultry Yard. 



• 



Turkeys. 



It does not cost any more, or much more, to raise 



a pound of turkey than a pound of hen fiesh. In 



the summer they require to be fed less, being mas- 



