ON FATTENING CATTLE AND SWINE. 57 



inasmuch as swine will eat more of them. If uncooked 

 potatoes are as good as cooked, of which I have no 

 doubt, at least one half of the expense of feeding on po- 

 tatoes is saved ; for the expense of cooking must, at 

 least, be as much as the cost of the potatoes before cook- 

 ing, in small families. And ^ve think from the few trials 

 we have made with cooked apples, that they are quite 

 as good without cooking. 



It is perhaps unnecessary to say, that after the appe- 

 tites of swine have been pampered up with cooked food, 

 they will refuse that which is not cooked. 



With respect to the quality of the pork, which I have 

 made, by apples or potatoes, it has been distinctly pro- 

 nounced good, by experienced raisers of pork, and I 

 have never discovered any deterioration myself 



We have been told by a distinguished pomatist, in 

 the county, that he kept half a dozen shotes, all winter, 

 on the pomace of his cider-mill, without anything else, 

 and that they did well. He enclosed ten or twelve 

 square rods, where he deposited his pomace, with a 

 temporary shelter for them. He makes five hundred or 

 more barrels of cider in a year. Another gentleman 

 told me, that for several years, since cider was not in so 

 great demand, he had turned his swine into his orchard, 

 and let them pick the apples for themselves, without 

 any other attention, except watering, and that he was 

 satisfied with their growth; that the trees were as much 

 benefitted as the swine. For the apple trees, standing 

 somewhat thickly, the swine kept the grass from grow- 

 ing, and the surface of the ground in a loose and mellow 

 state, which increased the quantity of fruit. 

 Per order of the Committee, 



R. A. MERRIAM. 



Topsfield, Nov. 30, 1842. 



JOSEPH HOW'S STATEMENT. 



To the Committee on Fattenimg Cattle and Swine. 



Gentlemen — I resolved the present season to try 

 8 



