69 



Let them be met with smiles and flags unfurled, 

 And shouts and cheers of a discerning world ! 



May these unselfish Avights be never roasted, 

 Rut j)laced in high estate and often toasted ; 

 Surrounded Avitli good things, and freely feasted, 

 But never hauled o'er burning coals and basted : 

 May they, by friends embraced, by foes forsaken, 

 Laugh and grow fat, and always save their bacon ; 

 May something more than scraps to such men cheer aHbrd, 

 And juicy hams and spare-ribs smoke upon their board 1 

 Alay smiling fortune all tlieir efibrts bless ; 

 May their expanded shadows ne'er be less ; 

 INIay they have never cause to greet life's ills 

 "Willi discontented grunts or angry squeals. 

 And may they never realize the process 

 Of wearing yokes about the neck or rings in the proboscis ! 

 Long may they prosper in their glorious work. 

 To breed fat hogs and make delicious pork ; 

 May peace and comfort gather round their hearths, 

 "While pinguid blessings lubricate their paths, 

 Anoint the wheels of Time's revolving car. 

 And slip them through the world without a jolt or jar. 



JOHN S. SLEEPER, Chairman. 

 Dedham, Sept. 26, 1862. 



EXPERIMENTS IN FEEDING SWINE. 



To the Board of Trustees of the Norfolk County Agricultural 

 Society : — 

 Gentlemen — Mr. A. AV. Checvcr, of Sheldonvillc, made an 

 application to me, as Chairman of the Committee on Swine, in 

 September last, to enter his name as a competitor for the premium 

 oifere"d for the best experiment in feeding swine. Circumstances 

 prevented me from making a visit to the premises of Mr. Cheever, 

 for the purpose of personal inspection, and I was unable to consult 

 with more than one member of the Committee in relation to the 

 subject. The statement of Mr. Cheever, however, is full, and to 

 the point. lie is a gentleman of excellent character, and may 

 be believed. The experiment appears to have been a valuable 

 and successful one, although simple in its nature and easily con- 

 ducted. It would probably be more successful if tried on a larger 

 scale. The following is Mr. Cheever's statement. 



STATEMENT OF MR. CHEEVER. 



" The experiment I offer to the consideration of the Committee 

 was made on two January pigs, one-fourth Mackay, bought by 

 me April 3d, kept in a barn cellar, in a pen 10 ft. by 12 ft., 



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