A BLISSFUL CONCLUSION 



597 



and fed them to hogs. Having more than the hogs required, 

 grapes were fed to the horses : "The horses soon got a taste for 

 them and seemed to thrive well on the new diet and in a short 

 time became fat and sleek, while they were being worked as hard 

 as ever, and we continued to feed them dried grapes and have 

 kept it up for a whole year. The effect seems to have made the 

 old horses five years younger, both in looks and in ability to work. 

 The hogs fattened up so quick that we thought the pork would be 

 soft and sloppy, but to our surprise, we never had better bacon 

 and ham than was produced from these grape-fed porkers. It was 

 not only solid, but sweet and tender." 



Prune-fed and raisin-fed pork is indeed an accomplished fact in 

 California. As to the acceptability of the fruit diet to the hog, 

 what could be more pertinent and more fitting appendix to this 

 treatise than this little tale? It is stated that Mr. Balaam, of 

 Farmersville, used to have a pet pig that ran under the fig trees 

 near the house. When the fruit began to drop, he ate figs and 

 rested in the shade until, he finally grew too fat to move about 

 to gather the sweet morsels. By this time his owner became so 

 much interested in the case as to carry him his regular figs three 

 times daily. Gradually he grew so fat that his eyes closed entirely, 

 but still he ate figs in contentment and delight. 



RECAPITULATION 



'The branch here bends beneath the weighty pear, 

 And verdant olives flourish round the year; 

 The balmy spirit of the western gale 

 Eternal breathes on fruits untaught to fail ; 

 Each dropping pear a following pear supplies, 

 On apples, apples, figs on figs arise: 

 The same mild season gives the blooms to blow, 

 The buds to harden, and the fruits to grow." 



Pope's Horn. Odys. Bk. VII. 



