No. 151.] 357 



THE HOG. 



Having commenced with the cow, certainly one of the most use- 

 ful animals existing, I will terminate with the hog; which, for its 

 size, is undoubtedly the most valuable of all created animals; no 

 other animal supplies so large a series of savory food for the chris- 

 tian, no animal was more esteemed by the ancients, every inch of 

 him is turned to account, his ribs form that delicious morsel known 

 as the spar-e rib, his sides the flitch, his legs the ham, his neck brawn, 

 his head, cheeks, the ears are made into souse, the tongue pickled, 

 the intestines are used as covering for sausages, and his skin, when 

 tanned, for saddle covers; without his bristles how could we exist. 

 No part of this most extraordinary animal is lost; he is abhorred by 

 the Jews and Turks, and worshiped by the Chinese; throughout that 

 vast empire the hog is held sacred, and kept in what they term Josh 

 houses, where he is fed and daily ornamented with rich diamonds, and 

 rings of gold; the Chinese fall down before him, and worship until 

 he grunts, when the favor demanded is supposed to be granted. 

 There are several species, which are divided into three genera, all 

 derivable from the wild boar, (sus aper,) a native of Asia, Africa and 

 Europe, (sus barbirassa) of the Archipelago Islands, (sus papuensis) 

 of Guinea; the phacochceres of Africa, and the peccaries of Ameri- 

 ca. When America was first discovered there were no hogs found, 

 the first settlers of Canada are supposed to have introduced them 

 here; some of the breed still resemble those of England, known at 

 that early day. Since then by our extended commerce, we have in- 

 troduced many fine crosses, from China, and by attention to them, 

 have as fine hogs as can be produced in any part of the world; they 

 will soon become one of our most important articles for exportation 

 to foreign lands. We now consume far more pork than any other 

 nation. A farmer in our Western States numbers four thousand 

 hogs; in Michigan there are men I know, who have had 3,400 shut up 

 to fatten at one time; there are now more than 4,000,000 annually 

 fed in the United States, and they consume 200,000,000 bushels of 

 corn. 



In the State of New-York, by the census of 1846, we had 1,584,- 

 344 — in 1830 the consumption of pork in England was only 24,- 

 448,512 pounds. 



It is said that a singular change comes over the wild hog when 

 tamed, his ears become less moveable, his tusks diminish more than 

 half, his back becomes much longer, his body er.larges much, 



