NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



85 



years ago, he went into the state of New York, and 

 purchased what is called the grass-fed breed. From 

 these he made selections, which proved to be very 

 valuable. The Berkshircs had been extolled too 

 high, and he was the first that spoke against them 

 in that house. Yet they had been valuable in crosses, 

 and they were now valued too low. He had a cross 

 of the Berkshire and grass-fed breed, which were 

 excellent. As to feeding swine, no one thing is so 

 good as every thing. They do best on variety. 

 He thought imported hogs not so good as our natives, 

 yet they make an improvement by crosses. He had 

 found, contrary to his prejudice, that the pork of hogs 

 fed on slaughter-house offal was very sweet. They 

 eat nothing excepting what persons eat, but it is in a 

 different state. 



Mr. H. B. Poai'son, of Harvard, said that he had an 

 excellent breed of hogs, which he had kept eight 

 years, without deterioration. He keeps as many 

 hogs as cows, feeds with skimmed milk in summer, 

 with small potatoes after the season of digging, and 

 at last with corn. The pork was sweet and cheap. 



Mr. Brooks said, that sixty quarts, or one hundred 

 and twenty pounds, of skimmed milk would make 

 eight pounds of cheese, weighed when six weeks 

 old, worth four cents per pound, which is about half 

 a cent per quart for the milk ; ten quarts, or twenty 

 pounds, of skimmed miUc will make one pound of 

 pork, worth six and a half cents, which is six and a 

 half mills per quart for the milk ; or sixty quarts of 

 milk will make six pounds of pork, worth thirty-nine 

 cents. He said, that he was not in favor of working 

 hogs. Working hogs will not fatten well. He 

 thought it Avas better to mix soil v\-ith the manure, 

 and put it under a shelter. 



Mr. Proctor, president of Essex Agricultural So- 

 ciety, made a few remarks only, owing to the lateness 

 cf the hour ; but he has kindly fui-nished us with 

 tlie following interesting communication. 



Mr. Editor : As you were pleased to express an 

 interest in the facts which I communicated to you 

 to-day, relative to the feeding of swine and the 

 making of manure by their aid, on the town farm 

 in Danvers, I will endeavor to state them as distinctly 

 as I may, as learned from Mr. W. Merrill, chairman 

 of the overseers, and ^Ir. Hathaway, master of the 

 house. I have frequently seen their mode of man- 

 agement, and have entire confidence in what they say. 



The town farm is situate about two miles from the 

 village. About one hundred acres of it are under cul- 

 tivation. The soil is naturally shallow, and is made 

 productive by judicious culture and the application of 

 manure, most of which is obtained from the hog yards. 



On this farm there are usually kept from twenty- 

 five to thirty hogs. The practice is, to purchase the 

 shotcs from the drover, when they are about six 

 months old, and to keep them about six months. 

 The swine arc slaughtered twice in the year, in the 

 spring and in the autumn. 



During the year ending March, 1848, — 

 50 pigs were purchased at a cost of $285 00 



' 40 of these pigs were sold to the 



butchers for $1012 00 



10 were retained for the use of the 



house, estimated 223 00 



Amount of produce of pork, $1235 00 



Value of proceeds over and above 



the first cost, $950 00 



being an average value of nineteen dollars. Their 

 average weight when purchased is estimated to have 

 been one hundred pounds. Their average weight 

 when slaughtered, after having been kept six months, 

 is estimated to have been three hundred pounds. 

 Consequently the average growth of the pigs would 

 be about one and one ninth pounds per day. This 

 growth, when we take into view the manure and 

 expense of theii- feed, is worthy of notice. The prin- 

 cipal part of the feed of the hogs is derived from the 

 offal obtained at the slaughter-houses in town, and 

 also from the dressing of the heads and feet. This 

 is prepared for the hogs by the inmates of the house, 

 who have the care of them. No grain is given thera 

 until within six weeks of their being slaughtered. 

 Then they are allowed as much as they will consume 

 without waste. A main object in the keeping of 

 these hogs, is to secure the manure made by them 

 for the improvement of the farm, which exceeds one 

 hundred loads annuallJ^ 



Convenient apartments for their feed and lodging 

 are arranged on the northerly and westerly sides of 

 the yard. The yard extends about ton rods by four, 

 is lower in the centre than on the sides — covered 

 with small stones. Twice in the year it is covered 

 A\ith a coating of mud from the swamps and meadows 

 near by, say from nine to twelve inches deep. Near 

 by the yard is a pump, from which the swine are 

 daily supplied freely with pure water, in which they 

 delight to move in the warm season. All the waste 

 vegetables and other materials that are found about 

 the farm and the kitchen, are deposited in the j^ard 

 for the use of the hogs. The benefits accruing from 

 this department of labor are thought to be greater 

 than any other on the farm. It will be remembered 

 that at an establishment of this kind there will 

 always be found old and feeble persons, who can 

 attend to these duties, who cannot do much labor in 

 the fields. It wUl also be recollected that the shotcs are 

 selected from the droves by experienced persons, and 

 that they have so long been accustomed thus to rear 

 swine, that they now have some pride in succeeding 

 well. I am well aware that single hogs, and some- 

 times two or three together, have been known to 

 gain a pound and a half a day ; but I think it is not 

 common for a herd of fifty together to average a 

 gain of one pound per day. 



I am induced to communicate these facts in con- 

 sequence of the interest awakened at the agri- 

 cultural meeting, relative to the comparative value 

 of the difterent breeds of swine. K you will refer to 

 the experiment made by Mr. Francis Dodge, lately 

 published in the Transactions of the Essex Society, 

 you will find the average growth of his seven hogs 

 was less than one pound a day, notwithstanding they 

 were reared on a first-rate farm, and abundantly fed 

 with the products of the dairy, and with grain. The 

 small expense of the feed of the swine on the town 

 farm, constitutes a distinguishing characteristic in 

 their management. I presume the oft'al is purchased 

 for less than half that it would require to purchase 

 grain for the same animals. This offal also contrib- 

 utes very materially to increase the quantity of ma- 

 nure. My own belief is, that manure thus made is 

 the best that can be had for the growth of Indian 

 corn, and that Indian corn, viewed in all its bearings, 

 is one of the very best crops to be cultivated by Mas- 

 sachusetts farmers. 



Very respectfully. 



Your obedient servant, 



J. W. P. 



Danvers, Feb. 19, 1849. 



NEAT CATTLE. 



At the agricultural meeting on Tuesday evening, 

 Hon. Mr. Leonard, of Norton, vice-president, in the 



