24 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol. 2. io, 



NEW GENESEE FARMER. 



BEKKSHIKES. 



Farmers differ with regard lo tiie valuable qualities 

 of tliis bleed of Ijogs. Without asserting, as some 

 have done, tliat they are positively the best breed in 

 existence, one tiling is quite certain, that they far 

 excel most of the native varieties raised in this coun- 

 try. Their rapid increase and dissemination for a 

 few years past lias been such, that they may readily 

 be obtained with comparatively trilling expense. 

 We hope that all who regard them with suspicion, 

 will e.\aminc thoroughly their merits before reject- 

 ing them. 



One of the strongest objections is their smallncss 

 qf size. It is true tbcy are not equal in this respect 

 lo some others. But the fullowing instances will 

 show that they may attain a respectable magnitude 

 ut least, and if farmers would cease buying inferior 

 animals and cullings of litters, because they arc 

 cheapest, this objection would not, we believe, have 

 much ground for validity. A recent importation by 

 A. B. Allen, of Buffalo, contains a boar and sow, the 

 former weighing 5.50 lbs. and the latter a few pounds 

 less. They were fed on nothing but grass for 

 months before weighing. One 18 months old, was 

 told in the Albany market in 1&33, which weighed 

 when dressed 033 pounds, and sold for about !$50. 

 J. Lossmg, of Albany, states that he has one import- 

 ed male, that at fifteen months old, measured si.\ 

 feet five inches from the end of the snout to the roo; 

 of the tail, and live feet sis inches in girth ; that of 

 fifteen slaughtered by the Shakers of Watervliet in 

 1839, consisting wholly of what are called runts and 

 the cullings of litters, from fifteen to seventeen 

 months old, the average weight was 35Glhs; that 

 one killed at Shaker village at Lebanon, at two and 

 ahalfyeais old, weighed 800 ll,s.; and tli»t ho him- 

 ■elf killed one at sixteen months weighing over 400 

 lbs. The chairman of the committee on swine for 

 Tomjikins county, in his report, says lie recently 

 saw pigs in Rhode Isla/id, a cross between the Berk- 

 ehirc and Byfield breed, (the latter & smaller breed 

 than the Berkshire,) that weighed 300 lbs. each, at 

 a little less llian nine months old. J. R. Csldwell, 

 of New Wii:dsor, fatted a pair of Berkshire barrows, 

 and killed them at a little more than a year and a 

 half old, when they weighed 1,020 lbs. Tiiey were 

 fed on grass alone during the two summers, and 

 given other feed only a few months before they were 

 butchered. Such instances niiglit be greatly multi- 

 plied. 'J hey show that, by proper management at 

 least, a lat:ge size may be attained. 



But size is by no means the most important consid- 

 eration. If a Berkshire at 200 cuts up as well, and 

 affords vahiable parts in as great a propo.lionate 

 quantity as another hog at 500, who would hesitate 

 between them ? Many, in tliuir great cargerness 

 for size, are sacrificing quality. The large bony 

 breed will indeed fill the barrel the soonest, — with 

 heads and shanks, — but, as somebody has jnftly i,b- 

 eerved, it is of far more importance to fill tlie co7)- 

 tumer. Accurate experiments are greatly needed to 

 exhibit the relative qualities in this particular, of the 

 Berkshire and other breeds ; the best we have seen, 

 are the following, taken from the report of the com- 

 mittee before mentioned. The first is a sow of 

 "common breed," two and a half years old, and 

 weighed when dressed 2Sj lbs. The s.cond is a half 

 Hood Berkshire sow, 18 months old, and weighed 

 @04 lbs. The first had raised one litter of pigs, the 

 Berkshire two litters. The lliird example is a half 

 blood Berkshire barrow, eighteen months old, fatten- 

 ed in the ordinary way. 



1st t-ow. 2d ^"ow. 



Lard 2G lbs iGlbs. 



Hnms 3ai 31.... 



Tenderloin... 5J 3^... 



Fat si Ci... 



Mess Pork.... 06 103 ... 



Prime " ....28,i 16 ... 



Spiirerib 20 12 ... 



Head 18 16 ... 



Barrow. 

 . 31 lbs. 

 . .52 



. 9 

 .176 

 . 20 

 . 10 

 . 21 



235 204 336 



Farmers are usually extremely particular to cb 

 tain the full market price for the r grain — the losi 

 often cents on a dollar by bad marketing would be 

 insufferable. But why is it, that they arc not a; 

 careful in relation to the market at home, the mar 

 kct of their own making, which is to tell whethei 

 they get the same return lor twenty bushels of corn 

 as another man witli an improved Berkshire marhcl 

 ■jets for ten? A near neighbor lately butchered a 

 few pigs, several months old, a part of half blood 

 Beikshire, and the rest full blood ; the latter wc« 

 two months younger, ond received similar feeding in 

 every respect, but averaged, on killing, full weight 

 with the liulf bloods. The half bloods were a cross 

 with a lari'cand excellent native variety. It is the 

 quantity of flesh and fat made, (and little offal,) for 

 the small quantity of food given, which pie-cm' 

 ncntly distinguishes the Berkshire breed, which eve- 



ry one acquainted wit!) them have observed. A 

 striking instance of this quality, is given by Wm, P. 

 Curd, of Kentucky, of a full bred boar, which at 

 eleven months was castrated in consequence of an 

 injury rendering him useless — he weighed at that 

 time 12-2 lbs. "Alter being fed G4 days, he was 

 weighed, and lifted the beam at 410 lbs., showing 

 the- astonishing gain offuiir and a half pounds a 

 [day, lie is now fed solely on grass, and weighs 

 550 lbs. at the age of two years." 



In consequence of the well attested excellence of 

 Ibis breed of hogs, many attempts will doubtless bo 

 made to impose on the farming community; cau. 

 tion will therefore be necessary in procuring animals, 

 as well as in deciding on qualities which may be. 

 long only to the genuine breed, and not to spurious 

 ones. 



Farmers who arc in possession of Beikshires, 

 would do the community a great favor, as well .is 

 themselves, by instituting experiments, by nc<r!«-«/e- 

 ly weighing and measuring, showing the quantity of 

 foud tliey consume, their increase in weight, and the 

 relative proportion of the different parts yielded in 

 cutting up ; and if these were accompanied v>ith ex- 

 periments of a similar character on the common and 

 other breeds, they would be of still more value.— 

 The labor of such experiments would bo very 

 trifling. » 



*5.' 



JlDlJ* 



111 B«n 



COIi. SA^VYEKS' BERKSHIRES. 



This pig is one year old, and weighs about 275 lbs: is fro 

 sold to Baltimore for $200. 



Bushes, uot Bushels. 



An error occurred in our last paper, on page 2, col. 

 3, which materially alters the sense, and mokes oui 

 venerable assistant appear somewhat ludierone, which 

 we vcrv much regret He did not sny that he plnntco" 

 some dozen or fifteen bushels of currents in a a row ( ! ) 

 hut that he planted that number of iiishcs in a row 

 The error was noticed and moiked by our printer and 

 proof reader, but overlooked by the compositor. H 

 promises lo keep his specs on hereaner. 



Bees and Honey. 



Samuel, Marriot, of Hudson, N. Y., informs 

 us that he has very good success with his bees, man- 

 aged as follows: — The hives arc placed under a shed; 

 stand from one lo three feet from the ground, ond have 

 ibe bottom entirely open, so tbnt it nny worms are 

 produced, they fall to the ground, and cannot return. 

 A hole, 2 inches square, is made in the top of eoch 

 hive, over which a box, 9 inches square, is ploced in 

 the p[iring. In the fail these boxes ore removed, ond 

 found to contain about '.JO ponr.ds each of the fintat 

 honey. 



According to promise, we give the portraits of two more Beikshire swine, property of Col. Amos Saw< 

 YEB. of this city. 



The obove isabeautifnl sow, 2 years old, weighing 300 lbs. She is not fat, but brooder ond heavier ihon 

 represented in the cut. She is now with pig by young Prince Regent, (figure in our last,) and will litter nest 

 month. (Col. S. expects to have a few piga to spare in the Spring, but moot of them ore already engaged.) 



the obove sow, by n full blood imported boar 



