

THE ILLINOIS FA.RMER. 



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in monarcliical splendor, shall stand sur- 

 rounded by courtiers. The white rose, than 

 which nothing can be more delicate and beau- 

 tiful, shall receive extra care and induce- 

 ments to flourish. China asters, Marigolds, 

 Pinks and Pansies, shall be seen in every 

 nook and corner. Convolvolus and Colum- 

 bines, indeed, all the virtues and graces shall 

 have their representatives. Even Bouncing 

 Betty shall be allowed a few feet of ground 

 to spread herself upon, but if she has the im- 

 pudence to intrude, it will be at the risk of 

 extinguishment. All these, and many more 

 trees and flowers I will procure, and yet not 

 be impoverished by them, but improved and 

 enriched, refined and elevated. Birds will 

 gather around my dwelling, and inspire me 

 with their merry songs. The honey bee will 

 buzz about, and teach me untiring industry, 

 which, like the bee, (if properly directed,) 

 collects a luscious horde of fruits and flow- 

 ers. The little humming bird will visit me 

 daily; all nature will smile, and the sweet 

 consolation will be mine of knowing I have 

 done something to drive away the dissatisfied 

 looks, so common about a neglected house, and 

 make happy faces; which, of all others, are 

 the most enviable embellishments of a Coun- 

 try Home. 



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Essay on tiie Rearing of Swine. 



BY CIIAS. W. MURTFELDT. 



The article of pork in its various phases 

 of ham, lard, bacon, mess pork, &c., enters 

 so largely into the diet of the present gener- 

 ation ofthis country, England, Germany and 

 the sea-furing m:vii, that it is well worthy 

 the consideration of every larmer, in order 

 to make its production prulitable, both to the 

 producer and consumer. 



Having been very unsuccossful in fattcn- 

 nin"- my pork this season anJ being well ac- 

 quainted with parties wl:erc tho opposite 

 was the result, I have uudert;;kcn to pen 

 these few linos, giving the details and pro. 

 posing to draw a icv.- praclicd couelu.-fions 

 therefrom. 



1 keep a small duiry in Northern Illinois, 

 and knowing that the profits arc considerably 

 iacreascd by the rearing and fattening of 

 swine in coancction with the dairy, I deter- 

 mined to raise some, having the necessary 

 breeding sows. 



In Northern Illinois, where township or- 

 ganization is universal, many towns being 

 scarce of timber, have adopted by law.s, obliging 

 citizens to restrain tlieir swine from running 

 at large all the year. But few of our citi- 

 zens have pastures for swisie, and consei[ueut- 

 ly have to keep them confmed in small poos 

 all the time. This has been my case. I 



feed corn all the year and have no change to 

 offer to my hogs, and cannot fix a time when 

 I will feed more or less, because the hogs 

 will only eat so much, in consequence of the 

 order of their teeth and their age: this is the 

 only way I can account for my failure. 



Some intimate friends residing in the 

 county north of me, have managed their 

 Bwine in this manner and have been very 

 successful, not only this last season, but for 

 years : they have a pasture of an hundred 

 acres, bounded on the west by Rock river. 

 This pasture is June or native blue grass. It 

 contains also Burr oak trees, hazel brush 

 and wild fruit, afibrding shade and in its sea- 

 son some little shack or mast. Little or no 

 corn is given from May to September. In 

 this pasture the swine do not fatten, but 

 grow a healthy, good sized frame, and are in 

 the best possible condition for fattening, 

 when the corn matures. "When the corn 

 is fully ripe it is given to the hogs in such 

 quantities as they will eat clean, adding or 

 diminishing until the proper measure is as- 

 certained how much they will cat. 



At the time when the fattening process 

 commences, the swine are fed very liberally 

 with common salt, and I have been assured 

 they consume large quantities; drink is ofi'er- 

 ed freely and occasionally during the fatten- 

 ing they receive sulphur, charcoal and salt, 

 or what is still better, they have it within 

 reach all the time. In eight weeks swine 

 will get very fat and fit for market. I have 

 ascertained from my friends that the number 

 they fattened this last season was thirty- 

 seven large hogs and twelve spring pigs, and 

 that a box containg forty bushels of ears of 

 corn would feed the lot about a day and a 

 half, so that the swine would eat about ten 

 bushels of ears of corn at a single meal. 



Another of my acquaintances pursued the 

 following course and was eminently success- 

 ful, lie had suflacicnt portable fence to ir. 

 close fifteen acres of land. In the spring oi 

 the year he inclosed said number of acres of 

 clover and put in this pasture his swine, ii 

 brook alTordiiig water for drink; adjoining 

 this lot he had the .'••ame number of rcres oi 

 oats, whicii ripening early were next inclosed 

 and given to the swine, and bv the time the 

 oats were consumed the fence was moved a 

 third time to inclose the same number ol 

 acres of corn, which the hogs wore allowed 

 toTiarvcst for themselves. I have been as- 

 sured that no waste occurred of cither oats 

 or corn. After this a very little husked corn 

 was given in a close pen and the hogs were 

 ready for the market. I would yet say thai 

 the same brook afforded drink to the hcgs in 

 the first three lots occupied by them. IMy 

 friend assured me that three cents per lb. 

 would have remunerated him well for the 



feed, time and expense of moyiug i'cucc, kc. 

 From the above well^authenticatcd fact ^, I 

 have come to the following conclusions : 



First. Hogs will Ho^;>oy whenever a far- 

 mer is obliged to keep them restrained and 

 feed them in a close pen all the year. 



Second. Hogs should have a pasture du- 

 ring summer, leaving their proboscis orna- . 

 mented with a wire to keep them from root- 

 ing, and should have corn only when the 

 state of the pasture makes it necessary to keep 

 them growing. 



Third. Old corn is more profitable and bet- 

 ter than new. Ground feed, boiled or soured, 

 better than either. In* "Westphalia, whose 

 hams are world renowned, swine are fed on 

 boiled mush, made of meal ground froin peas 

 and barley. 



Fourth. Hogs fed in close pens should 

 have a good floor, whereon corn may be fed, 

 receive drink often and have access to a mix- 

 ture of sulphur, salt a)id cliarcoal. 



Fifth. September, October and November 

 arc the best mouths in tlic year for fattening 

 swine. 



With regard to rearing swiuc, nirniers 



ought to so arrange their breeding sows as 



to have the pigs come in April or 5ray. 



The sows ought to be liberally fed, for six 



or eight weeks, when the pigs will be able 



to drink and take care of themselves. Hogs 



need to be more fVeriuently crossed than 



perhaps any other domestic animal, and that 



I cross of the Suffolk with any other breed 



is the best in my humble opinion, because 



they fatten at any age and can easily be made 



to weigh three hundred pounds at an age 



from a year to fifteen months. A cross of 



-he Irish Grazier and Liccstcr.-hiro make a 



larger hog, but re juirc mcyj^age. I think 

 :he first most profitable. "Hlpuro Suffolks 

 ire said not to be good breeders, because 

 generally too fat. 



The Farmers' Club ol Whiteside County, 



The time Ikv come when a farmer is no 

 longer to be valued, like a bullock, for the 

 number of poujids avcrdupois he may chance 

 :o weigh; but whc-a !ui!Kl, tliought, tind true 

 nianh<iod shall be brought to bo: r on the 

 r'levation of the working man. And, in- 

 deed, we know of nothing so full of prowi:e 

 IS this. Farnior.s neod a redemption from 

 the isrnorance which has crojit iutj their no- 

 ble calling. The old the<jrios, the old ideas, 

 the old slaveries of plow, and hne, and spade, 

 and sythe, the old valuation of the laboring 

 man as a toiling, sweating, digging animal — 

 these, wc are liappy to believe, are fast fall- 

 ing with their kindred old foiryisms ii other 

 departments of human endeavor; and science 

 among the farmers of the Northwest, and. 



