THE ILLIlSrOIS FA.RMER. 



881 



men — the result of management in breed- 

 ing and perhaps at no greater expense in 

 one than the other, yet making a differ- 

 ence of one-third in the market value 

 of the animals. How fully these facts 

 prove that care of animals has very much 

 to do with the improvement of the breed. 

 By care we mean the choice of parents, 

 the keeping of the herd during gesta- 

 tion, and of the offspring for the first 

 few years. We do not believe it possi- 

 ble to keep any of the thorough breeds 

 up to their present excellence by the 

 care given in the Texas herds. The 

 best animals are only produced upon 

 certain farms in England possessing cer- 

 tain peculiarities of soil, excellence of 

 herbage, &c., which are not common 

 even in the cultivated fields of Britain. 

 Hence we lay it down as a rule not to 

 be forgotten, that the keeping of the 

 animal must fully equal all its wants, if 

 improvement is to be the result. The 

 human race has not improved except 

 when temperate, well fed, and regular 

 in exercise, diet and sleep, neither will 

 our cattle improve, when ill housed and 

 ill fed. Artel. 



Lee County, III., Sept. 1856. 



Chester County Breed of Hogs. 

 Isaac Darlington, an experienced 

 farmer of Chester county. Pa., sends to 

 the Village Record, the following ac- 

 count of this famous breed of hogs: 



"As you have requested my xiews on 

 the origin of the Chester county breed 

 of hogs, I send you these opinions as 

 the best that I am able to give. As far 

 back as I can recollect, between thirty 

 and forty years, the pigs were what we 

 would now call indifferent — hardly any 

 two farmers had pigs that looked alike. 

 Some run very much to short ears and 

 legs; others were diminutive in size; 

 while others again filled up the interme- 

 diate places. While this state of things 

 existed the Berkshires were introduced; 

 a square built round body, but lacking 

 depth over the shoulder, and withal' a 

 black pig, Chester county had set her 

 eye on a white pig — and a white pig she 

 must and would have. Accordingly, 

 some or the older farmers began to pav 

 more attention to the old stock; they 

 hunted the best they could find to cross 

 their stock with, and the change for the 

 better was soon a marked one — better 

 feed was given and more of it, which 

 was a great help to his better develop- 

 ment. The great rapidity with which 

 the pig reproduces his stock, still kept 

 the change in every one's recollection. 

 The shape and color were the great 

 changes perceptible; while you would 

 find a great diversity in the skin — some 

 thick and hard, while others of the same 

 lot would be thin and pliable ; better 

 shelter was given them, and the thick 



skin has generally given way for a thin. 

 And the similarity is now so great, that 

 if you go to a farmer and view his pigs, 

 you may tade as a sample of all the dif- 

 ferent lots in the neighborhood that have 

 the same care. She characteristics of 

 this breed as we may find it, are per- 

 fectly white hair, thin skin, square build, 

 small head, a fair proportioned snout, 

 deep sides, allowing large quarters, and 

 great depth over the shoulders, small 

 ears standing erect while young, but 

 drooping after six or seven months. The 

 weight varies according to his keep — if 

 well kept he will average a pound a day 

 for nearly two years if not longer. They 

 may be made to exceed this, and it has 

 been done, bat not genera[ly — nor do we 

 always reach it, as all do not feed alike. 

 They have been made to weigh over 

 nine hundred, but I do not recollect their 

 age. There was great care taken to 

 keep from breeding in-and-in, in per- 

 fecting this breed, which has long been 

 known to have a deteriorating effect. 

 We consider the above name justly given 

 and justly deserved, and so satisfied are 

 we that the above is the true origin of 

 the above bree, that we consider we have 

 a fair sample of the above breed on 

 hand — although we do not recollect of 

 having changed our stock but once for 

 the last twenty-six years. By continu- 

 ally crossing with our neighbors, we 

 consider we have the same stock. 



-«► 



SEED SAVING. V 

 The seeds of cucumber, melon, etc. 

 are better at any rate, when four or five 

 years old than when fresh; and we have 

 well authenticated instances of seeds 

 retaining their vitality much longer than 

 this. There is no fixed period during 

 which seeds will keep. There is no 

 reason to suppose that they would loose 

 their vitality in any assignable number 

 of years if the proper conditions were 

 observed. De Candolle says that M. 

 Gerardin raised kidney beans, obtained 

 from Tournefort's herbarium, which 

 were at least a hundred years old; but 

 beans left to the chances of the atmos- 

 phere are not good the second year, and 

 hardly worth planting in the third. Pro- 

 fessor Lindley raised raspberry plants 

 from seed not less than sixteen or seven- 

 teen hundred years old. Multitudes of 

 other instances might be given. In re- 

 ply to the first question, it may, then, 

 be said, that the length of time through 

 which seeds will keep depends upon the 

 method of preserving them. 



We do not suppose it to be essential 

 to inclose apple, pear, and quince seeds 

 in earth for the purpose of preserving 

 their vitality during a single winter. 

 But if exposed to the air, the rind be- 

 comes so hard and rigid as to make 

 germination very difficult frcm mere me- 

 chanical reasons. The moisture of the 



soil keeps the covering in a tender state, 

 and it is easily ruptured by the expan- 

 sion of the seed. ^ • ; . :, ■ 



The shell of peach, plum, and other 

 stone-fruit seeds would form, if left to 

 dry and harden, a yet more hopeless 

 prison. If kept for two years, the most 

 stone-fruit pips, it is to be presumed, 

 would not germinate. Some, however, 

 would have vigor enough to grow even 

 then. We have forgotten who it was, 

 but believe it to have been a reliable per- 

 son recently mentioned the fact, that a 

 peach or apricot stone was for several 

 years kept as a child's plaything; but 

 upon being planted, grew, and is now a 

 healthy tree. Such cases are, however, 



rare. 



The intercourse between Great Britain 

 and her distant colonies, and the various 

 expeditions fiitted out from her shores for 

 purposes of botanical research and for 

 the acquisition of new plants from dis- 

 tant regions, have made the subject of 

 seed saving at sea a matter of much ex- 

 periment. 



In general, the conditions of preserva- 

 tion are three: a low temperature, dry 

 ness, and exclusion of air. But it often 

 happens, that all these cannot be had, 

 and then a choice must be made between 

 them. Heat and moisture will either 

 germinate the seed or corrupt them. In 

 long voyages, and in warm regions, mois- 

 ture contained in the seed, if in a close 

 bottle, is sufficient to destroy the seed. 

 Glass bottles have therefore been reject- 

 ed. Seeds for long voyages, or for long 

 preservation, are thoroughly ripened and 

 thoroughly dried; but dried without rais- 

 ing the temperature of the air, as this 

 would impair their vitality. They are 

 then wrapped in coarse paper, and put, 

 loosely, in a coarse canvas bag, and hung 

 up in a cool airy place. In this way 

 seeds will be as nearly secure from heat 

 and moisture — their two worst enemies — 

 as may be. It is probable that some 

 seeds have but a short period of vitality 

 under any circumstances of preservar- 

 tion. Seeds containing much oil, are 

 pecuriarly liable to spoil. Lindley sug- 

 gests that the oil becomes rancid. 



The preservation of seeds from one 

 season to another, for home use, is not 

 difficult, and may be described in three 

 sentences: ripen them well, dry them 

 thoroughly, and keep them aired and 



cool. ;■,■.- ' ■'■".■".■.- 



Some seeds retain their power of 

 germination to an astonishing length of 

 time, as will appear from facts stated 

 by Professor Lindley: • 



"Not to speak of the doubtful instan- 

 ces of seeds taken from the Pyramids 

 having germinated, melons have been 

 known to grow at the age of 40 years, 

 kidney beans at 100, sensitive-plant at 

 60, rye at 40; and there are now grow- 

 ing, in the garden of the Horticultural 



..^r.. 



