Farming of Northamjjtonshlre. 



85 



Pigs. 



The rearing and feeding of pigs is carried on by most 

 farmers to some extent, the most prevailing l^reed ])eing the 

 Berkshire spotted pigs, these making the largest and best bacon ; 

 they are sometimes crossed with the Suffolk breed, which have 

 smaller and lighter bones and finer flesh, but they do not come 

 to so great a weight when fat as the Berkshire breed, yet are 

 more saleable to the butcher, and feed more rapidly. The more 

 delicate and fancy breeds of the Neapolitan and China are not 

 kept to any extent by the farmers, but principally for the table 

 of gentlemen's families ; the objection to them in the straw-yard 

 is, that they are too tender for general use, and not so prolific. 

 Porkers from 5 to 6 score in weight are regularly fed, in the dairy 

 districts, on peas and skim milk, and forwarded to the London 

 market or sold at home. Bacon-pigs run in the straw-yard 

 for the summer, and in the fields during the season of stubble 

 and acorn-keeping, after which they are put into the stye and fed 

 on barley -meal and millers' offals ; they range from 10 to 12 score 

 when fat. When breeding sows are not kept, pigs are generally 

 bought in from two to three months old, and sold out again from 

 the straw-yard as stores, or kept on to fatten. 



The large Berkshire hogs are great consumers of food ; a stag 

 hog,* lately killed at Towcester, having been fed by Mr. Meads, 

 of Floore, consumed from the 1st day of June to the 31st day of 

 December, 1850, 40 bushels of barley-meal, 6 bushels of beans, 

 8 bushels of peas, 2 cwt. of pollards, 2 tons of mangold boiled, 

 and 6 quarters of potatoes, and weighed, when killed, 32 score. 



On the present state of the Farm Buildings throughout the County, 

 and their adaptation to an improved system of Husbandry. 



Throughout the entire county will be found some very good 

 and convenient farm homesteads, but they may be considered the 

 exception, and not the general rule. On the Duke of Grafton's 

 estate are some of the largest, he having, some years ago, re- 

 modelled some parts of his estate, and erected a considerable 

 quantity of new buildings. Lord Overstone and Lewis Lloyd, 

 Esq., have a very fine estate, having been large purchasers of 

 land for several years, and have erected and repaired nearly all 

 their farm buildings. The Marquis of Northampton, Earl 

 Spencer, Lord Southampton, Sir Robert Gunning, E. Bouverie, 

 Esq., Sir A. Brooke, Sir John Palmer, and many other pro- 

 prietors have been making considerable improvements to their 

 farm buildings on their several estates. 



In many parts of the county are several " lodge farms,'* many 



* A castrated boar pig. 



