Pigs — Ayhshury Ditclis. 
301 
lands are invariably full-mouthed ; the Cotswold and cross-bred 
sheep are drafted from the flocks of Gloucestershire and Oxford- 
shire, whereas the supply of short-woolled ewes is derived almost 
exclusively from the Western downs. The pure Southdowns are 
not often met with in the good pastures, as their superior quality 
does not make amends for smallness of size. It seems to be th«' 
land for heavy sheep and cattle : and Southdowns and Scots, 
though highly prized on poorer soils, are not much appreciated 
in the Vale of Aylesbury. 
A large quantity of pork is made in Bucks. The pigs are 
mostly of the Berkshire breed, and, as observed in a former Report, 
are often bred in tliat county, stored in Oxfordshire, and fed in 
Rucks. Almost tlie entire refuse of the dairy goes to pigs. 
Twenty cows will afford enough flat milk for ten bacons and fifteen 
porkers in the year. In summer when the milk, on account of the 
weather, often contains much butter, pigs are fatted on milk alone. 
At this season they are usually made out as porkers, and weigh 
from three to four scores of 20 lbs. For this pork the sm.all white 
breeds are preferred, as their flesh is delicately white, and they 
fatten rapidly. Throughout the county, but principally among 
the gentry, stocks of splendid white pigs are kept, and a good 
many pigs also are bred on the arable lands of the south of Bucks. 
Bacons — larger pigs, weighing from ten to twelve scores — are gene- 
ralh' fattened in the winter, and in addition to milk receive an 
allowance of beans or corn meal. When slaughtered, it is common 
to singe the large bacon pigs ; but porkers are always scalded. 
Tiie burning may be best for the bacon; but the pigs always 
weigh lighter. In addition to the pigs thus fed from the dairies, 
some are fatted by arable farmers. At Scotsgrove, from July 1853 
to March 1854, nearly 2000/. worth of pork was sold. These pigs 
are at first fed on boiled swedes and pulse (beans and peas), and 
ai'e finished off with barlev-meal. The corn is best boiled some 
days beforehand and permitted to become sour, and is then mixed 
with the fresh-cooked warm roots. These pigs seldom leave any 
profit for their keep in the meat alone ; but the manure, which is 
very valuable, is carefully collected and applied with much suc- 
cess for root crops. There are many pigs fatted at Fawley and 
Latimer, principally on barley-meal, while those at Lillingstone 
have boiled corn and milk, and are disposed of as porkers at the 
Buckingham monthly fairs. 
No view of the domestic agriculture of the county would be 
complete without a few remarks on the Aylesbury ducks. These 
ducks are perfectly white, and are kept in immense numbers in the 
neighbourhood of that town. When highly fed, they begin to lav 
about Christmas, and as all the eggs are hatched under hens, the old 
ducks are not permitted to sit, but continue laying during the 
VOL. XVI. X 
