Farming of Oxfordshire. 
235 
and this is afterwards increased to a pint. Beans are high in 
favour there, for they increase the lean, and give a firm handling 
to that naturally fat and flabby mutton. But when the swedes, 
late in the spring, become hard and dry, beans are certainly not 
the most feeding, nor the most economical food. Oil-cake is 
more generally given to cattle than sheep : it is usually broken 
in knobs, but at Sarsden it is ground in a mill. The swedes are 
grated quite small, and are mixed with the cake, meal, and hay- 
chaff, and so given to the cattle. A large quantity of damaged 
foreign wheat has recently been purchased as food for pigs. 
The Beikshire pigs are most common in Oxfordshire. About 
Banbury there are some of the Tamworth breed, and all over 
the country may be found a few white pigs, which are reared 
for porkers. The Berkshire hog is a very useful animal ; as a 
store -pig he is superior to any other ; and, although not a very 
fast feeder, his flesh is prized on account of the large mixture 
of the lean with the fat. There is a great difference in the 
Berkshires. Some are fine bred and kind doers, while others 
are coarse and slow feeders. A cross with the Essex has been 
very beneficial. It increases the aptitude to fatten, and does 
not materially diminish the size. The Eynsham pigs, which 
are thus bred, have weighed 18 scores (of 20 lbs.) under 12 
months old. There are more pigs kept as stores than fatted in 
this county. On the dairy-farms a good quantity of bacon is 
made, and, generally, the pigs are bred, reared, and fatted on 
the farm. But a vast number of pigs are bred on the arable 
lamls of Berkshire, stored in Oxfordshire, and fatted in Bucks. 
Pigs perform a very important part in making the farm-yard 
manure. On arable lands, where they are kept as stores, they 
are generally bought in twice a year, say in January and June. 
The first lot cost 25s. each, the latter can be had commonly for 
a pound. From 20 to 40 pigs are kept in a straw-yard, and are 
supplied with swedes or mangolds and 1 pint of old beans daily. 
At first the beans, as well as the roots, are scattered all over the 
yard, and the pigs, being thin and active, root over the straw, 
and thus improve the manure ; but as they become fatter and 
less active the beans are thrown on a clear spot. Sometimes 
instead of beans the refuse corn is ground and mixed with wash 
for them. The pigs that are bought in January will be ready 
to go away in May, and the summer ones will be cleared out at 
Christmas. Both lots make from 40s. to 45s. each. Thus they 
pay far better than sheep in proportion to the expenditure on 
food. For a teg bought at 30s. will often not sell for as much, 
after 5 or 6 months' feeding as a pig which cost 20s. 
On the dairy farms, where pigs are fatted, when worth from 
