222 
DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 
a large amount of gross increase that makes the fanner’s profit upon 
his sties. When pigs are fed freely upon highly succulent food, such 
as cooked roots, the refuse of starch, herbs, and the like, they are fre- 
quently found to give a very rapid increase. But pork so fed is found 
to sink rapidly in the salting process, and to waste considerably when 
boiled. And although the first batch of pigs so fed may fetch a good 
price, their character is at once detected, and the market closed against 
a second sale. 
“On the other hand, when pigs are fattened upon the highly nitro- 
genized leguminous seeds — peas being, however, much less objection- 
able than some others — the lean is hard, and the fat wastes in cooking. 
Fish, flesh, and strong oily matters give the pork a rank flavor. 
“Finally, it is the interest of the farmer to use highly nitrogenous 
leguminous seeds, and even refuse flesh, if at command, during the 
earlier and growing stages of his bacon hogs. But if a constant mar- 
ket is to be secured for pork, barley-meal or other cereal grain must 
supersede every thing else as fattening proceeds.” Thus Mr. Lawes 
confirms Mr. Tyrrel, and gives us a golden maxim for making a pig pay 
. — a little bran or bean meal, and plenty of Indian corn. 
Diseases Of Swilie. — In Older to prescribe with any reasonable hopes of 
success, for any animal, a knowledge of that animal’s anatom)’, physiol- 
ogy, and habits when in health, are indispensable, and an intimate ac- 
quaintance with the characters of the substances employed as remedies, 
we would not recommend you to place any confidence in books pub- 
lished by quacks, and purporting to contain infallible specifics for the 
several diseases to which live-stock are liable. Veterinary text-books, 
written by competent persons, are very different things. A host of 
honorable names stand upon record, on the face of their publications, 
in proof of the correctness of my assertion. By diligent study of these 
books, farmers might, I have little doubt, eventually arrive at a very 
respectable share of veterinary knowledge ; acquire a tolerable idea of 
the internal structure of the several inhabitants of the farm-yard, and 
of their physiology ; by practical observation they would become able 
to detect the presence of disease from the symptoms present, and be 
able to adopt such a course of treatment as might be suggested in the 
books they possessed. Under these circumstances, apply, if possible, to 
a regular veterinary surgeon. 
Swine are by no means the most tractable of patients. It is any 
thing but an easy matter to compel them to swallow any thing to which 
their appetite does not incite them, and hence, “prevention” will be 
found “ better than cure.” Cleanliness is, in my opinion, the great point 
to be insisted upon in swine management ; if this, and warmth, be duly 
attended to, the animal will not, save in one case perhaps in a hundred, 
become affected with any ailment. 
As, however, even under the most careful system of management, an 
occasional disappointment may occur, the reader is furnished with the 
following brief view of the principal complaints by which some are, un- 
der the most unfavorable circumstances, liable to be attacked, and the 
plainest effectual mode of sanatory treatment, in such cases, to be 
adopted. 
