370 
SIX SAMPLES OF BACK-JERSEY FARMERS. 
same age one would suppose they were of the same 
litter. 
The foregoing is a true history, and I think fully 
establishes the claim to “ Medley, 5 ’ a breed mostly 
made by crossing. 
This breed of hogs are not only valuable in them¬ 
selves, but are valuable to cross with the larger, 
slow-growing sort. As now established rather un¬ 
der medium size, could probably be made to w’eigh 
at one year old, from 250 to 300 lbs. I have had 
them weigh, with ordinary keep, as store-hogs, 
from 184 to 186 lbs., at nine months old. They 
are tough, hardy, and prolific, having generally nine 
and ten pigs the first litter—good nurses and careful 
mothers. Color white, with an occasional dark 
spot on skin, and sometimes with dark hair spots; 
skin rather thin—hair soft and not very thick, 
which would indicate tenderness, but it is not 
so. Head medium size, nose or snout rather too 
long and straight to please the eye—ears small and 
standing up—neck rather thin, but deep in the 
shoulder—good length of body—back straight and 
generally even in width—broad across the hips 
—full and well let down in the flank—tail so small 
that it sometimes withers, dies, and a portion falls off. 
! In form and general characteristics this breed, 
with the exception of the nose, approach the Suf¬ 
folk breed imported by Mr. Stickney, of Boston. 
Their flesh is firm, juicy, and tender—hams meaty, 
round and large in proportion to the carcase. They 
are docile and quiet, good grazers, and can be fat¬ 
tened at any age from the teat up. They are much 
sought for b$r our butchers, for fresh pork, and will 
command the highest price in our market. 
C. N. Bement. 
Albany , Oct., 1847. 
SIX SAMPLES OF BACK-JERSEY FARMERS. 
Sample No. 1.—This man is located on an old 
cultivated farm, where rich people lived and died 
before him, but whether they became so by farm¬ 
ing is rather doubtful. He is a specimen of me¬ 
chanic turned farmer—has had extensive opportu¬ 
nities of observation—is a man of tolerable natural 
parts—lives in one of the best residences of the 
neighborhood, with every convenience around him, 
and sometimes raises good crops on a not very fa¬ 
vorable soil. Yet, scarcely any one thinks this 
man makes a living from his farm. An annuity 
gets the credit of his success. His frequent drafts 
upon the extra manure and ashes of the neighbor¬ 
ing village, show that he is disposed to listen to the 
admonitions of his agricultural"papers. No doubt 
he has a great satisfaction in his farming opera¬ 
tions, over that man who never sees in the results 
attained, the fruits of his own thought and study— 
but only the same routine through which his fathers 
passed before him. One would think, that with 
such a home, in such a place, farming must be at¬ 
tractive, if anywhere, and afford ample room for 
exercising all the energies, both mental and physi¬ 
cal. But this farmer says he cannot make his farm 
support him; but why, does not appear. Most 
young people would be willing farmers, such as he, 
provided the annuity were also pouring in its 
steady stream to make all snug and square at the 
end of the year. But all have not that to make 
farming tolerable. Let us look at one who has not. 
Sample No. 2.—Here too we have a “ book-far¬ 
mer,” made out of a merchant, of dashing ways in 
early life, left in possession of a few thousands 
collected by a “ keen” father, cut off by death in 
the midst of his rapid accumulations. The son 
seemed ambitious of uniting the father’s character 
of a man of business to that of a man of fashion. 
The time and means required for the latter, soon 
swallowed up the former. Matters were then in 
such a train, that the merchant became the gentle¬ 
man farmer. It had also become necessary that 
some personal labor and attention should be given, 
to keep affairs in motion. Ignorant of his new bu¬ 
siness, he turned to the agricultural periodicals just 
then beginning to figure prominently among AmerL 
can publications. He stood out as the prominent 
book farmer of his region, and the results of his 
operations were pointed to as conclusive evidence 
of the uselessness of book knowledge on this sub¬ 
ject. He could not make things go—so his land 
was let out to others for cultivation, and his own 
attentions given to horse-dealing and other like 
“ genteel” occupations. 
Sample No. 3.—This farmer is one who knows 
what toil, care, and labor are, and is on a farm 
which needed them in no small quantity. Situated 
on a “ bottom,” covered with round, or river stone, 
in immense numbers, and nearly useless for fenc¬ 
ing—for no two of them would scarcely lie in a 
heap together. Enormous rows of these bear wit¬ 
ness to his industry in by-gone days. With no 
great share of book-learning nor any extra respect 
for either the demands of religion or morality, joined 
to the most determined resolution to Acquire wealth, 
this man has succeeded. Yes, he has got rich, but at 
what a fearful sacrifice. A young family of unculti¬ 
vated minds or manners exhibit his whole-souled de¬ 
votion at the shrine of Mammon. If success in farm¬ 
ing requires such as this, may the young man say, 
then be it far from me. Young and inexperienced 
minds reason from such cases, that it is the ten¬ 
dency of the business to produce such characters. 
And it is true that too many such coarse specimens 
of human nature are to be found among farmers. But 
we pass on to another. 
Sample No. 4.—Here now we’have a farmer who 
might attract some to his business by his exhibition 
of so much apparent leisure, although they might 
wish to apply it to nobler uses. He is what has 
been termed the “ laziest man in creation,”—but 
the world do not always bestow their epithets im¬ 
partially, so we will make considerable allowance. 
This sample of our farmer does not seem to think 
that agriculture affords full scope, for the exercise 
of all his powers. He is a politician. His country 
claims not only ** a single eye,” but both of them, a 
great deal of the time, in his estimation. He appears 
to think farmers are just the proper material for legis¬ 
lators, and is said to have threatened party leaders 
with a secession and exposure, if they failed to re¬ 
cognise this important truth much longer, in his 
case. This brought matters to a crisis, and he was 
sent to the. State councils, for little else, that the 
public could see, than to expose his deficiencies, to his 
own shame and confusion. Of course, no very sig¬ 
nal success attended his farming operations, and 
had it not been for some special advantages, serious 
delinquencies might have happened. It is reckoned 
