A STERCORARY, OR COVERED FARM YARD. 
153 
pointment and prejudices of some, we say emphati¬ 
cally, that taking them all in all, we still think 
those which are well bred, the best farmer’s hog 
eyer imported into, or reared in, this country. They 
are a particularly valuable breed for the west, as 
they have proved themselves better travellers than 
any others, when driven over the mountains to a dis¬ 
tant market. This is an important consideration ; 
and when Berkshires can no longer be found, they 
will be more highly thought of than ever, and the 
farmers will seek, when it is too late, to get into the 
breed again. 
James G. King, Esq., of New York, while at 
Liverpool, England, in 1838, obtained two sows 
and a boar of the Neapolitan breed of swine, which 
cost him about $150. He brought these home with 
him, and generously distributed their produce gra¬ 
tuitously among the farmers of the country, at the 
south as well as at the north. In 1841, he present¬ 
ed fifteen of these animals (among which were those 
originally imported), to the New York State Agri¬ 
cultural Society. Being almost entirely destitute 
of hair, this breed was not found sufficiently hardy 
to withstand our northern winters; but those he 
sent to Georgia, thrived well, and found great favor 
in that warm climate. 
John P. Cushing, Esq., of Watertown, Mass., has 
often imported swine from China and other quarters 
of the globe, at great expense, and has generously 
distributed their progeny gratuitously among the 
farmers of his state. 
In 1841, Mr. William Stickney, of Boston, im¬ 
ported a pair of Suffolk pigs, which he has followed 
up by other importations, nearly every year since. 
His hogs are of medium size, of a white color, very 
fine in all their points, with deep full chests, round 
bodies, thick hams, and short legs. They are do¬ 
cile,. thrifty, mature early, and are easily kept. 
Their pork is considered very delicate and fine. 
They will weigh from 200 to 450 lbs. at 12 to 18 
months old. This breed of swine, some few of 
which occasionally come up as high as 500 lbs., is 
beginning to be pretty well known; and as they 
are of a favorite color, we think they are destined 
to be widely disseminated. 
C. N. Bement, Esq., editor of the American Jour¬ 
nal of Agriculture and Science, at Albany, N. Y., 
is now establishing a breed much like the Suffolk, 
of which he thinks highly. For a 
particular account and portrait of one 
of this breed, see volume sixth, p. 369, 
of the Agriculturist. Mr. Bement has 
given his pigs the name of “ Medley,” 
indicative of the admirable mixture of 
blood he seems to have stirred up to 
give shape and character to them. 
Thus we have given our readers, in 
a brief way, all we at present know 
of any great importance concerning the 
history of the importation and breeding 
of improved swine in the United States. 
To any one who can furnish us with 
other information on this interesting 
subject, we shall 'feel highly indebted. 
We now present our readers with the portraits of 
two pigs, which we think very perfect of their kind. 
Fig. 34, is exactly like the improved Chinese, 
which we formerly bred, and would not be a bad 
portrait for a small, well-fatted Suffolk, or Berkshire. 
Fig. 35, is a good representation of a choice 
hog for a farmer, weighing from 400 to 500 lbs. 
ft is an excellent model to go by, and every farmer 
ought to have it before him as a guide in breeding. 
The best Suffolks, well fatted, nearly resemble this ; 
so also do the Berkshires, except that they are in¬ 
clined to be somewhat steeper in the rump. 
A STERCORARY, OR COVERED FARM YARD. 
A farm yard, in all cases, should have a firm, 
water-proof bottom, roofed over sufficiently to ward 
off the sun and rain, and amply ventilated at the 
sides. Those who are unable to incur the expense 
of a proper stercorary can form a vat, three feet 
Cross Section.—Fig. 36. 
deep with a dry bottom, which may be covered 
by a roof of rough poles and straw, supported by 
posts set in the ground. The loss of manure by 
rains and evaporation, for the want of a roof, or 
cover, is almost ‘incalculable. For it has been, 
found by experience, that, animals thrive quite as 
well under cover, resting on their own excrement, 
muck, straw, &c., as when confined in a yard or 
pen in the open air. 
With proper management, in the course of a year, 
if kept under cover, a consolidated mass, three or 
four feet in thickness, may be accumulated, which 
will cut out like a good dung heap, and be fit to 
apply to the land at once ; whereas, in open yards, 
a great proportion of the fertilizing salts wash out 
A Stercorary.— Fig. 37. 
by rains, and evaporate by the sun. There is 
economy and comfort, also, in keeping everything 
dry; and besides, it does away with the necessity 
of removing the manure into heaps, and the expense 
of water carts and tanks ; for the liquid portions 
