* 
©©BE’S BUBAL NEW-YORKER 
JAW.<3 
there will bo a column for each State find 
Territory or Government, and for large cities, 
and columns to represent great events. The 
columns will be plain ; but each State or 
Government may decorate and ornament its 
representative column. On each column will 
be a bracket large enough to support a life- 
size statue ; and it is expected that the State, 
Government, or City will take pride in 
placing on such bracket a statue, of some 
favored son. At t he top of the dome there 
will be an Observatory, and elevators will 
carry up visitors. There will also be a stair¬ 
way leading to the Observatory. 
“This dome should be made so magnificent 
that it would for all time be unrivaled, and 
be a source of pride to all Americans.” 
TEE BERKSHIRE HOG. 
The following is the report of A. B. Allen 
of New York, upon the lastly of tins breed, 
made to the recent Swine-Breeders’ Conven¬ 
tion, with the report of the committee to 
whom it was referred : 
1. The committee appointed to report on 
the above, respectfully submitThat from 
the best information they have been able to 
obtain on this important subject, they find 
that swine of various colors, forms and sizes, 
have existed in Berkshire, England, from 
time immemorial. That family, however, 
which was the foundation of the present im¬ 
proved breed, was of a sandy or buff color, 
about equally spotted with black ; was of a 
large size ; a slow feeder ; and did not fully 
mature till t wo and a half to three yours old. 
But as such it was ever highly esteemed for 
the greater proportion of lean and fat in its 
meat, and fra 1 t he superior weight of its hams 
and shoulders ; thus rendering the whole car¬ 
cass peculiarly well fitted for smoking, for 
which purpose it was said to excel all other 
English breeds. 
A colored portrait of one of the old breed 
of Berkshire swine may be found in Prof. 
Lowe’s folio work on British Domestic Ani¬ 
mals. The writer of this saw specimens thus 
marked, on his first visit to Berkshire in the 
year 1S41 and again in 18C7, but in form and 
size like the improved breeds of the present 
day. 
HOW THE IMPROVEMENT IN THE BREED OF BERKSHIRE 
SWINE WAS'MADE. 
2. Some time during the part Century, the 
more enlightened and enterprising farmers 
of Berkshire became aware of the great ad¬ 
vantage it would be to them to improve 
their swine. In casting about for the best 
SUPPOSED STOLEN CROSS OF THE SPOTTED BLACK AND 
WHITE CHINESE 
0. The writer of tins has been asked how it 
is that white spots are found in the improved 
Berkshire, if no other colors prevailed in the 
breeds used to form it than black and buff, 
as described above. He can account for it in j 
no other way than by supposing a stolen 
cross may also have been taken from that 
family of the Chinese, which is about equally 
spotted in colors of black and white. Such 
of these as the writer possessed in his pig 
gery, upwards of thirty years ago, were 
much like the Siamese, save that they were 
not so heavy in the hams and shoulders; were 
flatter in the sides, with more belly, fuller in 
the jowls, and had little lean meat in the 
carcass. We have occasionally soon pigs 
called the improved Berkshire, as fat jowlcd 
and as spotted as these Chinese, but the 
better breeders rejected them as more fitted 
for salt pork for barreling, and adhered to 
those with a greater proportion of the darker 
colors, finding them much superior for ham 
and bacon, and also for fresh pork. 
WHEN THE IMPROVEMENT COMMENCED. 
7. In what year during the past century 
the Siamese cross on the old breed of Berk- | 
shire swine was first taken, the committee 
have been unable to learn, but when in Eng¬ 
land in 1841, the earliest intelligence that the 
writer of this could obtain from the oldest 
breeders on this interesting subject, was 
from Mr. John Westbrook of Pinckney’s 
Green, Byham, Berkshire, who Informed him 
that his father possessed them as far back as 
the year 1780, In great perfection, and sub¬ 
stantially like the best of those bred in the 
shire at the time of Ins visit. Several other 
aged men informed him that the improved i 
breed had existed in various districts there 1 
from their earliest recollection, but it took 1 
some time for them to pervade the country 
generally; the old unimproved maintaining 1 
their ground to a greater or loss extent in j 
all their size and coarseness down to the fore- * 
part of the present century. f 
COLOR AND MARKING OF BEST BREED BERKSHIRE SWINE. 1 
8. The most favorite color among the best 
breeders in 1841, was a deep, rich plum, with 
a slight flecking on the body of white or 
buff, or a mixture of the two; a small blaze j 
in the face; two to four white feet and more 
or less white hair in the tail. The plum color s 
was preferred to the black or slate, because 1 
it carried rather higher style and finer poinl s 
with it , a superior quality of fieri), softer hair ' 
and thinner skin. In fact, to use a just and 1 
expressive phrase, the animals thus marked ' 
seemed higher bred. 1 
SUE OF THE BERKSHIRE IN THE YEAR 1841. 
9. The live weight of good, full grown, well 1 
fatted animals, at that time, varied from 1 
if he It cr (Inman. 
AYRSHIRES PLAYED OUT. 
George Hammond writes to the Mirror and 
Farmer in the following radical way, which 
some people may take exceptions to : 
“I notice that friend Buffum of the New 
Hampshire Board of Agriculture commends 
the use of thoroughbred bulls in the raising 
of stock for the dairy. If you can get a bull j 
whose dam and gran darn, etc., were great 
milkers, 1 also would so breed. But I cannot 
advise any one to use an Ayrshire. They 
are played out here. They are small, and 
have very small teats,—both strong objec¬ 
tions with the. milker. They ar e not a first- j 
class animal to turn for beef in case of acci¬ 
dent or age. Our neighbors of the Oneida 
Community owned, a few years since, a good ] 
dairy of common grade cows, many of which 
on the noses of animals of that breed. I have 
thoroughbreds whose noses are clear of spots ; 
nor did I ever own a thoroughbred but had 
| a clean nose in this respect. This last Fall, 
at our fair, there were some animals exhib¬ 
ited as thoroughbreds that had speckled 
noses. I have different grades, and 1 find 
that the higher the grade the fewer spots are 
found on the nose. I have known animals 
thrown out of an exhibition ring of thorough¬ 
breds because of such spots, and have heard 
breeders say that they were an indication of 
impurity. I ask for information. 
A Subscriber. 
TO FASTEN COWS’ TAILS WHILE 
MILKING. 
I noticed, some time ago, in the Rural 
New-Yorker, a contrivance to prevent being 
annoyed by cows’ tails while milking. I 
liavc a way that suits me very well:—I have 
a joist in the middle of my stable—a strip of 
I :T 0uW mi , tbe l miL lo im P rove tJ,1 » dairy, plank might bo nailed up to answer tbesime 
j they made a purchase of a thoroughbred purpose ; I drive n nail over every eery v'-'Xo 
Ayrshire bull and heifer, nriatocrats from the ; the joist and then take a licht 'board 
herd of a well-known breeder of the fancy at 
Southboro, Mass. In due time, to follow this 
bull, they purchased another of equal merit 
from the famous New York Mills herd, and 
they now have a dairy of some CO or 70 little 
beauties, — full-blooods, one-half and three- 
fourths bloods ; some of them with teats so 
small that they can only be milked by strip¬ 
ping. Their hired men detest them, and tell 
me that not one of them would half fill a pail 
the. past summer. 
Ayrshircs would not sell well here now. 
purpose ; I drive a nail over every eery fi'.'Ao 
the joist and then take a light board 
bore a hole near one end, and hang it on the 
nail near where I sit when milking. The 
board should reach nearly to the floor to be 
moved by the foot if the cow moves. 
E. Making. 
APPLES FOR MILCH C0W8, 
I see apples have been recommended for 
milch cows. I know they are, for I have fed 
many bushels this fall, i also know that too 
many of them at a feed are just as injurious 
as too much corn or corn meal would be— 
We like pretty rangy cows. They are gener- as too much corn or corn meal would be— 
filly the best milkers, and we don’t want, to though their effect, so far as I can judge by 
lie down to milk. Our best dairies show experience, would bo directly the opposite 
plainly that the Durham has been around. of the meal. I should like to read the expo¬ 
se do not, however, choose the very meaty nance of others in feeding apples to milch 
flanks, as such are rarely good at the milk- 
pail. If I had one of your poorest New Harnj > 
shire farms I would not go to Shetland for my 
stock-horses, nor to Kerry or Ayrshire for 
my bo vines, for I could d waif a large breed 
soon enough myself.” 
James Emory. 
•smaii. 
SOILING MILCH COWS. 
HORSE DISEASED. 
Mr. II. Sedgwick, of Cornwall, Conn., 
stated at a farmers’ meeting at Lowell, Mass., 
J in September, that fanners in his neighbor¬ 
hood wore engaged in producing mil If for the 
New York market. Referring to the short 
feed of the fall of 1871, lie added:—“Our 
farmers all declare they will not go back to 
the old way of feeding stock. Wc cut up our 
straw and everything available. Many of us 
have adopted the plan of steaming the food 
We have a young horse that had a slight 
attack of “epizoot v ate regularly ; worked 
at light work every day, but was warmly 
stabled, and blanketed when out. Two 
weeks ago, just as we considered him fairly 
over the epidemic, he refused his food. On 
examination we found his mouth ond throat 
sore, and h© lost complete use of liis tail. 
One dose of linseed oil was given as a phyric, 
and since that time all excrement hue been 
“buck raked” or taken from him with'the 
for our cattle, and we are satisfied from the hand. Some injections have been riven 
---•_t_. __T ... j 1 a ^ TTi __ 4 _ _ *=> 
kind of males to cross upon their females for about 4©0 to COO pounds; in a few extreme in 
this puiposo, tradition affirms that they fixed 
upon the Siamese boar, then recently im¬ 
ported into England. 
WHAT IS THE SIAMESE BREED OF SWINE. 
3. In color, we are informed that it varies 
in shade, from a clear jot block to a dark 
slate, or deep rich plum. It is of medium 
size, quick to mature, very fine in all its 
points, with short small legs and head, thin 
jowls, a dished face, slender, erect ears, broad, 
deep, compact body, well ribbed up, extra 
heavy hams and shouldere, a slender tail, 
thin skin, and firm, clastic flesh. 
From the years 1837 to 18-12, the winter of 
this possessed swine in his piggery answering 
to the above description, except they usually 
hud from two to three white feet, but no 
other white on them. 
ESTABLISHING THE IMPROVED BREEDS OF BERKSHIRE 
stances reaching to 700 or 800 pounds. The 
first two weights above ar-e about the average 
of the present day. 
IMPORTATION OF BERKSHIRE SWINE INTO AMERICA. 
10. The first importation of which we can 
find any record, was made in the year 1*28, 
another English farmer who had lived in 
Albany, N. Y.; and others in the United 
States'and Canada, too numerous to mention, 
soon followed with larger importations. All 
these Berkshire's were substantially the same 
in size, quality, style and marking ns the best 
of the present day. A. Is. Allen, 
ESTABLISHING THE IMPROVED BREEDS OF BERKSHIRE 
BREEDS. 
1. After using the Siamese boar in Berk¬ 
shire to the old style of females as long as it 
was considered best, he was discarded, and 
the cross pigs then bred together; thus es¬ 
tablishing one of the most valuable and per¬ 
fect breeds of swine now known, which may 
emphatically be called the Farmer’s hog. 
SUPERIORITY OF BERKSHIRE SWINE FOR SMOKED MEAT. 
5. In one respect they may be said to ex¬ 
cel all other breeds with which the commit¬ 
tee are acquainted, and that is in the superior 
weight and quality of their hams and shoul¬ 
ders; these yielding a much greater propor¬ 
tion of tender, lean, juicy, well marbled 
meat, in comparison to the fat, than con be 
found elsewhere. The sides also partake of 
tbe same desirable qualities, and are there¬ 
fore of superior excellence for bacon. Con¬ 
sidering these, it is to be hoped that the 
Americans, at least, will never attempt to 
alter the breed by crossing other swine upon 
it, for the only result will be a deterioration. 
The Berkshire can improve most other 
breeds, but no other breed that we know of 
can improve them; we would not even re¬ 
commend a fresh cross of the pure Siamese. 
The committee submit the following stand¬ 
ard of characteristics and markings: 
Color, black, with white on feet, face, tip 
of tail and an occasional splash of white on 
the arm, while a small spot of white on some 
other part of the body does not argue an 
impurity of blood, yet it is to bo discouraged 
to the end that uniformity of color may be 
attained by breeders; white upon one ear, or 
u bronze or copper spot on some part of ( lie 
body argues no impurity, but rather a re¬ 
ap] learance of the original colors. Markings 
of white other than those named above a re 
suspicious, and u pig so marked should be re¬ 
jected. 
Face, short, fine and well dished, broad 
between the eyes. Earn, generally, almost 
erect, but sometimes inclining forward with 
advancing age, small, thin, soft and showing 
veins. Jowl, full. Neck, short aud thick. 
Shoulder, short from neck, to middling deep 
from back down, pack, broad and straight, 
or a verv little arched Ribs—long ribs, well 
experiments we have made (hat we save a 
third of our provender by steaming it. As a 
sample of what this manner of feeding stock 
will do, I will relate an instance of a young 
man who, a year ago last spring, bought a 
farm of 80 acres of land for 311,000. The 
farm kept 11 cows, four or five yearlings, and 
a horse or two. The young man took hold of 
that farm and immediately put in 11 acres of 
sowed coni. He increased the Rtock to 25 
cows, and kept them on 12 acres, feeding 
them on sowed corn, and also cutting his 
oats green for food. His receipts the first 
year were over $3,000. Tills year he sum¬ 
mered on Unit same farm 27 cows, and he 
told me that his 27 cows would average him 
8100 each from the profit on milk.” 
His appetite now seems restored, is goes!; but 
the tail is powerless, and the excrement re¬ 
mains in the rectum until removed by the 
hand oi injection. Cun you give us a cause, 
cure, etc. (’—Subscriber, Uenovo, Pci. 
Wk have hail no experience in a similar 
ease to (his, and do not feel competent to ad¬ 
vise, We should, however, continue the in¬ 
jections, and give very fight food—bran mash 
or oatmeal gruel. Would not feed the ani- 
mol hay or heating grain. Perhaps some 
more experienced horseman can give intelli¬ 
gent advice. 
APPLE8 AND HORSE DISEASE. 
WEN OR TUMOR ON THE JAW. 
Wm. Horne, V. S., in Western Farmer, in 
answer to an inquiry how to treat the t um or 
says ‘ 1 Tumor upon the angle of the jaw is, 
in cattle, 1 am sorry to say, now becoming 
quite common. Its reduc tion may be accom¬ 
plished as follows Open it to the very bot¬ 
tom to give exit to any matter or pus, or any 
other foreign substance which may be con¬ 
tained therein ; leave a good opening at the 
bottom or lower portion of the tumor ; inject 
A CORRESPONDENT of the New England 
Fa) uer, at South Amherst, Moss., says 
“1 are have been some cases of death here. 
I u: lerstand the most valuable horses have 
diet -those that have hail the most done for 
them. Horses that have been used carefully 
and little done for them have got well the 
best. About the time I first heard of the 
disease I turned mv horse out to grass v-hcrc 
there were plenty of apples. He ate as many 
as he wanted, besides hay, meal, and water¬ 
melons. I have given apples nearly every 
day this Fall, which puts on flesh and gives 
life and ambition to the horse, and he has not 
r . . * * _ i--wv uuc uvi auu ue uos not 
with a glass syringe, diluto nunc acid, half been troubled with the disease. A friend 
rain water and one-half pure acid ; do not 
inject more than twice, or three times at fur¬ 
thest, leaving two days between ; t hen inject 
told me he had four horses standing together ; 
three had the disease, and the other did not.”' 
iving rotundity of body; short ribs solution carbolic acid and tincture myrrh and 
sprung, giving rotundity or oouy; snort nos 
of good length, giving breadth and lovelness 
of loins. Hips, good length from point of 
hip to lump. Hams, thick, round and deep, 
holding their thickness well back a ud down 
to the hocks. Tail, tine and small, set on 
high up. Legs, short and line, but straight 
and very strong, with hoofs erec \ legs set 
wide apart. Size, medium. Length, medi¬ 
um, extremes are to be avoided. Bone, fine 
aloes ; alternate the one for the other. A 
second and safe way is to ran a deep seton 
through the bottom of the tumor—there is 
not so much bleeding or trouble ; dress with 
common turpentine and carbolic acid for say 
THREAD-WORMS IN C0LT8, 
A correspondent of Turf, Field, and Farm 
asks for a remedy for white worms in colts, 
he haring several that are troubled. Ho says 
they keep lean, with flatulent rumbling in 
three dressings each—or four. Keep from the abdomen; they seem feeble and sweat 
UUJa V--4. V. I VXUVW v. . 
and compact. Offal, very light, 
aud soft, no bristles. Skin, pliabl 
Hair, flue 
rubbing parts, and if in stanchions, take him 
out and simply tie him.” 
The Berkshires are hardy, prolific and ex¬ 
cellent nurses; their meat is of superior 
quality, with fat and lean well mixed, 
(Sighed) Geo, W. Jones, 
Jacob Kennedy, 
I, N, Barker, 
MARKS ON SHORT-HORNS. 
I would like to hear from some of the 
best breeders of Short-Horns among your 
readers in regard to the significance of spots 
easily. To this the editor responds:—“The 
ordinary remedy for these worms is the in¬ 
jection every morning for a week of a pint 
of linseed oil, containing two drachms of 
spirits of turpentine, A good preventive, as 
well as a remedy, is a mixture of powdered 
copperas and wood ashes, placed where the 
horse can lick it, or a small tea-spoonful of 
powdered copperas given three times a day.” 
