884 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
421 
PRIZE ESSAY —Class VII. 
BY “AMATEUR,” 
SWINE—THE BEST BREEDS AND HOW BEST 
TO CARE FOR THEM. 
Swine husbandry may be divided into two 
branches; the first relates to the breeder, who 
has to do chiefly with the different breeds of 
pigs; and the second concerns the feeder, who 
esteems pounds of pork more than pure blood, 
pedigree, or peculiar markings. We have four 
breeds of hogs which originated in this coun¬ 
try—the Poland-China, the Chester White, 
the Cheshire or Jefferson County, and the 
Duroc- Jersey. 
The foundation of the Poland-China was 
undoubtedly the common hogs of Butler and 
Warren Couuties, 0.; but probably no part of 
their present excellence wns derived fromthis 
source. The Poland-China as now bred,Is a mix¬ 
ture of the China, IrishOrazier, Berkshire, and 
perhaps one or two other strains of minor im¬ 
portance. The breed, through a long course 
of judicious breeding, has developed certain 
flxed characteristics, and thus become entitled 
to be designated as a breed, and the adoption 
of the name Poland-China by the Swine Breed¬ 
ers’ Convention of 1872, fixed the name by 
which it has since been known, 
Poland-Chinas may lie described thus: Good 
length; short legs; broad, straight backs; deep 
sides, flanking well down on the leg; very 
broad, full, Fquare hams and shoulders; droop- 
jug ears; short heads; wide between the eyes; 
black and white spotted. They are hardy, 
vigorous and prolific, and attain a larger size 
than any other breed in this country. Their 
size, hurdiuess and docility make them inval 
unble to Western farmers for converting 
cheap corn into a more marketable commodi¬ 
ty, The great Western corn-growing States 
are equally pork producing. Cheap corn and 
profitable pork go together. The Western 
farmer requires a hog which is a good grazier, 
capable of making a thrifty growth on clover 
with, perhaps, a modicum of corn per day, 
until it in desirable to finish him off for market. 
The Chester White originated in Chester 
County, Pa., and is to white hogs what the 
Poland-China is to black or spotted; hogs of 
this breed attain as large a size us the Poland 
Chinas, and are of the same physical type. The 
farmer who has a good Chester White, has a 
bog that is as good as any that, caw lie pro¬ 
duced in any country. Probably as much care 
has not been used in fixing the characteristics 
of the Chester County as those of the Poland- 
China ; at least, they do not breed as true to 
the typical hog. 
The Cheshire, as bred in Jefferson Coun¬ 
ty, N. Y., is sometimes called Jefferson 
County, and by various other uauies, hut it is 
essentially a Large Yorkshire. Hogs of this 
breed are white, have small, flue ears, short 
snouts, aud very well developed cheeks, which 
add much to the beauty of thohead; long, 
deep, square bodies, and good shoulders and 
hams. They are very flue-boned, and in them 
there is a smaller proportion of offal than in 
any other large hog. The Cheshire is not as 
large as either of the other breeds, but the dif¬ 
ference is not so great as it seems, as the com¬ 
pactness of form gives greater weight for ap¬ 
parent size. Cheshire exhibitors have been 
very successful in the show ring, and this, 
combined with roal merit, has made it a very 
popular breed. 
The Duroc-Jersey has been energetically 
pushed for public favor, and has already many 
devoted adherents. I cannot, however, see 
that it fills any place that is not equally as 
well filled by the other breeds. The novel 
color of the hog is to me very objectionable. 
All these are large swine, and are more de- 
siruble for the grain-growing West than the 
smaller breeds. If it is important that the 
farmer in the West, with his hundreds of 
swine, should have a large breed, it is equally 
important that the farmer who keeps but a 
few hogs, and is near a good market, should 
have hogs that are good feeders aud rapid 
growers, which arrive at maturity early, 
are fit for market at weights ranging from 200 
pounds up to 850 pounds, have a small propor¬ 
tion of offal, and furnish an excellent quality 
of meat, at from eight to 10 months old. This is 
the condition uf most of the farmers of the 
Eastern and Middle States, and there smaller 
hogs are most popular. Among the English 
breeds meeting these requirements most fully, 
are the Small Yorkshire, Berkshire, Suffolk 
and Essex, which are all small-boned and 
easily kept. 
A very small proportion of the 43,270,086 
bogs in the United States in January, 1883, 
wore pure-bred. By far the greater number 
were crossbreds, grades and nondescripts of 
every sort. It is in connection with these pigs 
of inferior breeding that pure-bred males be¬ 
come important. Good farmers who feed pigs 
like to handle good animals. It is folly for 
farmers at the present time to think of keep 
ing pure-bred pigs merely for the purpose of 
makiug butchors’ meat. The farmer who 
procures pure stock speedily becomes a breed 
er, and his pigs are too valuable to be fed and 
slaughtered. It is a question whether we will 
ever arrive at the time when pure-bred pigs 
of any breed, will be kept to any great extent 
for feeding purposes. The breeds are so nu¬ 
merous. the majority of farmers are so care¬ 
less as breeders, the total number of hogs kept 
is so large, and our agriculture is so diversi 
fied, that such a state of things is not likely to 
occur. 
The general pig feeder simply desires to 
produce, in the shortest possible time and in 
the cheapest possible manner, the greatest pos¬ 
sible quantity of butchers’ meat. It is in the 
speedy conversion of clover, sour milk aud 
corn into pork, that he finds the profit, of 
keeping hogs. The manner in which it is dc 
sired to keep and fatten hogs should deter¬ 
mine the particular breed from which to 
select for a cross. If a farmer desires to have 
pigs in May or June, and keep them over the 
ensuing winter, feed them on clover the next 
Summer, and fatten them in the Fall, a good 
Poland-China would prove highly satisfac¬ 
tory. On the other hand, if he desires pigs 
in March and to have them mature, so as to be 
fit for the butchers the ensuing November or 
December, a finely bred Essex, Suffolk or 
Berkshire would bo preferable. These small 
English breeds are of great antiquity and 
remarkably prepotent, and are thus well cal¬ 
culated to impress their offspring with their 
form, fineness of bone, early maturity, and 
general excellence; while the sows, being 
larger and coarser, an increase of size may be 
reasonably expected. Such across has always 
been very satisfactory to me, the pigs invari 
ably proving good feeders, making flesh rapid 
ly, and generally turning out profitable, A 
black color is not an objection, as beauty in u 
pig is much more a matter of form than of 
color, and for pigs bred to bo fed and killed, 
it matters little of what color they are; the 
important question is, are they good feedws, 
will they mature quickly, fatten easily, and 
witli a small proportion of offal; if so, the 
cross is a good one. Both parents should be 
perfectly healthy, and ns good specimens as 
can be procured. A mistake is committed in 
breeding from hogs too young; the offspring 
is apt to be lacking iu size and vigor. If the 
services of a nondescript male can be had for 
nothing, and the services of a pure-bred for 
five dollars, the pure-bred will prove much 
the most profitable in the feeding qualities of 
the cross. 
It is a good practice to have the breeding 
sow removed from close proximity to other 
swine by a close partition, if she is kept in the 
same building. This is essential to insure quiet¬ 
ness in the sow and safety to the young pigs. 
8he should be kept in the pen where she is to 
farrow, so that she may become perfectly at 
home in her quarters. The pen should be quite 
warm and secured from sudden changes of 
temperature; this precaution is absolutely re¬ 
quisite to success when young pigs are desired 
in March. Except for a few days before far¬ 
rowing, allow breeding sows all the out-door 
exercise they desire. This insures better health 
and vigor In the sow aud offspring. I keep 
my brood sows comparatively fat: in bettor 
condition than my neighbors, who are breed¬ 
ers, consider safe, I have learned that a breed¬ 
ing sow will digest and assimilate much more 
food than a store pig, and that she can be quite 
fat without injury. The fat of the mother 
will speedily find its way in richer milk to the 
pigs. 
I never give stimulating food to the sow 
except from the time the pigsare two or three 
weeks old nntil after they are weaned. A 
very good diet for a breeding sow, in addition 
to house slops, consists of a small quantity of 
ground barley and oats, varied occasionally 
by a few ears of corn or a small mess of peas. 
A mess of raw potatoes two or three times per 
week, will be found very beneficial. 8be 
should also have an abundance of pure water. 
At all times after the pigs arc two weeks old, 
give the sow all the foot! she will eat up clean. 
To encourage young pigs to eat, they should 
be fed a little new milk in a small trough easily 
accessible. 
The pig should be kept growing from his 
birth; a pig that is not growing in size or 
flesh is kept at a loss. A pig of the large breeds, 
if fed all it can digest and assimilate from its 
birth, will develop bone, muscle and size dur¬ 
ing a longer period than will a pig of the small 
breeds treated in the same manner; that is, 
large hogs are longer in arriving at maturity 
than small. A pig while growing cannot be 
fattened to advantage. The food fed will in¬ 
crease its growth rather than be diverted to 
the formation of fat. But, let it always be 
remembered, that a pig, large or small, is 
nothing but a machine for the conversion of 
grain, clover, swill, etc., into pork. Clover 
grazed in the field, maybe converted into pork 
at a'profit. Everything should be fed to the 
hogs, which will return a reasonable profit. 
When intelligently treated, they fulfil the ob¬ 
ject of their existence; when not so treated, 
they become eye-sores to all good farmers. 
PRIZE ESSAYS.— Class III. 
MRS. E. S. WALLING. 
BUTTER-MAKING. 
After looking over the columns of the 
Rural Nf.w-Yorkeh, one would suppose that 
the subject of 1 sitter-making had been entire¬ 
ly exhausted; but ou an examination of the 
contents of the butter-counter in almost any 
store in one of our country towns, we walk 
away with a sigh, and say in our hearts “Lot. 
the good work go ou, for surely there is need 
thereof. 1 ’ Since the many creameries that 
have sprung up among us have taken much of 
the labor of the dairy from the hands of wo¬ 
men, it has come to bo a question each house¬ 
hold may decide for iteelf, which is the more 
profitable, to soil milk or cream or to manu¬ 
facture butter; and the answer will usually 
depend on the amount of help available. If 
the supply Is adequate to the clemaud, and the 
housewife Is skilled in the art, it will prove 
more remunerative to do the work at home; 
for, since the creameries take so largo a share 
of the product from the country to the city, 
there is usually a good demand for a superior 
article, at fair prices, to supply the home 
market; but we must be sure that it is a sup¬ 
erior article, or wo had better patronize the 
creamery. 
The first requisite for profitable dairy work 
is good cows. Not every farmer is able to 
procure Jerseys, Ayrshire's, or Holst ions, still 
we can select from the best native cows, and 
study to be constantly improving the milking 
qualities of the herd. Of course, the best 
food for the dairy cow, in Summer, is plenty 
of grass free from course weeds; and for Win¬ 
ter, rye pasture. Next to rye, we prize nice, 
bright millet hay, with a ration of ground 
feed at milking time. I think we shall find 
few men, among our Western farmers, at 
least, who would bo willing to take the trouble 
of washing the udder of each cow before 
milking; still doing so is a very desirable ele 
meat of neatness, and it would be well if it 
wore a habit more generally in vogue. If 
this is not done, a thorough brushing of the 
cow should be insisted upon, before milking. 
I have found it almost a necessity to have the 
milk strained twice; first through a wire 
strainer, then through muslin. In regard to 
deep setting, it has some very decided advan¬ 
tages which are worthy of our consideration: 
the first is economy of space; then the tem¬ 
perature of the milk is less affected by the 
extreme heat of mid-summer, especially if the 
cans are surrounded by cold well water, or, 
better still, by lee water. Auothoradvantuge 
of deep setting is that, by keeping the rnilk 
closely covered, we exclude all dust, flies, and 
Impurities of the air. By washing the cans, 
they can be easily kept sweet and clean. 
And right here, 1 must say a word in regard 
to the thorough cleansing of all milk uteusils: 
if the pails, cans, or pans are not thoroughly 
purified at each and every washing, it is use¬ 
less to attempt to make fine butter, since the 
milk and cream so readily acquire that sour 
taint which careless washing is sure to leave 
about every article used in the milk room. 
Nothing is so disgusting to a tidy house-wife 
or dairy-maid as a sour dish-cloth; and since 
correct dish-washing is so essential an clement 
of our work, It may not be amiss to note the 
proper mode of performing it. I insist upon 
having all milk dishes first rinsed—with the 
baud, not the dish-cloth—in cold or tepid 
water, then washed with the cloth in very 
warm water, then scalded and dried with a 
clean towel, and aired, and, lastly, the dish¬ 
cloth should be washed and hung in the air. 
If this plan is followed, we are sure of having 
so much of the work properly done. The 
length of time required, for cream to rise will 
depend upon the mode of settiug: in pans. In 
a cool cellar, it will usually require 86 hours; 
but in cans, cooled with water, I find 24 hours 
sufficient. 
[If ice is used 12 hours are amide—E ds.] In 
my own tests the amount of butter made 
from deep aud from shallow setting, was exact¬ 
ly the same; still, the tests were made in the 
Spring, and, no doubt, during the summer 
months the deep settiug would have much the 
advantage. I prefer to churn as often as every 
second day, since from very sour- cream we 
cannot make butter of a delicate flavor. The 
churning will be more readily done if a ther¬ 
mometer be used, and I am exact about the 
temperature of the cream. 
The wise ones differ in regard to washing 
the butter, but I prefer to do so, if pure cold 
water can Vie had. After the washing, salt at 
the rate of one ounce for each pound of butter. 
After salting, work slightly and sot in a cool 
place to cool. In 12 hours work it again, and 
if the butter-milk is not all out, work it the 
third time; the finished article must bo entire¬ 
ly free from a trace of butter-milk. Wo must 
never allow the butter to come soft, for it iR 
sure to be salvy, tasteless, and will not keep. 
Butter color? No, thunk you; it is quite 
unnecessary 1 Let tile sweet, fresh grass and 
rye color it for ns. and away with the poison¬ 
ous paints that please the eye (?), but not the 
palate or the stomach. T believe wood to be 
the best material iu which to put up the butter 
for market, but pails and tubs are too large to 
be convenient for the retail trade, and, so, my 
friends, how ore we to paek and market our 
product, now that it is ready for your table? 
IN BEHALF OF THE HIRED HELP. 
11Y AN EX HIRED MAN. 
In his prize essay, Eugene Secor says: 
“Many boys are ruined socially and intellec¬ 
tually by the contact of vicious aud thought¬ 
less hired meu; one reason why so many boys 
loavo the farm is because t hey got disgusted 
with the associates furnished them in the per¬ 
sons of ignorant and vulgar hired help.” 
Tbo above paragraph was evidently penuod 
by one whomever was a hired man himself, 
and who consequently regards hired men 
much as ho would dogs. Years ago, one of 
the best, men I ever worked for, and who was 
a model farmer, told me that no man was fit 
to manage hired men who had not previously 
served as a hired man himself. He practiced 
what he preached, for though he was well off, 
each one of his boys, when ho reached the ago 
of 19, was given two suits of clothes, $25 in 
cash, and a railway ticket that would carry 
him 100 miles, and told not to return (except 
in case of severe sickness) until he had attained 
his majority. “We have brought them up 
right,” said he, “uud I’m not afraid to send 
them to the end of the world!” 
One of them returned while I was there, and 
a finer, more magnanimous and kind-hearted 
young man T never met. He immediately 
went on a farm of 160 acres, employing three 
meu, and, like his father, never had a particle 
of trouble with any of them during the four 
years 1 was in that vicinity. Both treated 
their hired hands like men instead of boasts of 
burden. Thoir orders were distinct and deci¬ 
sive, and given in a quiet, gentlemanly man¬ 
ner; their Instructions wore brief and to tho 
point, and they were always respectfully lis¬ 
tened to; there was no waverin g , garbling, or 
shuffling. The men knew that their employers 
understood their business, that their word was 
law, and they respected it as such. They 
never required their men to do anything they 
would not willingly have done themselves 
under like circumstances. As is well known, 
there are many hard and disagreeable jobs to 
be done on a farm, yet T novor heard their 
men grumble about them, simply because 
they wore always done at the most favorable 
time. 
The idea that many boys leave the farm be¬ 
cause they got disgusted with the hired help, 
is the silliest kind of balderdash. I f the essay¬ 
ist had any practical knowledge of his theme, 
he would never have made such an absurd 
statement. The farmer’s children are not ob¬ 
liged to associate with the lured men any more 
than the children of the merchant are obliged 
to associate with tho cook or coachman, with 
the single exception that the farmer’s men 
generally take their meals at tho family table, 
and their action ami conversation there de¬ 
pend wholly upon the conduct of the master 
and his family. If they are rough and boor¬ 
ish, the men will be tho same; if they are po¬ 
lite, clean aud diguifled, the men will, to a 
large extent, imitate the example set before 
them. 
The best plan is never to allow the children, 
under any circumstances, to familiarly asso¬ 
ciate with the hired men. I know of no greater 
bore to a hired man than half a-dozen chil¬ 
dren forever tagging after him, hindering him 
in his work and disturbing tho rest he needs. 
1 worked out about seven years, and after I 
got my eyes opened, I would never allow the 
least familiurity by the children of the man I 
worked for. I was called by many “a mean, 
cross, snappy old bear!” but I had learned that 
it was the ouly way to keep out of difficulty. 
There are so many farmers’ children who are 
taught to consider tho hired man their legiti¬ 
mate prey, and to think it very cute to play 
mean little tricks upon him. Borne are for¬ 
ever nagging him, while others delight in boss¬ 
ing him about and showing thoir authority 
over him. I ha ve been annoyed in this man¬ 
ner until I scarcely knew whether I was a 
miserable slave or merely a jumpiDg-jack, 
with a string for each member of the family 
to pull. Iu every ease where this Is the rule, 
the children are upheld by the parents. 
