?©5 
RURAL PRIZE ESSAY—CLASS V. 
SWINE BREEDING AND FEEDING. 
S. ,T. PELTON. 
Swine breeding and feeding in the central 
and western portions of the United States have 
become a business of almost gigantic propor¬ 
tions. It is a common thing to meet, with farm¬ 
ers who keep from 25 to 100 head on farms of 1*50 
acres, where ten years ago only three or four 
were kept for family use. Of the different 
breeds, the most common are the Berkshires 
and Poland Chinas, with an occasional herd of 
Essex, Chester-White, or the latest novelty, 
Du roc-Jersey. There seems to be considerable 
rivalry between the breeders of Berkshires 
and Polands; in some localities the majority 
favor one breed, and in others, the other. 
The principal aim of the breeder should be 
to get healthy, vigorous pigs, that will come 
to maturity quickly, and furnish the moRt 
pounds from a given amount of food. The 
days of breeding sows to scrub males are past; 
what we uow want, is careful selection of both 
male and female. Choose the best uatives, or 
the common stock of the country, and cross 
them with pure-bred males, and the results 
will be very satisfactory The pigs seem to 
take all of the good qualities of the male, 
while the excess of bone and offal, common to 
the natives, is greatly toned down. 
A little personal experience in breeding may 
not inappropriately be mentioned. In Sep¬ 
tember, 187i>, I purchased a pure bred Berk¬ 
shire boar, and crossed him ou common stock; 
the results were very gratifying—so much so 
that many of the neighbors patronized the 
animal, some even coming the distance of ten 
miles, and all obtained equally snti -factory re¬ 
sults. The idea that I most wish to impress is, 
that money judiciously expended In the pur¬ 
chase of pure-bred males is money invested at 
a good rate of intereist. What investment will 
pay a man better? I had 40 pigs that made an 
average of 839 pounds when 11 months old 
as the results of a first cross between my 
Berkshire and the common stock. For breed¬ 
ing, select long, rangy sows that are from 
good mothers; cross these with a fine-boned, 
compact, heavy-hammed and shouldered 
male; care should be taken to select males 
that have short legs and small houds and ears. 
It is always best to breed from old sows; there 
is less risk to be run; they are better mothers 
and produce more milk than the young ones. 
I prefer to have rny pigs come in March or 
eveu as early as January, and theu keep them 
thriving till I am ready to sell. Pigs reared 
in this way should be kept in a warm stable or 
pen, with the sow, till two or three months 
old. Great care should bo used not to feed 
the sow much for two or three days after far¬ 
rowing, for fear of creating fever. After 
that time, she must have all of the bran, corn- 
meal and barley-meal with milk that she will 
eat up clean. The pigs will soon learn to eat. 
When warm weather comes and clover begins 
to start, they may be turned into a small 
range after "ringing,” and there is no danger 
but that they will thrive. The days of feeding 
swine in a mudhole of a pen are past; now, 
plenty of range in the pasture with pure wa¬ 
ter, is the most preferred of all conditions of 
profitable hog raising. 
In many localities, where from -10 to 100 or 
more acres of corn are raised, the swine do 
their own feeding; they are turned into a 
portion of the field and allowed to husk for 
themselves. While this method is in favor 
with many, 1 still adhere to the good old way 
of saving the stalks for fodder, and feeding 
the corn by the basketful. Pretty good pork 
may be made by feeding putnpkius in the 
Fall. Hogs of this kind, which were very 
numerous last season, are called "skips.” I 
have grown pork on nothing but clover and 
water in the Summer, and finished with slops, 
soft corn, pumpkins and boiled potatoes, with 
good results. The main item in feeding is to 
keep the animal healthy, and then it will eat 
well. 
A few years ago it was a very common 
practice to keep June to September pigs over 
Winter, and with much crowding get them 
fat by the next October; such a practice now 
seems a little too long aud expensive. Com¬ 
petition and the market demand quickly-made 
pork, which shall be healthy and eatable. 
Who wants to eat pork that has been stunted 
and half starved through the first half of its 
existence? Quickly-grown pig pork, tender 
and juicy, will always be In demand at the 
highest prices. 
Keep your herd ofjswine [respectable and 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
clean; feed them clean aud proper food and 
drink—breed well, feed well, and then sell 
well, and your efforts will be crowned with 
success and a good profit. 
Sauk Co., Wis. 
Societies, flC. 
THE GREAT ST. LOUIS FAIR. 
(RURAL SPECIAL REPORT) 
The 24th Annual St. Louis Fair was held 
in the city of St. Louis, Mo., commencing on 
October 6th and closing ou the 12th. This 
fair has been named the " Great St. Louis 
Fair.” Itis not exaggeration to say that it is 
"great” in every department and magnifi 
cently great in all its attractions. The first 
impression a visitor has. upon entering the 
grounds, is an enticing one. The large, green 
lawuR, magnificent buildings aud fine shade 
trees are the first objects that attract one’s 
attention. Throughout the entire week the 
lawns were occupied by groups of tired and 
exhausted sight seers, lunching, sleeping and 
resting in some of the many cool, shady re¬ 
treats which abound everywhere, upon the 
grounds. But nature alone has not done 
everything toward making these grounds 
pleasant. Buildings have been erected for 
public comfort in different localities; exhibi¬ 
tors have erectedHnoand.ta many cases,expen¬ 
sive edifices, and fitted them up with pleasant 
offices, where their friends and visitors can 
sit down and rest at any time. In fact, what 
has not been done for the comfort and con¬ 
venience of visitors at this fair, is hard to 
mention. With all these pleasant surround¬ 
ings, is it at all strange that the Great St. 
Louis Fair husboeu a successful and growing 
enterprise from the first year of its organiza¬ 
tion until the present? is it at all Rtrange 
that the attendance is the largest of any fair 
of its kind held in the United States? 
During the week of the fair there was only 
one day on which the weather proved inaus¬ 
picious. On Wednesday a cold, drizzling rain 
prevailed during the entire day, aud yet 
£15,000 people were in attendance Ou Thurs¬ 
day the wpather was clear and cool aud the 
unprecedented number of 124,8157 persons paid 
admission few to the grounds. Add to this 
the 5,000 who outered on exhibitors’ and com¬ 
plimentary tickets and the booth proprietors 
and their help, and the result is not less than 
135,000! In spite of this immense mass of 
human beings, but few places were at all 
crowded,and every one appeared comfortable 
and happy. It was the largest day’s attend¬ 
ance ever known in the history of the society, 
and the faces of President Green and Secre¬ 
tary Wade were wreathed in smiles all day. 
Owing to the excitement over contagious 
pleuro pneumonia, the officers decided to ex¬ 
clude all cattle of whatever breed. The long 
rows of empty stalls looked desolate enough 
as one remembered the large and fine herds of 
cattle that filled them in previous years; but 
a step farther und the visitor goon forgot the 
cattle as his eyes rested upon the large display 
of fine horses. Norman-Percherou, Clydes¬ 
dale and Shire horses were here in all their 
splendor and the number was greatly in ex¬ 
cess of former years. Sheep, swine, and 
poultry were also well represented, although 
in the latter class the numbers were not as 
great as in former years. 
There were upwards of 700 blooded swine 
and 300 Bbeep on exhibition. One of the most 
interesting departments was that devoted to 
butter and cheese. There were 1,200 tubs of 
butter aud <500 vats of cheese on exhibition, 
competing for the $1,000 in premiums. Great 
credit is due to Jos J. Sheppard, the efficient 
Secretary of the Mississippi Valley Dairy 
men’s Association, for bringing out the largest 
exhibit in this department ever seen upon the 
grounds. That bis efforts were appreciated 
Dy the exhibitors was proved by their pre¬ 
senting him with a fine gold watch in recog¬ 
nition of his labors. 
The agricultural implement department 
was by no means lacking either in interest or 
numbers. Nearly all machines, engines, 
thrashers, self-binders, eorn-shellers, wind¬ 
mills, hay presses, feed mills, fanuing mills, 
etc., were shown in operation, and attracted 
a large crowd of interested sight seers. 
Among the new implements the writer 
noticed a cotton seed planter. This was in¬ 
vented by Wm. Downey, of the firm of P. P. 
Mast & Co., Springfield, O., and every onein 
terested in the culture of cotton pronounced it 
a success. Another device which especially in 
terested wheat growers was exhibited by Prof. 
J. Hamilton, formerly Professor of Agricul¬ 
ture in the Pennsylvania State Agricultural 
College. This can be attached to any drill; 
its object is to enable the farmer to control 
the drill hose, so that the seed shall be deposit¬ 
ed in the ground at an eveu dejith, and at the 
same time compress the earth over it. It is 
claimed that seed sown shallow by this method 
—about one inch deep—will germinate more 
quickly than that sown in the ordinary way; 
that a larger percentage of it will germinate 
and grow; that the number of roots on the 
plants will be one half greater, and that the 
plants will consequently tillor more and en¬ 
dure the freezing and thawiug of the Winter 
and Spring without being frozen out. 
Large and convenient as these grounds are, 
they will soon bo inadequate to accommodate 
the rapid growth of this fair. In order to 
meet the demands upon the officers for space, 
they have decided to enlarge the area, and to 
include m the additional space a race track. 
The coosequeut alterations would necessitate 
the moving of all tho agricultural buildings, 
and space heretofore allotted to them was to bo 
devoted to other purposes, The structures wore 
erected with the idea that they would be per¬ 
manent, and wbea the exhibitors wore inform¬ 
ed that they must remove them, no small 
amount of bad feeling immediately rame to 
the surface. At. a meeting held by aggrieved 
exhibitors, they decided that if their buildings 
were to be removed, the expenses of removal 
should be borne by the society. To this pro¬ 
position the society refused to accede, aud it 
looked at one time as though the next fair 
might be held without any display of agri¬ 
cultural implements, as exhibitors threatened 
to leave in a body in ease tho society forced 
their plans upon them. I am happy to state 
that the officer! soon became convinced that, 
without the exhibitors of agricultural imple¬ 
ments, their fair must prove a failure, and 
they yielded the points iu dispute to a sufficient 
extent to close up the chasui between the par¬ 
ties, and to make everything harmonious. 
Tho buildings of agricultural implement 
manufacturers are to remain whore they 
stand, and every oue now predicts that the 
exhibitions in future years will progressively 
transcend those of all former years in extent, 
attractiveness, attendance, and success. 
G. B. B. 
-- 
MOUNT HOLLY FAIR. 
(RURAL SPECIAL REPORT) 
The 38th annual fair of the Burlington 
County Agricultural Society opened very aus¬ 
piciously at Mt. Holly, New Jersey, Octobor 
7th, and continued until the lOfch. The atten¬ 
dance was the largest ever known, and the 
exhibition was a financial success. Tho differ¬ 
ent departments were well filled. Tho show 
of fruit and agricultural implements was far 
better than last year. Tho most desirable part 
of the grounds—that, in front and to the left 
of the main entrance—was given up to iutin- 
eraut gamblers. Almost every conceivable 
game to lleece the unsuspoctiug was in pro¬ 
gress; whoels of fortune, three-card moute 
men. with their "Try your luck hero uow, 
geutlemen!” "soap” men, bogus jewelry ven¬ 
ders, snide cutlery, lung-testers, striking ma¬ 
chines, lifting apparatuses—everywhere, was 
a veritable gamblers’ paradise. It. is a shame 
that the officers of the society should tolerate 
such nuisances. No less than 500 despicable 
creatures could be seen plyiug their vocations 
ou the grounds, paying the society for the 
privilege a miserable pittance compared with 
the harm done to adolescent humanity and 
unwary farmers. Horse-racing was in pro¬ 
gress, and betting in full blast. No liquor 
was sold on thegrounds, though many iutoxi 
cated persons could be seen. The space inside 
the race track was allotted to the display of 
agricultural implements; but very few of the 
visitors found their way among them. To get 
there it was necessary to walk more than a 
quarter of a mile from the entrance to the 
only opening in the fence surroundiug the 
traek, and then few could cross, for a race was 
in progress nearly all tho lime. Most of the 
people who found their way to this display 
were compelled to climb over or crawl under 
fences daubed with a fresh coat of whitewash. 
Ou Friday morning a meeting of the agri 
cnltural implement exhibitors was held on 
the grounds, and they unanimously voted not 
to attend this fair again unless several wrongs 
done them were redressed The Hon. D. 
McMurry, of the Clapp Wagon Co., was select¬ 
ed chairman, and Mr. Josselyn, of the Kemp 
& Burpee M’f’g Co. acted as secretary. Two 
dollars was the sum exhibitors were taxed for 
admission during tlu fair, and a like amount 
for every assistant. The excuse given for this 
extortion by the offiers was, that the exhib 
itors sold goods and ought not to complain. 
It was said that some of the officers remark¬ 
ed, "We can get along without you.” They 
will have an opportunity to do so next year, 
unless they agree to do as requested. It 
would be well for tho officers to give the im¬ 
plement display a better location after this. 
Let this department occupy the grounds here¬ 
tofore used by the fakirs from whom the 
managers receive money for permission to 
fleece the visitors. They never can make their 
fair a success without this display, and cannot 
conduct a horse trot, under the name of an 
agricultural fair. 
Among the implements, the Butterworth 
thrasher was iu operation and attracted a 
greut many. The Buckeye low-down binder 
was also in operation and attracted not a few. 
On the whole, the implement display was a 
success. 
The show of cattle was fine, Jerseys out¬ 
numbering tho other breeds. A. S. Shinier, 
showed his excellent herd of Hollanders. 
Guernseys came next, and then the Ayrshire:-. 
A few Devons and Ilerofords were shown. 
What was lacking in quantity was made up 
in quality. The show of sheep was not very 
large. South Downs were In considerable 
numbers; nil the other breeds were shown 
with tho exception of Oxfords. The exhibi¬ 
tion of swine was large. Duroe-Jerseys were 
out. in force. Magie or Poland-Chin as came 
next, and then the Berkshiros. Not a few of 
tho other breeds wore shown. 
The display of poultry at this fair is always 
very large, and this year there was an ad¬ 
vance as compared with last. The showing 
of vegetables was large. The pomologicul 
display was larger ami of finer quality tbuii 
last year; 600 more plates of apples were 
shown. Grapes were numerous, and delicious 
they lookod. Prominent among them was 
the Niagara. Pears, peaches aud plums were 
quite numerous. Tho ladies’ department was 
well filled. J. e. 8. 
TIIK WISCONSIN STATE FAIR. 
OUR State Fair was a successful one this 
year. The exhibits in Agricult ural Hall were 
fine, especially that of our State Experiment 
Farm, which had a largo show of winter and 
spring wheats that were very good in quality, 
as were the other varieties of grain shown by 
the Farm, which had also a very fine display 
of the different varieties of vegetables, alto¬ 
gether the best exhibit it bus ever made so far 
as I have soon. It carried off a considerable 
number Of the premiums offered by the So¬ 
ciety. 1 also received my share of these, hav¬ 
ing been awarded the special premium offered 
by II. Sibley & Co. for tho best acre of Pride 
of the North Corn. My yield was 1011 bushels 
to the acre (weighed and measured.) The 
same variety was also awarded the first and 
second premiums as the best yellow dent 
corn. The stock department was well filled 
m all departments, and some very fine ani¬ 
mals of the different breeds were shown. 
There was a larger display of Holstein* than 
ever before; some of the animals were valued 
at high figures. Aberdeen-Angus were repre¬ 
sented by a small herd in excellent condition, 
ami of superior quality. There were also 
shown an imported bull, cow ami heifer calf 
of the Norfolk polled breed, the first, I be¬ 
lieve, shown in this Ntate. Tho attendance 
and financial results were about tho same as 
of last year’s fair, which was considered a 
success. w. m. o. 
J. M. C., Mystic Bridge, Conn., sends us a 
circular of the Reliable Manufacturing Co., 
of 8UK Walnut .Street, Philadelphia, Pa., 
with the Inquiry whether it is a fraud or not. 
Tho concern says; "We guarantee to give full 
employment to all ladies or young men who 
receive this circular and will do our work neat 
and clean" (sir). It sells electrographs and out¬ 
fits for coloring them, aud promises to pay 60 
cents for each picture when finished and for¬ 
warded to the "Co.” We have had many com¬ 
plaints, however, from those who had Invested 
money with it and spent a good deal of 
time in learning how to color the pictures 
properly; but whocoul i not induce the sharp¬ 
ers to buy them back when painted. Nothing 
is easier than to find an excuse for not bu ying 
what one doesn’t want, especially if he is a 
rogue who profits by his canning. This hum¬ 
bug has been already exposed several times, 
but as its dupes are generally those ill able to 
afford a loss, the public cannot be warned too 
often against dealing with it. 
F. L. P., St. Joseph, Mich., writes us: “On 
July 20 1 sent a postal note for $4 to the Stan¬ 
dard Jeweh'y Co., of f5I58 Broadway, N. Y. 
After waiting 30 days, 1 wrote to the Rural 
asking if they were all right. One week from 
that time l received a postal card from them, 
sayingthey were outof the watches advertised, 
but would have some next week. One week 
ago I wrote them that, if I did not receive my 
money or its equivalent iu the form of a 
watch, l would denounce them as a fraud. I 
have heard nothing. Now in order that Hiey 
may not take any other party in, I Monk the 
Rural had better warn people against them.’ 1 
We have received a large number of com¬ 
plaints of this sort. They have been taken to 
- the concern, whichin most cases .filled the 
