OTJR ANIMAL PORTRAITS. 
A BUNCH OF BERKSHIRES. 
[For Illustration, see page 901-1 
Is there in all Swineland a nicer sight than 
a picturesque group of well-bred, well-fed, 
well-kept Berkshires? What is handsomer in 
present view, and oh! the prospect—not too 
far in the future—of—well, pork, temptingly 
marbled, juicy, excellent iu every way— 
enough to overcome a Hebrew’s temptation. 
Have you read “ Elia’s” account of the origin 
of roast pig? A Berkshire alone would have 
been worthy of so widespread a destruction of 
property in order to present itself to Celestial 
appetite in its most attractive form. And 
what cannot bo said of suckling pigs—espec¬ 
ially Berkshires f But if once we launch out 
on that subject, there wont be a bit of room 
to tell anything about the flue group of Berk¬ 
shires presented to our friends on page 201, all 
the property of General C. P. Mattocks, of the 
State of Maine. 
At the upper left-hand corner is the import¬ 
ed boar Organization, farrowed April 12,1877, 
bred by Heber Humfrey, of Berkshire, Eng¬ 
land. and imported by Ids present, owner Au¬ 
gust 7, 1877. Just below him to the right is 
the sow Coxwell Fancy, farrowed February 
11 , 1S77, bred by Mr. Gerring, of Berkshire, 
England, and imported by Mr. Mattocks De¬ 
cember 2S, 1877. Next to the tree on the left 
is the sow Pud, farrowed May 11,1877, bred by 
C. L. Sutherland, Surrey, England, and im¬ 
ported in August the same year by John L. 
Gibb, Canada. In front of her Elsie Savema 
looks curiously round. She was farrowed 
July 7,1877, bred by Heber Humfrey, and im¬ 
ported by Mr. Mattocks, April 19, 1878. Below 
Elsie is Lady Bertina, farrowed July 4, 1876, 
bred by Mr. Humfrey aud imported by 
her present owner April 19, 1878. Iu the 
middle foreground, attended by her prog¬ 
eny, lies contentedly Evening Walk, far¬ 
rowed August 21, 1876, bred by Mr. Hum¬ 
frey and im sorted by Mr. Mattocks December 
2S, 1877. Over her is Connaught Lassie, far¬ 
rowed June 22, 1877, bred by Mr. Humfrey 
aud imported by her owner April 18, 1878. 
Over her aud laughing full-faced at us stands 
Rugby Belle, farrowed July 19, 1877, bred by 
Mr. Humfrey and imported at the same time 
as Connaught Lassie. Saying something sweet 
to Rugby Belle Gray Plover stands sidewise 
towards us. He was farrowed January 7, 
1877, bred by W. Graham, Berkshire, Eng¬ 
land, and imported by Mr. Mattocks December 
28, 1877. Below him stands Ulster Queen, the 
last of the lot, about whose birth and pedi¬ 
gree history and ourselves have nothing to say. 
CLYDESDALE STALLION, ISLESMAN 
(3950 
[For Illustration see page 204.) 
The Clydesdale stallion Idesman (395) shown 
at Fig. 158, was recently imported by the 
Powell Bros, of Springboro. Pa., and is one of 
several hundred such now iu their stables. He 
is a magnificent animal in every respect aud 
a good representative of this noted breed. 
IMPROVED STOCK. 
GEN. CASSIDS M. CLAY. 
In-and-in Breeding’. 
All admit that “in-and-in” breeding or the 
use of near’ relatives is advantageous in “fixing 
the type” aud bolding on to such gains as have 
been made by man’s manipulation of the nor¬ 
mal breeds. Tins was no doubt done by Bates 
and other’s with the Short-horns, and Jonas 
Webb with the South Downs. With man and 
the race-horse, where the highest energy and 
intellect are desirable, near relationship in 
descent is no doubt to some extent to be 
avoided; but where animals are used for flesh 
mostly, as the hog, cow aud sheep, my experi¬ 
ence shows that great latitude may be iu- 
dulged iu the matter of •’in-and-in” breeding. 
But in the whole process the large breeder has 
great advantages; he has not only a larger 
number from which to “select the best,” but 
may divide his flock into sections and keep 
separate families far enough removed in blood 
to avoid the evils of too close breeding. Aud 
this was Webb’s practice. Smaller breeders 
must submit to more adverse methods, but 
they may exchange with others, who have 
perhaps a few in number but high forms from 
intelligent culture. Objections have l>een 
made to in-and-in breeding with some force; 
but to say you should not breed in-aud-in be¬ 
cause you thereby fix also the bad qualities is 
absurd; for who is fool enough to reject “selec¬ 
tion of the best,” and breed to an animal which 
has more bad points than good ones? And this 
I doubt not was the the reason for Bates, the 
Collings, Webb and others using their own 
herds and flocks so much, because they could 
not find their equals elsewhere. And this law 
of fixity has not been rejected by breed¬ 
ers of race-horses even, for it seems now 
that the winners of the world are nearly rela. 
ted to Boston and Lexington, not by one but 
by many crosses, so that the more of the blood 
snare to many who look only to pedigree and 
take no note of quality and constitution. 
ADVANCE IN PURE BREEDS. 
My father was fond of sheep, and the first in 
our section to replace the scrub with the Mer- 
horse is unequaled for the harness and saddle> 
whilst the slow and heavy drudgery of the 
plow and wagon, etc., is conceded with equal 
success to the pure Normans, and such-like. 
THE ’’CtrULY-TAILED BREED.” 
Ground Plan— Fig. 150. 
of the fine types of these celebrated horses is ino of better wool and mutton. At that time 
aggregated together, the better it has been the South Down was little, if at all, known in 
proven to be. America. But I was the first to substitute the 
the abuse of pedigree. South Downs, and have held on to them since. 
And here I may repeat the abuse of pedigreo In 1816, in the Loudon edition of The Com- 
to which I have alluded in a number of the plete Grazier,” the weights of carcass and wool 
American Quarterly (Agricultural) Review. of the South Downs are given; from that time 
The breeding to pedigree without regard to by judicious culture both have more than 
the immediate quality of the animal pedigreed doubled in that breed, and so the improvement 
When I was yet a boy, a story was told of 
an unthiiifty, “change-your-seed” farmer who 
came to a “high farmer” for one of his breed 
of hogs. A said to B, “I have come, friend B, to 
get one of your curly-tailed breed ol' hogs; 
where iu the. world did you get them!” B, tak¬ 
ing him to the corn crib which was large and 
ever well filled said, “There, neighbor A, is 
the pedigree!” 
nic.H feeding. 
This is the only road to improvement iu 
stock. Let no ir.an take an animal from a 
rich pasture to a poorer one, or from a system 
of generous feeding to a scramble for life! 
But by high feeding, I by no means mean 
stuffing or over-feeding; for all feeding 
should be in unison with the laws of health. 
A too fat animal does uot breed at all, or 
brings a poor and feeble issue. This fact 
drives most breeders from the show ring, where 
that abuse of natural laws too often takes the 
premiums. The best cattle breeder I suppose 
in the world, the celebrated owner of the "Rose 
of Sharou” Short-horns, Ab’m Renick, Esq., 
of Kentucky, for long years has, I am told, 
abandoned the show ring. The race-horse also 
iu Kentucky has attained supremacy in the 
world, the rich Blue Grass, a high and healthy 
soil and genial clime moving animal life up 
to the highest perfection. 
White Hall, Ivy. 
-- 
MAKING FAMILY PORK. 
In the Rural of Dec. 30th, M. M., of Meno¬ 
minee Co., Mich., gives his method of making 
family pork. Here is my method: I buy six- 
weeks-old pigs aud keep them in a growing, 
fleshy condition until they arc about eight 
months old, when I kill them and expect them 
to weigh about 400 pounds each. 1 keep four 
or five cows and have plenty of milk. Here is 
this year’s account: 
May 1st, to two pigs.810.00 
Milk till August; from August to Dec. 7th, 1,000 
pounds of corn meal at S1.75 per 100 pounds.... 28.00 
88.0U 
Dee. 7, 815 poundR of pork at 10 cents.81.50 
Balance for milk.843.5 
One pig weighed 445 pounds. I once tried the 
experiment of keeping account of the feed of a 
year-old hog aud of one six months old. It 
was in 1867 when prices were high. The year- 
old hog cost me in feed 12' . cents per pound 
dressed; while the six-months-old pig cost only 
cents per pound. With my method ol’ 
feeding wo get little lard, but the pork is nice. 
Care must be taken in feeding meal not to 
over-feed. I watch the droppings to see that 
all is digested. H. N. Williams. 
SU'fijilfftlirf. 
is the acme of folly; because if you have a 
mean animal, you want him and his blood lost 
as soon as possible. If a horse, lot him go to 
the plow; and if a cow or sheep, let her go 
to the butcher! The premium fat bullock at 
the late fat stock show at Chicago, Illinois, 
was a grade steer. For this there may have 
in the Merino, ’tis said, has been of equal pro¬ 
portions or greater. Thus we have reason to 
believe that we have not at all reached the 
limit of improvement in live stock. 
THE RACE-HORSE 
is an eminent example of culture iu pure 
breeds. Whether the primitive stock was 
View of Bent Next Driveway— Fig. 152. 
been two reasons: that tho best pure-bloods j Arabic or otherwise, a long culture of tho one 
were not allowed to contest; or the winner was 
a man who kept an eye to high quality more 
than pedigree gone blind I 8o the reputation 
type of the race-horse has from time to time 
increased his size, beauty, utility and speed; 
so that now time is made that would have 
of certain families of live stock has proved a been fabulous in earlier days, and the ace- 
:plan of barn. 
The building, of which plans are shown at 
Fig. 150-2, all complete, cost 8550. Fig. 150 
shows the ground plan of bain; Fig. 151, view 
of end section, and Fig. 152 Is the bent next 
the drive-way, having the open spaces of nine 
feet in the center to admit of the free unload¬ 
ing of grain or hay with a horse-fork. The 
side over the stable is framed the same way, 
only the purlin posts and braces, of course, 
do not go clear to the ground floor, but to the 
floor of the mow over the horses. The posts, 
a a, support a purlin plate four by six inches 
in size. The material is all pine, and first-class 
in every particular. The posts axe all six by 
eight inches and 16 feet high. This is the most 
economical bight, ns 10-feet boards will then 
inclose it, while if you get longer stuff it will 
cost more per foot. The inclosure cost mo $20 
per 1,000 feet. The building timber, most of 
it, cost $19 per 1,000 shingles, of which 17,000 
were required. The granary is iu front of the 
double stall at the rear of the stable. It is not 
quite as convenient to feed the occupants of this 
one stall, but we use it only in emergencies, the 
granary Vicing the most out of the way there. 
Have rolling doors on the burn, rolling on 
wooden tracks. There are double swinging 
doors on the stable. Rafters are two by four 
inches and two feet apart. There is a pass¬ 
age-way, 20 inches wide, in the front stall to 
pass through to the barn part. It is made 
narrow so a horse cannot pass through. 1 
hired the carpenters at an average of $2 per 
day and boarded them. 1 would udviso Rural 
readers to try the plan of uot having any 
cross-beams in the way of taking iu hay, etc. 
The way the barn is braced it cannot spread 
iu the least. We have one bain built in 1877, 
and it has not sprung a particle, aud tho one 
1 have given you a plan of was put up lust 
Spring. Frank J Marshall. 
