t 
358 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
and the young pigeons springing from them would have all 
the heauty of the pure race; hut yet wo must not rely on 
the purity of their offspring until three or four new genera¬ 
tions have well confirmed the crossing. 
It is more difficult to produce a variety of which we do not 
possess any individual, because it requires more time and 
attention. Let us suppose that we wish to have the Proud 
Cavalier, not possessing any Cavalier. We should choose 
those individuals which have the greatest analogy with them. 
The Proud Cavalier is large, of a handsome figure, swelling 
out its note, high on its legs, and has a ribbon round the 
eyes, as well as a kind of mushroom on the beak. When 
this is known the choice is easily made. As it is a Pouter, wo 
should take a Pouter and couple it with a Runt, to obtain 
the size. From this will spring a Cavalier that we have 
classed among those of a pure race, because it transmits all 
its qualities to its posterity. We shall already have a bird 
with long legs, having thick membranes on the nostrils, and 
a small ribbon round the eyes ; but it cannot swell its crop 
so much as the Pouter. We should couple this Cavalier 
with the Mixed Bagdad or Swan pigeon, and thus obtain a 
true tubercle about the bill, a larger ribbon round the eyes, 
a swelling throat, and, in short, a true Proud Cavalier. 
We must not conclude from these two examples, that new 
varieties can easily be obtained by combining judiciously 
races and varieties without remarking, that nature sometimes 
refuses to produce interesting birds, in spite of all our 
patience and sagacity. For example, it rarely happens that, 
we can obtain from crossing the Swiss Tumblers and Car¬ 
riers anything but true Stock doves, without beauty or any 
other merit. Several varieties crossed together produce 
young ones much more ugly even than the parents were 
handsome. But, by way of recompense, it also happens 
that these very insignificant birds produce by crossing them 
a handsome posterity. The amateur must never grow 
wearjq because sooner or later be will he recompensed for 
his pains; neither must he cease to try experiments because 
the first attempts may not have succeeded. 
“ If one reflects,” says M. Vieillot, “ on the number of 
1 races considered pure, on the possibility of coupling them 
among themselves, obtaining young ones from them, of pair¬ 
ing these, either with their own race or that of their parents, 
or with their brothers of another brood or another crossing, 
we shall perceive how easy it is to obtain varieties almost 
innumerable, since the first blending produces 144 varieties.” 
The author only speaks here of the blending of those 
varieties he has described; for the first mixing of ours 
would produce more than 3,300 varieties. 
( To be continued.') 
PIG-FATTTNG AND BACON-CURING. 
A few weeks since we received a letter from near New 
Galloway, in Scotland, from which we make the following 
extract:— 
“ The practice here is to let pigs run loose till they have 
come to their full size, and then to give them a quantity of 
potatoes till within a short time of their being killed. Since 
potatoes have failed, I believe turnips have been used, the 
effect being pretty much the same to produce a great 
quantity of fat, and make the flesh very coarse food. The 
only thing done to improve the quality of the meat, is to 
give the pigs some bruised oats or oatmeal for a few weeks 
before they are killed. The bacon and hams are con¬ 
sidered very inferior to those of Sligo, which are held in 
high estimation; and you would confer an important benefit 
upon us were you to make known the mode of management 
adopted there. Our plan of curing too is very defective, 
while that adopted in Sligo is most successful; and upon 
this point also, we should bo exceedingly obliged by your 
affording us information.” 
In consequence of this application we have sought for 
information in the best pig-fatting and bacon-curing districts 
of England, and the following are the results. 
From Norfolk our correspondent writes thus :— 
| “ I have been in the habit of fatting pigs for nearly forty 
| years; and from experience, and from the knowledge of the 
[Septembkh 5. 
growth of animals, I find that, to fat a pig in the shortest 
time, and with the least expense, the animal must first have 
acquired its full growth. I have bought them in young, 
allowed them to roam about my ground, and fed them night 
and morning with swill and grains, with potato-peelings, <fcc., 
until they have been fit from growth to put up; by this time 
perhaps the pig may weigh eight stones, being a large pig for 
full growth. My stye is a good one,— warm, well ventilated, 
and not capacious. The hog is then fed upon barley-meal 
three times daily, just sufficient to he eaten; the stye is kept 
well littered and very clean; and one sack of meal is suffi¬ 
cient to make it from 10 to 11 stone—quite large enough for 
any family ; they have always thrived well by running about, 
and pick up many things congenial to their digestive powers 
before being put up. The animal should have just sufficient 
for consumption at a time ; if more it is apt to ferment, and 
it is then carried oil’too quickly by the bowels, and no benefit 
derived; the meat by this methodis better, more firm, and does 
not waste by boiling; whereas if brank, peas, or rye are given 
yon lose much in cooking, besides the hardness, tfec. If yon 
will refer to the analysis of the latter food, it is not equal to 
barley-meal; it is apt to run off by the bowels, except the 
brank, which intoxicates, and produces stupor. The barley 
meal has all the properties to make fat, and renders the meat, 
tender and well-flavoured. Perhaps these observations may 
not be very satisfactory to many, but I have found the plan 
the least expensive, ami farmers perfectly agree with me.” 
From Suffolk we have the following answers to our queries 
from one of the best farmers of that county :— 
“ What is the best age of a hog to put up to fat, with a 
view to profit ?—All pigs require to finish their growth before 
they are put up to fatten, as if not full grown, growth and 
fatting must go on at the same l ime, and that is a disadvan¬ 
tage. The Suffolk pigs take nine months to grow, and then 
they are fit to fatten. What food at first, and what changes 
of it, during fattening ?—Peas and a small quantity of 
turnips at first,; after the hog gets largo, that is, when it, is 
seen that it is perceptibly getting fat, peas only; and then 
the peas should be ground. How often fed?—From five to 
six times a day, and only small quantities at a time ; a fat¬ 
ting pig should leave off with an edge to its appetite. IIow 
much food is required to increase each stone in weight ?— 
'The Suffulk rule is one bushel of peas or peas-meal to every 
stone of pork; or six pecks of barley-meal.” 
In Hampshire wo find the best authorities agree that it is 
not profitable to put up a hog to fat until it has attained its 
full growth, and at this time it should be of a breed to weigh 
about seven or eight score pounds, because when fattened 
to 10 or 12 score it finds the l'eadiest market. Barley-meal 
is the most profitable food; warmth, cleanliness, and even 
scrubbing with warm water every week, and feeding four 
times a-day at regular intervals, are the essentials for 
fattening. 
For curing bacon, one of the best curers in Hampshire 
informs us, that as soon as the hog is quite cold, that is the 
day after killing, it is cut into halves, and rubbed with a 
mixture of salt and saltpetre ; 281b of salt being required for 
a hog of ten score pounds, mixed with an ounce of salt 
petre, pounded, for every score pounds of pork. The sides 
of the hog are laid upon a stone-floor, and for the first week 
turned daily, and some of the salt mixture rubbed in ; but 
for the second and third weeks the turning and rubbing need 
be repeated only each second day; at the end of the three 
weeks it will be sufficiently salted. If the bacon is not im 
mediately required the salted sides are put on edge in a bin, 
and salt put between them so that they cannot touch, and it 
is also heaped over them, so as to exclude the air and to 
keep the next tier of sides from touching them. If the sides 
are placed flat-ways they become too salt. They are taken 
out for smoking (making into bacon) as required, and thus 
they quite avoid that rustiness which will occur in bacon 
which is stored for any length of time. 
To convert the pork thus salted into bacon the sides are 
taken out, the salt wiped from them, and they are hung up 
by hooks fixed across the roof of a brick-built room made so 
high that the lower end of the side of a hog is about eight 
feet from the floor. If nearer the floor the heat would melt 
the fat,. On the floor a little saw-dust is lighted and kept 
smouldering on constantly day and night for ten days, which 
is long enough for the side of a hog weighing ten score 
