36 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, April 17, I860. 
the bone is much smaller, ancl the animal on the whole 
more gentle. To the amateur who may wish to have his 
ibacon pigs of a pure breed we would recommend this as 
ithe most suitable; but there are some crosses to be 
'mentioned below which embrace the character of both 
porkers and bacon pigs in the same animal. 
Neapolitan. —These are invariably black, with little or 
no hair ; and though they fatten rapidly and at an early 
age, they are bad breeders ; and they are far from being 
favourites except amongst those amateur feeders who 
wish to have a something out of the common way. 
Chinese. —This is the parent breed of the small kind of 
porker which supply our markets with nice,, useful, well- 
fed animals from 80 to '150 lbs., and often good pigs of 
50 lbs. may be met with. Although crossed with other 
small breeds, the features of the Chinese kind predomi¬ 
nate. Yery short head, with eyes somewhat wide apart; 
ears erect; body short, and legs medium; colour both 
black and white, but seldom a mixture of the two. For 
feeding to kill as porkers this breed is the best that can 
be had 5 but there are so many cross breeds having 
equally good qualities, and the original being difficult to 
be met with pure, the amateur had better select a good 
stock from some one well versed in these matters. One 
of the best breeds in that way is the one next described. 
Hertfordshire. —This is^a small breed, and having a 
facility to fatten at a very early age—the bone being very 
small and the disposition quiet—that I have heard a 
farmer declare he could fatten one well at 50 lbs., and 
another of the same litter at six times that weight, without 
in either case it being apparent that any unusual means 
had been taken. They are- generally white, with rather 
long, fine hair, and the skin exceedingly thin. The 
proximity of this county to London and the demand there 
is for small pork have, no doubt, led to the improved 
breed here described; but there are, no doubt, other 
breeds or crosses in various places equally good. 
GENERAL DIRECTIONS OF THE BUYING AND FEEDING 
OF PIGS. „ 
In a general way it will be best to have two pigs at a 
time, or more if required. When together they often 
thrive better, but this is not always the case: but those 
merely kept to eat up the offal or secondary qualities of 
food ought to be kept apart from those put up to fatten. 
But as all kinds will require a certain time for the latter 
purpose, it would be better, as before observed, to keep 
them apart. And in buying a pig; due consideration 
ought to be given to the time of year it is wanted for use. 
Bacon pigs are invariably killed in the winter months— 
say from November to March—but porkers have a longer 
period allotted to their use; nevertheless, they do not 
answer so well in summer. It would, therefore, be better 
to buy pigs of the larger breed to keep over the summer 
to kill in winter when ready for bacon ; and, if need be, 
some time about August one. or two of the smaller kinds 
might be brought to succeed the larger ones, as there 
ought always to be one or two to eat up the inferior 
food. These store pigs ought to have the run of the 
yard, as many kinds of garden refuse must necessarily be 
thrown in there—they will have the opportunity of 
looking it over, and eating a portion or all of it; and as 
growth and not fattening is what is wanted from them, 
they will do pretty well on this, with kitchen-wash and 
a little pollard. Their general appearance, or improve¬ 
ment, will give unmistakeable tokens of their good or 
indifferent doing. Of course, there must be one or more 
troughs for their food. If only one, it must have a par¬ 
tition to hold liquid apart from the more solid food. 
Those put up to fatten may at first have a little better 
food, more meal amongst it, and the animals may have 
less liberty ; in fact, as they begin to fatten they will 
not want it, as repose and quietness tend materially to 
hasten that operation. Barley meal is the best of all 
food; and if there be any quantity of small and useless 
Potatoes let them be washed and boiled, and mix some 
Barley meal with the whole, adding, if it is to be had, any 
good wash from the kitchen that may not be wanted 
elsewhere. The proportion of Barley meal to that of 
Potatoes need not be large at first, but may be increased 
gradually as the animal fattens. Feed about four times 
a-day, but give no more than he will eat clean up (offen¬ 
sive fragments, of course, excepted) : nevertheless, give 
him plenty—practice will soon enable any one to judge 
this. Meal from Indian Corn, or Bye, or Pea, may be 
used instead of Barley, but the last named is the sweetest. 
Towards the last the food must be almost all of this 
meal; and if there be any spare milk it will also be ser¬ 
viceable either now or at any former period. Let the 
animal be killed, if possible, in cold weather; and whether 
for pork or bacon, let it hang until it is quite cold, after 
which it may bo cut up. J. Hobson. 
. (To he continued.) 
PLANTS IN BED-BOOMS AND SICK-EOOMS. 
“What nonsense and absurdity to talk of such things ! None 
but sciolists and ignoramuses would ever recommend such a 
practice. Don’t we know that pure uncontaminated air is 
essential to the healthy, and far more necessary to the sick ? And 
don’t we know that all plants vitiate the air in which they 
are grown, especially when that air is confined and not agitated 
by sunbeams ? And have we not seen the very worst effects on 
patients from being allowed to inhale the sickly aroma of flowers ? 
Talk of window-gardening under such circumstances, indeed. I 
would soon make short -work of gardening and gardeners too, did 
I have my way with them.” 
Well, Miss Knowall, you are in a way this morning. You 
have pretty well made yourself short of breath, and would to a 
certainty have .deprived me of the power of speech; only I am so 
used to you, that I know your bark is always so much worse 
than your bite, and that underneath all your railing there lurks a 
strong love of the beautiful in Nature after all, or why should 
you take so much care in fresh arranging, and giving fresh water 
every day to that bouquet of flowers that cousin-, well, I 
will not say who, sends so often from the country ? There, now, 
you are yourself again, and so we will talk the matter over quietly, 
and with profit I hope to both of us ; and most likely we shall 
find that when the angles of prejudice are rubbed off, there will 
not after all be so much difference between us. 
First of all, I thoroughly agree with you that pure air is the 
best security for health to the healthy, and the best medicine 
that can be given to the sick. Here there is no difference 
between us. Wc will take a step farther together, and conclude 
that the air of an apartment can only be kept pure when there 
is a direct communication between it and the pure air outside. 
Under general circumstances I prefer, that air to be admitted 
by the window, and chiefly from the top of the window. You 
demur, and say that under certain circumstances you would 
prefer letting the fresh air in by the doorw-ay. Well, here a<min, 
I so far agree with you. If tliere is a dirty puddle-hole, or a 
dunghill directly beneath that window, I would vote to keep it 
shut, and keep the apartment pure by admitting fresh air 
through the doorway and the chimney, more especially if that 
doorway communicated directly , or nearly so, with the external 
atmosphere. If the door of that apartment communicated with 
a long, close passage, with many other doors opening into it, and 
even the close, foul air from other parts of the house had access 
to that passage, no mere opening of the door of such an apart¬ 
ment would ever ventilate it so as to make it healthy for human 
beings, or for plants. Provided the pure air i3 secured, both 
will flourish, if the plants get a sufficiency of light and that 
peculiar temperature which suits them best. 
I allow that to a very trifling extent plants will deteriorate the 
atmosphere of a bedroom at night, if that bedroom is almost 
hermetically closed ; but why should it be shut up so close at 
night after being kept so airy all the day ? The highest authority 
informs us, that even sick persons in bed will never suffer from 
the admission of fresh air provided there is no draught on them 
and they are kept sufficiently warm—not broiled as if they were 
salamanders. Under such conditions a few pretty plants will 
never do any harm. Then think of the exhilirating influence 
they exercise during the day, in helping to purify the atmosphere 
