Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1820-03-14

TIC IcSCHcu SOOt Senliy over the ground,
or apply it to the hill of corn, it will
answer all the before described purpo-
SEES; and will completely prevent your
wheat from shutting. The feathered
race are likewise defeated in their ruin
Gus practices in pulling up the corn and
wheat, as the bitterness of the grain is
SO disgusting to their taste, that they are
obliged to have recourse to some other
method of getting a livelihood. The
writer of this article has not understood
that the experiment has ever been tried
to prevent the &hur from growing on
rye, but he has full confidence that it
will answer the purpose, and intends try
ing 1t the ensuing spring.
FROM THE AMERICAN FARMER.
Mr.. SKINNER,
A writer for your paper of the 9TH
ult. over the signature of Sylvanus, has
offered excellent advice for curing bacon,
and insists that the hogs for this purpose
must be corn-fed. How long must they
be so fed :? is the question.
Experience has shown that it requires
but very short time, to entirely change
the flavor and texture of all kinds of
flesh. In the year l77o, l resided in
New-Jersey, where it was the custom to
take great numbers of wild pigeons in
sprlng-nets, by the assistance of decoy
pigeons, prepared for the purpose. The
flesh of these birds, when first taken, is
always very dark, and most generally
tough. | have seen more than 800 of
them confined and fed in large corn
house, and in one week their flesh has
not only become tender, but as white as
well fed chicken.
In 1884, l promised to present to a
brother justmarried, a prime beeftowards
his winter stores.--I had fine steer and
a spayed heifer, in large wheat field,
Astounding with wild garlic, my broth
er named day to send for his beef, and
three days previous, we killed the heifer,
which, although extremely fat, was, to
my great disappointment, so thoroughly
tainted with garlic, even to the marrow
in the bones, that my house servants re
fused to eat it-A bad prospect for my
brother, whose wagon came the fourth
day, and in despair l killed his beef,
which was beautiful to the eye. did
not at the time pay much attention to a
remark of his feeder, who observed that
the steer had not eat any thing since the
heifer was killed, my trouble was, the
certainty ofmy brothers. disappointment,
but to my great joy, soon received his
letter of thanks, saying, that more Juicy,
tender, and fine favored beef, could not
be.
Take two lambs of equal age from a
garlic pasture, kill one Immediately, and
the flesh will be so tainted with the garlic
that no person of tolerabIe taste can eat
it; keep the second from alt food for one
night or ten hours, and there will not be
the slightest garlic taste. 1t is well
known that cattle fed upon oil cake can
not be Immediately killed; but if kept
from this food for two or three days, the
oily taste is removed.
The foregoing facts are known to eve
ny experienced farmer, and they have
convinced me that hogs fed upon corn for
two weeks, is much better than two
months, for the plain reason that the
flesh is equally good, and the expense
less.
| Hogs, as generally managed, are not
only the most troublesome, but the most
costly flesh we consume, and l have for
many years been in pursuit of plan to
tighten the cost of their flesh, which is so
absolutely necessary for the establish
ment of every Marylander. l flatter
myself that l now see my way clear, for
after two years trial, am well satisfied,
that the use of cynblins, pumpkins,
ruta baga, and clover, will enable me to
send more corn to market, and with two
weeks feeding upon that precious grain,
my bacon will not yield to that of any
person. No branch of rural economy
requires more attention than feeding our
various kinds of stock. Our northern
friends laugh and say, that in Maryland
the hogs cat all our corn, and our ne
grocs eat all our hogs. This is too true
to deny, and if my mite can, in your
opinion, be of any use to the public, it is
at your service.
As early as the season will admit,
prepare ground for cymblins, or squash
es { cucurbita verucosa )-Rich land is
best for all purposes, but in this case, i
is the first object to choose place con
venient to your hogs range. After
ploughing and preparing the ground il