Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1841-09-23

I and their meat would have too much lat an'
too liule lean. Ii is moi long since sharct
these prcjudicies myself. ] know tha
bacon cured at the North and in the West
was quite too large and far for our Taste
and therefore any breed that would sui
their purposes would be quite too large att
expensive for US, and TO feed hogs 10 weigt
two hundred or three hundred pounds a
twelve months, aud six hundred or cigh
hundred pounds when full grown. would
cost more grain than we could afford i6
give, and would after all, DO fatter than
we could relish. knew also that our do
mcstic bacon was always superior 10 theirs
and attributed this To some peculiarly IN
our own degenerate race. was aware
that our common hogs are seldom fit fol
bf c0u under one and half or two years,
are great and Improbable consumers, aud
sometimes cannot be fat,eued at all, yet
thought that as every thing could not easily
be combined in one race, we had 10 choose
between an improved aud profitable breed.
whose meat was not so good. nnd our old
stock, whose meat was good but cxpen-
sivc. The sight of pair OF fine Berk-
shires staggered me somewhat in my reso-
luton 10 stick To the old race; and The re-
collection, that had in the spring, bcen
obliged to turn out pair Of old barrows.
after whole winters feeding on potatoes
and corn for bacon, wilhou, any apparent
Improvement in their condition " hen there
was plenty Of room for il, determined me
10 try The Berkshire COR myself. began
To think whether The quality Of Western
bacon might not he owing us much TO the
manncr in which the hogs were fed as TO
any peculiarly in the breed, and il appear.
ed TO me 10 he unreasonable 10 expect
that an animal raised all it, life in small
pen, led upon slops aud cooked food. and
killed long before it could attain anything
like maturity, could have much lean meat,
which is muscle, aud which can be OBJ
tanned only by exercise and age. l there
fore thought thai an improved breed with
dideren, treatment, would give different
meat, aud accordingly purchased three pigs
just wcaned. have now had them eight
or nine months, and feel no hesitation in
saying that they are more active and in
dustrious, const qucnily better able 10 shift
for themselves than our common breeds,
and with lille corn every night, will
weigh at a year old nearly, If not quite,
twice as much as common hog, with ex-
actly the same treatment. My experience
comedies with that Of other gentlemen
around me in this respect. Let me not be
5.:zaa.s:s ssaeds ? hog; Gan no more Keep
and there is no breed that can live with
out eating, therefore persons mus, not ex-
pect Berkshire hogs 10 grow fast and keep
FAT without good pastures. or some grain
but in return, they certainly make an am
pie return in flesh for any food given, and
TO 4 person unaccus:omed TO see the growth
Of animals Of improved breeds, their
growth will appear astonishing. They
are very gentle aud domestic in their hnb-
its, being fond of being about the yard and
stable. and show lille disposition to root
when well fed. They are good breeders,
raising many pigs. L,ssins says, that he
and some Of his friends raised annually
twenty-five pigs TO each sow, aud that
they are such nurses, that when well Ted
they never lose any OF their pigs unless
from accident. Like the Chinese, they
may he fa,tcned al any age, and make
good bacon AT eight or nine mouths old,
YET they do no, attain their full growth I'm.
der one aud half or two years, an! TO
have good. juicy and lean bacon, hog. ought
never 10 be killed under eighteen months
old and Two years, and even more would
bc much better. Let not be thought that
il would be TOO expensive to keep hogs so
long, for as l,ng rs they are growing, and
,hi, they do for more than two years, they
nav well for their food. Any one who ha,
never seen Berkshire hos in good order.
can have little idea how much beauty,
yea beauty, there is i'll ono OF them, and
| am certain that any one interested in
breeding hogs would never regret going
FIVE, or even ten miles 10 see hnc Berk-
shire. They are So domestic that they
might very easily be raised IN small LOT
or field by such planters rs are opposed 10
allowing hogs 10 run n large.
have been raising Horses for about ten
wears, aud find that canuol make them
grow beyond u certain (very moderately
size, and it seems to be Of no consequence
whether the mares are large or small.
the colts alike grow only 10 The same.
whether fed or only pas'ured. My father
used TO raise Race Horses. and am told
thai hc found the same difficulty. Is il
the marshl or whail for find no differ
crncc between those tha; are stabbed aud
fed, and those that earn their living tackcy
fashion. Wha' is the experience Of other
Sea- Island planters that have raised hor-
sesl would be glad TO hear.
Yours. truly.
ROBERT CHISOLM.