The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1859-03-03
4griGultural,
USEvUL ENFOR7IATE0N.
From tie Ge7eses Earmer, for Feb

AIEs6RS EpIRORS III your April num-
ber, page l06, you say, The editor OF
the Sontbern Planter states that several
Instances haye been brought to his notice
wherc c;utle have died from eating ccrn
stalks that had been chewed by hogs.
Have any of our readers observed the
same effect p This, the Valley OF Fir-
giuia, is stock-growiug country, and IT.
is usual to cut up our corn green, (atter
the stubble is exhausted, toward seeding
time, to feed to hogs to keep them grow
ing and lattcuipg until pepned. They not
only consume the corn, but chew up all
the stalks, extract the substance, and drop
the balance 1t has been known, ever
since we adopted this plan, that if the cat
tie swallow this refuse of tie chewed stalks,
it would certainly cause their death, and
therefore put it beyond their reach.
Again, page l31: ''The duty Of kind
ness to domestic animals" There is no
diversity of opinion, among humane per-
sons, gu that subject; but is not kindness
TO animals the interest Of their owners
As to the horse, | presume all tanners of
wild horses accomplish their purpose as
effcctually (if not more so) by kindness as
BY any other course. You can not tame
them properly by the lash. Whip horse
into submission, and whenever anything
unusual occurs he looks for the whip, and
is at once for clearing himself of danger
by the use of his heels, and many times
lives are endangered if not lost by it, On
the contrary, horse broken by uniform
and patient kindness. gives his owner his
confidence and when anything unusual
occurs, he quietly and patiently awaits hi
owners voice. [ have proved this very
cffectually with the high-mettlcd biooded
horse With all animals, the tanner You
keep them the faster they will thrive.
You can not get them tame without OBJ
tanning their confidence, and that you can
not get without kindness. Cattle, all
graziers know, viii travel less and ruminate
more, if so tame that you can approach
and handle them without disturbing their
repose, and consequently will thrive faster
on the same food than if wild With hogs,
who, among their raisers and feeders, does
not know that such as he can approach
and rub and handle, and that quietly ill
themselves aud lie down and rest, will
fatten infinitely faster than hogs wild with
fear, that run at the approach of man
Sheep, it is we'll known, thrive infinitely
faster when SO tame that they can be APP
preached and handled in the open field.
and will lose the habit Of Jumping up and
running when dogs come into the field,
and be infinitely more safe from their des
tructive tendency, and do better In every
way.
Again: " Are sheep or hogs the most
profitable stock to fatten :" am incIin-
ed to think neither are profitable, if not
of the right kind. If both are, [ say
sheep. They both can be brought to ma
turity in early life. All must agree that
tue hog is the most troublesome animal
on the farm, and requires, l contend, in
calculably more grain to mature and pre-
pare him for slaughter The grain re-
guired to tattea one hog would be sutfi-
cient to raise and fatten several sheep.
But in selecting the kind of sheep to fat
ten, judicious farmer would hardly look
for any other than the mutton sheep
would hardly lock for the fne-wooied sheep
to tattcn for market by way Of profit. OF
all sheep, | prefer the Cotswold, from ex-
perience. They mature early, are large,
hardy, and take Oh fat easy. During the
summer and fall that they are one year
old, (not fed on grain no mutton can be
more delicateiy Favored, juicy, and tender
Over two years old, many muttons are
better, as they then talIow too heavily for
the appetite; but the butcher will then
give almost any price for them; and what
prudent man wishes to keep muttons to
four years old, when he can sell them at
one year old at much better prices than
any other sheep at four [ have rarely,
if ever, sold my muttons of this breed,
the fall after one year old, under SO each,
and have sold older ones much higher;
and never sold them, at the same age,
under So each without having fed grain
at all and the fleece amply pays for the
keep. Can any breed Of hogs show such
clear profit and in so short time and
they have no wool to pay cost of keep. To
meet any objection as to the danger OF
their loss by dogs, l will say | have had
this breed some years in its purity, hay-
ing always imported the sheep that won
the high prizes of the Royal Agricultural
Society of England, and have never lost
a thoroughbred by dogs. They are large,
heavy, sluggish sheep, with great aptitude
to take on fat; they eli themselves and
lie down and ruminate like cattle, and do
otjump up and run when anything comes
into the field 1t is to this [ ascribe
their safety from dogs, as dogs are not apt
IL: - lAn. not frnll