Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1863-06-19
A Plea for the Hog.

, Swine are generally considered al
: imals of gross habits, filthy tastes, an
! obtuse sensibiliies. As il nothing wa
! too bad, the folles and vices of humanit
e heaped upon them, until they are mad
TO bear multitude of sin. "Marryin
| a hog for the sake of the stye," "indepen
dent as hog on ice" contrary as
=, hog !; "gluttonous as hogs" 'drunk a
: hog" are some of their more commo
i ISLANDERS. We protest against this, an
ask for them better acquaintance an
; treatment. We claim for this oppres e
and injured race the simplest justice
: We think it can be proved that they en-
/ joy neatness, understand good living, ar
, sensitive to pain, comprehend thing
quickly, and are keenly alive to anythin,
tyranncal. Treat a human being like
hog, for successive generations, keep hin
E within narrow walls, let him have nough
but filthy bed, feed him on the coarses
fare, and cramp and restrain his FIRE,
ag ncy, and it will not be long before
even Godlike humanity would become
british.
There is no kind of live stock more
easily or quickly improved by the breed
er. All the varieties doubtless de,
scended from the same wild progenitors
whose characteristics vary much from
those that are domesticated. For ex.
ample, the wild boar is solitary and
bold in his habits roams most at night
in search of food, is chiefly berbiverous,
has erect ears, short body, long snout and
tusks, and an elevated head. The do
mesticated breeds are mild and gregari-
Gus, take food by day, have long, Ca
paeious bodies, pendent ears, and short
dropping heads.
There IS so much difference in the
breeds and treatment of these animals,
that some good farmers aver that there
is no profit in any kind. Let us look at
this matter little. 1t takes on an aver
age, it is said, seven pounds of meal to
make one pound of pork. If grain
weighs lifty-six pounds to the bushel,
seven pounds would be one-eighth Of a
bushel, which at one dollar a bushel
would be worth twelve and half cents
Pork fed on clear meal would thus cost
twelve and half cents pound. A hog
that would weigh 400 pounds would thus
cost $50 But, we will suppose, western
pork can be bought for eight cents IL
pound, and 400 pound hog for $32, or
Sl8 less than the eastern corn-fed cost,
then what is to be done? We answer,
stop raising pork to sell till you can find
a breed that will make pork faster, and
on cheaper food. It will be generally
admitted that the Suffolk and its crosses
form some of the most profitable breeds.
The Suffolk alone takes on fat easiest,
but then they are small and poor breed
ders, A cross Of the Suffolk and Chester
county is probably as good as any breed
known at present, for flesh and size.-l
There are also other things that grow and
fat hog better than grain. Refuse milk,
apples, beets, grass, beef scraps, and cook
ed vegetables, all have their advocates
We know of good sensible men who
keep swine, and keep them as they think
with profit. One shrewd man, butch
er, raises pigs, and grows them up to
about 200 pounds, and then sells to
others who fatten them. Another keeps
swine to compost manure, and thinks
the gain of manure compensates for the
final loss of corn fattened pork. Anoth
er keeps two dozen hogs, and grows and
fattens them almost wholly on scraps,
which are bought in Albany by the ton.
Another cooks and mixes the different
grains and vegetables, and thinks the
saving thereby is very material. We
have a merchant neighhor, who has
three year old sow, and who makes the
raising of pigs profitable. The animal
weighs about 400 pounds, and has bad
81 pigs, Sc of which have reached hogs
estate. HeI largest litter was fifteen.
A bona-fde offer of 500 was recently :
made for the mother and pigs, when the
after became six weeks old. Other
Eases OF supposed profit might be cited.
It is our private belief that if some of |
he best races of swine were kept neatly
md comfortably, and fed regularly and /,
RELY, they might be fed TO advantage /,
wen on corn at present prices. There !
ire cases recorded Of hogs making gain (
# two pounds a day, reckoning " from
he cradle to the grave."-Sprinqfeld
- Which is the most difficult train to
.atch the II so, because il is ten to