The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1868-12-25
THE HoG--EIS FAULTS. VIRTUES,
AND CLAIMS.
[From the Richmond Wing,


and hog killing time always comes be-
fore Christmas. Farmers and house
keepers are now preparing for it. In
Virginia we have not, since the war,
raised as many as we were accustomed
to raise before the war, but he is a poor
farmer and a bad providcr who has not
some to kill. In the next fortnight
many thousands will be killed, scalded,
scraped, cut up, sailed, and hung up in
the we'll locked smokchouses to be cured.
Virginia cured bacon is famed for its
incompatible excellence. Our only
fear is that there will not be enough OF
it.
May we not be allowed, in view of
the approaching season, to say some
thing in favor of that much abused, but
useful and valuable animal, the hog :,
The hog plays an important part I'm
commerce, agriculture and domestic
economy. He is sort of citizen Of the
world. He thrives and multipIes in every
part of the globe except the Polarregions.
The familiar burlesque of the "hog on
ice," is enough of itself to demonstrate
the unsuitablcncss of those regions to the
hog. With this exception he can pros
per everywhere. He is in his ubiquity
like the herring, which is found in all
waters. He docs not rank high in the
social scale, being considered, indeed,
less Of a gentleman in his habits than
any of the animals. Like the elephant,
the rhinoccros and the hippopotamus,
he is addicted to walowing in the nlire.
Naturalists tell us that he does this to
destroy vermin, and to protect himself
from the bites and stings Of Insects
This has been his habit from the earliest
times, and will remain such as long as
he continues on earth. "Tho sow that
was washed returned to her wallowing
in the miro." There is no reformation
for him in this particular. Another Of
of his pccuIiarities is his grunt, Anoth-
or is that he carries straw in his mouth
when it is about to rain. The hog has
played an important part in religion,
having been placed under the ban Of
two great religious sects-the Jews and
Moslems. Their lawgivers and priests
prohibited his flesh as All article OF food.
These two religions had their origin in
tho hot climates Of the East, where
swine's flesh was found to be un~holc
some, and it's prohibition was sanitary
| measure.
There are wild hogs as there arc wild
horses and dogs. The historic wild boar,
the peccary ard the African ground hog
are some of the varieties. How and By
whom the hog was first domesticated,
we leave to the more curious to inquire.
The hog finds his Paradise in Ireland,
where he is tenderIy adopted into the
social circle Every tenant raises hog
as he raises his children, and with that
hog he pays his taxes. The Romans
valued the hog, and with all his uuclcan
ness he was reckoncd the fttiest sacri-
flee to Ceres, the Goddess Of the har-
vest
We read that Mr.. Hog was introduced
from Spain into Hispariola by Column
bus, in 1893; into Florida by De Soto,
in 1885, into Nova Scotia and New
Foundand in 1903; into Canada in
1908, and into Virginia in 1906. 1t is
related that here they multiplied so rap
idly that the colonists. were compelled to
palisade jamestown to keep them cut
Different breeds arc preferred in differ
ont localities according to the fancy o.
the farmer, facilities for raising, or tho
particular object Of The raiser. The fol
lowing arc some of the varieties thai
have by turns been in most favor: tho
Chinese, the NcapoIitan, (the most cele.
brated of the Italian brceds,) the IrisE
grazier, the Berkshire, the Cheshire, thC
Essex, the Woburn or Bedford breed
sent to Gen. Washington by the Dukt
Bedford, being a cross between the
Chinese boar and the large English hog,
the Middlesex, the Chester, the Iiamp
shire and Suffolk, which last originated
from the Suffolk crossed with the Chinese
and Berkshire. Without entering a
length into the discussion as to the best
breeds, we may say that there are hogs
that seem to be capable of taking on more
fat than others. After all said, written
and done, the corn breed hog that is sup
piled from the time he can crack corn
to the time he falls under the knife, with
as much corn as he can consume, is the
best of all. There is wonderful cor
relation between the hog and Indian
corn. We shall no: undertake to de-
scribe the old fashioned, unimproved
Virginia porkcr which, having been left
to roam at large and scufilc for itself,
contracted shape so strangely ludi-
crous, habits SO wild, queer and pervcrse.
as to be notable curiosity. If we re-
/ Il -. ar;aL4 4iis ccnnntric unriat II