Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1868-10-16

But we must remember that nature has
furnished the beaver with almost as many
tools, implements and appliances for hand
icrait, as art has provided for the
carpenter, or indeed any other me-
chanic. In short, he can work the
ground with his feet, cut wood with his
teeth and plaster walls by means of his
tail Besides all these advantages, he can
make his body useful both as a land and
water carrier. But TO the poor, despised,
slandered and persecuted hog, no such IA
cilities are accorded He has no horns
like an OK, no bill like bird, no proboscis
like an elephant, no claws like cat, no
leg like horse. The very tail, which is
of so much advantage TO birds and fishes,
and which is of great use 10 many land
animals, is TO him only an article of orna-
ment, of which he is often deprived, by
the ruthless knife that afterwards cuts his
throat. His cloven foot, too serves him
for no other purpose than to steady his
ungraceful body, unless IL TO be to suggest
to some anti-pork croaker that the Devil
having entered into the hog had put the
family mark upon him.
Formerly the hog was treated better
than now; persons sought to inculcate
precepts of industry on the susceptible
mind of the youthful swine by using the
| time-honored Injunction, "Root, pig, or
die" He had liI' ito go in and out and
find pasture" as u he could He shared
with the young Of the household the nuts
in the forests, the early droppings in the
orchards, and was az liberty to seek out
grubs and vermin in their hiding places.
In those old days, the hog, for the chances
he had, was cleanly animal. He ate
| fresh herbage, laved in clear waters, and
| laid himself down to indulge in sweet
sleep and poetic dreams on the green grass
or the dry fallen leaves But now all this
has changed the hog is kept shut up, and
with this loss of "liberty and the pursuit
of happiness" it is but natural that he
shNffnn|ose his pride and take the man
mel the abject slave that he is. Or il
he 'fsyas is sometimes the case, allowed the
liberty of the yard, why, in that event, his
snout is first abridged and he is denied the
only privilege granted to Adam when
driven out of paradise, that of working
the earth.
Now the hog, which is really the most
helpless of animals, is blamed for being
an uncleanly beast but our word for it,
he looks as tidy as he can under the disad-
vantages we have spoken Of Many farm
ers devote more time, in single day, to
keeping pair of horses clean, than they
| give to dozen hogs during their lives.
The horse is placed in a clean stable, ia
curried and brushed every morning, and
has new bed to rest on every night Not
so the hog. He Is often shut up in tight
pen, with less room than is allowed to
culprits in a dungeon, and compelled to
stand and lie on his accumulated filth.
Give the horse or COW no better advan-
tages, and will they present more clean
ly appearanceP Put your pet horse or
your choice COW in your hog-yard one
night, and where is their sickness then ?
| They will look even worse than the hog.
We have tried it, and have never known
a hog to decline well made up bed OF
clean oat straw. On the contrary, they
will busy themselves in arranging it to
protect them both from dirt and cold
| Besides the protection which the straw
| gives, there is economy in more ways
than one in providing hogs with litter.
The hog, being nearly destitute of cover
ing, is very sensitive to cold, and there is
great liability, unless some clothing be af.
forded him, that much of the corn given
to him will be used in keeping him warm
instead of making him fat Again, straw,
in most cases, is of little use as food to
stock, and is of little service as manure il
been used for the bedding of horses and
cattle but straw that has been through
the hog-pen is in an excellant condition to
apply to the field. 1t is well broken up,
saturated with urine and the softer drop
pings of the hog and in way to speedy
decomposition.
But hogs that are shut up for fattening
or as stock hogs need to be washed they
need even more than this, they require a
good thorough scrubbing with warm soap
suds and broom as often as once week.
After this warm bath it is well to rinse
them off with clear cold water. This
treatment at regular intervals preceded by
a cleaning out of the pen and generous
bedding of straw, will keep the hogs clean
and healthy, and will repay the farmer for
his time and trouble better than almost
anything he can do. Hogs thus kept will
be much more marketable, if sold to resi-
dent butchers or sent away to market; or
if needed for home consumption one will
have the satisfaction of knowing that he
is eating the flesh Of q clean animal
D,.n51ja