Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-11-20
Vermont Daily Transcript
II. ALBANS, VT.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1865.
chester county SHiHc.

most people are directly interested, is
the hog. As flesh or fat the hog af-
fords to very great majority of the
American people some part ot every |
meal. And yet it may well be said that
of all domestic animals the hog has been
least improved upon among the generali-
ty of farmers Among the farmers oil
our own section, this is peculiarly true,
and the best proof we have of it Is the
activity with which they gobble up
drove of Canada land sharks Wehave
seen men who wish to be ranked among
the few best farmers, go several miles
farther to buy two or three young pigs
bred from these land sharks rather
than pay the extra half dollar or dollar
asked for the pogny of really fine and
apparently well bred sows. Many OF
these animals make large hogs of good
figure which as fattened hogs may not
be Objectionable but primarily as hogs
TO be fattcned, they are as a rule not de-
sirablc, on account of the amount of feed
required to bring them into condition.
\ few individuals, however, are be-
ginning to turn their attention to the
subject and we hope ere long to see de-
cided improve nect in this respect
Our own experience, though quite limi-
ted, warrants the assertion that the net
prof. of fattening hog depends more
uuon the selection CT the pig than every
thing else. The first thing to be con-
sidered in the choice of a hog for feed
ing is the figure with reference to the
production Of the more valuable pieces,
as for instance ham, shoulder, and lOin,
rather than head and neck. Another
and none the less important object to be
sought is to get the animal that from
any given quantity of feed will produce
the most weight of pork. This a more
difficult task than the other, as the most
practice1 eye is sometimes deceived in
this respect and it is sometimes the case
that an animal so readily lays on fat
that the production of land is more than
a compensation for defective figure.
We have known two pigs from the same
litter that at four weeks old were so
nearly alike in every respect that pur-
chaser would not have given five cents
for the choice, but which on growing up
were as unlike as can well be conceived.
They were kept in pens side by side,
and although one became much larger
than the other, the amount of food con-
sumed by him was very much more
for each pound of pork and lard pro-
duced. After various and several eXpe-
rments we have arrived at the conclu-
sion that for our own use, by far the
most profitable swine arc the pure bred
Chester County. But there is a very
great difference in them, resulting from
judicious or injudicious selection, goo,
! or ill keeping, &c. &c. OF all d)mesti(
animals there is none that pays better
for good care or degenerates more rapid
ly under neglect than well bred swine
One Chester County pig that we procur
, ed from Thomas Baker, Esq, of Barton
, last spring has given us at least 1910 pei
cent more pork and lard for one fee /
than any native we have ever fed and
at the time we slaughtered him he wa.
! doing as finely as any hog we ever saw
He would have pal farmer for severa
, months feeding.
We recently visited the establishment
t of James S. Muroe, at Lexington Mass.
I who is believed to be the most extensive
an most successful breeder of swine il
New England. He is a manufact Irer
/ and knows the laws Of cause and effect
i and OF profit and loss, and does not d.
a any business without a fair show TO
; profit. He rad farm of 80 acres of re
t claimed peat meadow, that most Yer
I mont farmers would have called ricl
= enough" but he thought otherw sc ,and
: deeming it the wiser course to make hi
own rat her than buy commercial man
! ures, he determined on keeping larg
number of hogs. He saw at glanc
d that growing hogs are not the mos
e profitable manure makers, and fatten
r ing hogs are too lazy to work, and deoid
= ed to make breeding his specific bust
e ness. Before beginning, however, h
" mine which breed would return tn
;. best results for any given amount @
J. feed, reasoning very justly that it was a
10 necessary for him to give the purchase
e an equivalent as to get one himself if hi
g business was to be permanent, The re
suit was that he adopted the Cheste