The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1870-02-05

Essex Pigs.
From Walks and Talks on the farm
in the AMERICAN AGRIcULrCRisT for
February.
\ farmer in Canandaigue wants me
to tell my experience with Essex pigs
and their grades | have kept them
several years, and the more ! know of
them the better | like them. But |
would not advise him to buy them in
hopes of selling to his neighbors. The
Essex, You know, are BLACK. and in
This section there is not one farmer in
ten who can get rid of his prejudice
against color My pigs have been the
laughing-stock of the neighborhood-
Mr. Chacc and | have bought the Ma
ple-shadc flock Of Thoroughbred Cots
wolds, and since they arrived here they
have attracted much attention. The
Deacon came in one morning and re-
marked, Now that you have bought
such a magnificent flock Of sheep into
the ncighborhood, we will forgive YOU
for bringing in the black hogs" Now.
1t is not pleasant to pay $50 for pair
of Young pigs and have in intelligent
farmer Ike the Deacon make fun Of
your purchase If YOU wish to he on
good terms with your ncigiibors. buy
Chester White or a Jefferson County
pig You may believe. as do, that an
Essex pig will do more to improve the
quality and fattening properties Of the
pigs in the neighhorh0od than any 9th
cr breed: but. if the nciwhhorS wont
use BIN, What is the good You may
tell them that the Essex hogs dress as
white or whittier than white pigs. that
the color is not even skin dccp-that il
is only the scarf and hair that are
black. But it makes no sort of differ
ence ." hate a black hog anyway"
said one Of the Judges On swine at
the State FAIR, and nincty-ninc farmers
out OF a hundred would approve the
sentiment. why, then. do YOU keep
black pigs ?''-Simply because | know
of no white breed that has been kept so
long pure The value Of breed CON
sists, first, in its possessing the form
and qualities we desire; and second. in
It's power OF impartlng them to common
stock. 1he latter Is the rarest and
most valuable quality. \ pig that pos
scSscS the former without the latter is
worth no more than what the butcher
will pay for him. The handsomcsi pigs
IN my yard to-day are grades. | show
ed pen Of five pigs, Essex grade at
the State Fair. Col. Weld, Of the
AGRICUhTt RIsT, when he saw them, re-
marked, ihey are sp!endcd, bat they
are not thoroughbred. =" How do You
know that - | asked. " They have
every mark OF tic Essex, and resemble
cach oIheF as closely as tWo peas. =
hey are too good Tor thornugh-brcds.'
he replied, and lie was right. This
Tact, however, Is not generally under
stood, and hence the questions most
frequently asked are, "lioW do YOU like
the Essex, or what do You think of the
brrkshires, or the SniIolks, or the York
shIres whereas the question should
he, Wh'ch breed GIVES THE BEST GRADES:
And tins Is SIMPLY question OF redi-
gree. The breed that Is the most thor
"ughIy established Is the lest. The
only point that needs to he urged on
farmers Is not to recommend this or that
particular breed, but SIMPLY to show
them inc Importance OF using SOME
kind OF Thoroughbred maic-and this
III all eases, whether Of horses, cattle
sheep, or pigs. If this simple idea
couiu ne ufiNeil INTO the minds OF all
our farmers II would ada millions to
the value OF our farm stock. l was III
tn" Buffalo cattle yards few weeks
since There were several thousand
pigs III the pens, and every lirst-class
pig IN the yards showed more or less
Berkshire or Essex blood. had an
experienced butcher with me, who shares
the popular anl'pathy to black pigs,
Int he was forced to admit that wher-
ever the Essex or Berkshire blood
showed itself, there was the pig he
wanted" \ great many of the pigs
showed Chester White blood. They
ing plenty of bone and oftaI, hat the
quality would not compare with the
Berkshire and Essex grades. They
would have made good heavy pork if
they had been fattcd two or three
months longer. \ visit to these cattle
yards would DO a farmer good The
contrast in the different lots of animals
is most striking: and | could not but
ask myself over and over again, "Why
Will farmers raise, and keep for years,
ana attempt TO lattcn such miserable
a'i.l'ii'is "A %ood thFcc-month a-oid
can se''9 'or more 'haI many Oh the
t'rce-vear-o,u steers; mere were Two
lour-l eat-'i" 'hio Darham steers that
SOFA !of more money than lot oil
dozen " ScallaWagS' of the same arc
It i, 50 too in the sheen market !
hourh+ - lnt of t,-, ,,,,, l.a.i .I;.,,;.,,
,I; ,I,S, WY - wa "a"
i'.'li"S' INV az" to''i Years oi'' ior
$40 each. that The i!r:irr Salu he had