Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-02-16
OWE Iv.sy. TO UTrTBH ssVT.vE.


feeding, in the cold climate Of New Eng
land, is generally thought to be confined
to the warmer half of the year. Much has
been said in favor Of warmer ATTITUDES as
preferable for stock farms, on account of
keeping stock through mos of the year
without feeding. 1t is doubtless true that
our winters in the Northeastern States are
long, ard we have TO raise and lay up a
large amount of fodder and grain to keep
our stock through. There is no thorough
going remedy for this evil, perhaps; but
yet as have known one exception to this
general rule, and as II may not have come
much within the farming practice of the
North, propose to relate the instance.
In the fall Of 1867, farmer of Dummcr-
ston, Windham Co., VT, had large num-
her of pigs. 1t was difficult 10 sell them,
because, although they had been scarce and
high the year before that very fact had n-
duced farmers to raise so many that every
body was overstocked, and this Dummer-
ston farmer had about twenty beside his
fatting hogs. To keep 50 many through
the winter would make such drain upon
his corn cribs that it would make him
sleepless to think of it-corn to him in YER
mont, where it is usually worth from
dollar to dollar and quarter Il bushel,
being a very different article for feeding
from the same thing in the West. where it
does not cost, and is not worth more than
one quarter MS much. In his waking hours,
he was much of the time trying to contrivc
some way by which TO dispose of this sur
| plus branch of his stock without losing ii
entirely; and, in his Sleep he would often
dream of trying to eat them all in the fam
lily. More than once his wife had to kick
or shake him out of nightmare snore,
brought on by very laudablc and champ
ion-like effort on his part TO swallow a
small pig whole, and thus set Il brave eX-
ample to the rest of his family in the way
of domestic economy. But this whole hog
way of disposing of the surplus would not
go dOwn-not even with him, and much
less with his wife, who, being enraged at
having her slumbers disturbed by his ugly
dreams, declared she believed he was half
hog himself. This ILL., natured remark irr-
tated him, and there actually seemed TO be
danger of domestic unpleasantness, and
and perhaps permanent dstuiban of con-
jugal felicity, all growing out of this un-
fortunate redundant growth of the porkers.
At last, however, and just in time to pre-
vent such family trouble, il was suggested
to him by a friend, that there might be one
way by which his pigs could b. kept
through the winter without any feeding
This was news to which at first he paid very
little attention. 1t was too good TO be true.
"Pigs will eat beech-nuts," said his
friend, land do well without anything else
to put into their stomachs but water, and
, you have great abundance Of this kind of
feed in your wood-lot over the other side of
, the brook yonder."
True" said the farmer, but it would
be a pretty chore to gather beech-nutS
enough TO feed them all winter, especially
I with the snow two or three feet deep, as it
will he before long"
''But suppose they can he taught to do
, their own gatherings"
"Oh. pshaw! What is the use of bother
, ing fellow with such nonsense? 1t can't
be done, and there is no use in talking
about t"-and the farmer grew quite an
gry at what he deemed such idle schemes.
But a soft answer turneth away wrath
. and his friend succeeded in persuadinr him
r to trv the experiment. He made u non in,
. the swine on fine side of Tho brook noxt IN
< the wood-lot, where they could get plenty
n of sprjnp wafer tn drink oven in cold
q weather. Over uarl of the uon he mt fl
- cheap but FIGHT roof undor which tbov had
;, "A dry bed of straw. At first he kent tbom
( shut up in the pen and gathered bcecb-
= nuts for Them. but orter a dov mr. ,vvo bo LOT
thcm ont and bovino bod a. ,o.to ,hou
heInad tbemsolves and continued r., I, .,
. all winter. olthouob the snovv wac nrotty
! deep. They soon became accustomed to If
n and seemed to enjoy tbe lohor mr. snort-I
do mot know which to COLL n of roo,iro
tbo ruts out from undortbosrow Aars
: they soemed inclined ,o como nm IN fin,
- house too ofen. lint This wo,l,ross ,vo,
= soon cured nv rcmovino two of fine nIork,
could not then get across the brook. ant
a could not come TO the house until the brook
was frozen over, and then their visits IL
a the house were less frequent, and not an
,r novinp lint very amusing-tbov had sucI
y 10y '"e' Nv ~ '''"'''S NY nav SUI
N business "ir anu see'neu SO lhuePehueh
so proud ana exalted at the idea OF earn
If ing their own living. They came nroun,
tbe niggerv and soerol to wan, 10 an,
= - e'1.. ,',,..
Is so'i'e o'"e' TESS 'huelchuch' lhulNiuuais q
I, their species, just TO enjoy the Opportunit,
"a of laughing at them. But this was only lo
y, n sbort roc,oo,io, c,r ,ho,. .oo,, ,,,s,,o,
u ~ my SUI" "'. ~,
i away III eNiuehl disgust from such ldl