Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1872-11-01

neighbors had the Chinese pigs, or, as they
we're then sometimes called the No.boned
pigs. Their characteristics may be- under.
stood by the following incident, Of which
was an eyewitness. On hog-butcherinp
day. whi'h is' or used to be, a great event
on farm, aud the boys were allowed to stay
At home from school, the neighbours were
invited to assist, and smart active fellows
we're in demand to catch and hold the hogs
while one skilled in the business, stuck the
poor victim with long knife that reached
the arch of the main artery. The PIGS of
Delaware County at that day were generally
large' coarse animals, THAI yielded a good
weight of pork, but required an immense
amount Of grain to make them Ct for butch
ering. On such a day, after the pen of pigs
had about all Of them yielded to fate, two
men we're sent to the orchard with a wheel.
barrow to bring in a full bred China pig
that had fattened on apples and grass alone.
The little fellow weighed less than 200 lbs,
and was so fat and round and his legs were
so short, that when he was stuck an orera-
tlon to which he could offer very little resis.
lance, he rolled to the foot Of the hill, a dis.
OF about 10 yards. My father was very
fond ofall kinds of domesticated stock. and
was considered successful grazier and
breeder, and his efforts to improve the large
and coarse breed of hogs by crossing with
the China pigs are within my own recollec-
tion. What his neighbors we're doing in the
same direction at the same time, | was
too young to know; but l do know that
my father was noted for having about
the best pigs in his county. So long
as he lived, which was to lS45, he had the
best pigs that | saw anywhere-better than
the Berkshire that were first imported about
that time. The pigs Of Chester and Della.
ware Counties were gradually improved from
about 1880 to the time when they attracted
public attention and received the name of
Chester Whites.
During all this period of gradual improve
ment, never heard the name of Bedford.
shire or any other name that might express
the English pigs imported by Capt. Jeffries
and know that the China pigs were one of |
the elements of the improvement, and have
no reason to doubt that they were the only
foreign element. never heard when they
came to us, and who brought them, nor do |
know to what extent they were distributed as
pure breeds among the farmers Of Chester
Ind Delaware Counties. OF course, every.
body who bred pigs, took some care to select
he best to breed from, and these best were
/ cross of the large and coarse native hog
With the small and fine China hog. Breed.
'rs aimed to get the large size of the ono
combined with the fine quality of the other,
md they appear to have hit the mark aimed
1t. The great demand for them, aud the
'ase with which frauds could be perpetrated,
lave flooded the country with spurious AMI.
mails under that name, but it is worthy of
tote that here no other breed of pigs has
'ver maintained a reputation two years after
t was first pulled into pupular notice. An
IMPARTIAL trial always reinstates the home
,reed, no matter at what modification and
oss to the experimenter with foreign breeds.
-ELLwooD HARVEY, of Chester, Delaware.
o., Pa, in Country Gentleman.