The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1875-02-25

into the woods to bring in the milk cows.
The range" as the woods where the
cattle and horses fed, was called, was
better than any cultivated pasture. The
pea-vine, and other wild herbage, and
wild grasses, caused cows to give sweeter,
purer and better milk than the best
clover of the modern pastures. 1 have
known COWS confined in poor pastures
until they were compelled to eat the
leaves of elder bushes. when their milk
became so bitter that it could not be
used. Not so when they were permitted
to range the rich hill sides of the primi-
tive forests.
We children nearly always had faith
full dog or two with us, whether we went
to hunt the cows, or~ent in early sum-
mer fishing, or for service berries, or in
later summer for fox grapes, or in the
fall for nuts. The dogs were a pretty
sure protection against bears or panthers,
if there had been any; but it was differ
ent as to wild hogs. I spoke last week
Of these wild hogs. Every man had his
earmark, and it was recorded with the
township clerk, and was his individual
property. This cutting of the ears of
animals had technical names. Cattle,
sheep and hogs had their ears marked :;
but horses were branded, which was a
large letter put generally on the side of
| the shoulder with hot iron, made for
the purpose. The branding iron was
heated nearly red hot, and applied for a
moment to the skin, and the scar, in the
form of the letter, would always be visi-
| bic. The earmark used by my father for
his cattle, hogs and sheep, was "a crop
and underbit in the left ear, and a swal-
low fork in the right ear" If the records
of jefferson township fifty years ago are
in existence, that record may be seen
therein.
Thus much preliminary about wild
hogs. a man who had hogs in the woods
would keep his eye upon them. By set
ting dogs after them they would stop
to fight the dogs until the owner could
get near enough to recognize the mark.
When he discovered that any of his sows
had pigs, he would go and mark them
and castrate the males. This was done
when the pigs were only few days old
and they could be easily caught. They
could be found in great bed of leave:
raked up against the side of a log. The
old hogs would be kept off by the dogs
while the pigs were being attended to.
Frequently when children were in the
woods, the dogs would get into a confess
with a lot of these wild hogs. The hog:
would make fearful noise, and will
backs curved, and bristles erect, would
make fearful lunges at the dogs. Tht
dogs would slowly retreat towards th'
children, the hogs pursuing, when thu
children would seek lodged tree, anC
run up the sloping trunk, or get upon
log across some deep hollow, where the.
felt safe, as hogs could not climb Whel
the dogs were scolded, and stopped bark
ing, the hogs would at first retreat slowly
and then take to the deep woods at
great speed, uttering loud snorts as the.
ran.
A wild boar, three or four years of age
is fearful animal. At that age thei
tus ks are as long as q mans finger, stick
ing out of the mouth on each side, regr
larly carving outwards and backwards
The points and back edges of these tusk
are almost as sharp as knife. Natur
always provides everything to suit it
circumstances, wants and necessities, an
those who have only seen the domest
Gated hogs, have no idea Of the fearfr
: beauty of the pure white tusks of til
wild boar.
: In fighting, the wild boar gives a sid
| stroke with his tusk, with very greg
force. l think it was Esq. William Che
: ington, one of the pioneers of the count.
who told me once that he saw a couple
wild boars fight, when one struck til
t other with his tusk in the side of til
7 belly with such force that he cut a gas
l from which the entire intestines ie
D upon the ground.