The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1878-02-13
Swine.

Having just delivered my last lot
of hogs, which L sold for eight cents
per pound for all those about 200
pounds and under, and for seven
cents per pound for those above 200
pounds, and having also bought
some young ones for another year,
I feel free TO write few lines on
swine in general.
1t is astonishing how much inn
provement has been effected in the
whole swine of tue country. The
Berkshire breed is the most fashion
able and. is the case with the short
horn cattle, extraordinary prices
are paid fer them 10 those holding
particularly favorite strains, and
though there is much bordering on
the ridiculous in the absurdly high
prices, it is not altogether folly,
since, beside giving greater re-
nown to this particular breed, it
causes a general respect for pure
bred stock. There are several 9th
er really good breeds, and much of
the excellence of the best types has
been attained by high feeding fol
lowed up through successive geaer-
ations. By this remark there is no
reflection intended on high feeding /;
for on She contrary, it would be Of
the utmost benefit to farmers if from
the birth of every animal on the
farm they would all feed in way to
force growth and secure the very
best quality.
There is no doubt about the Essex
and the white breeds being possess
ed ofall good qualities, as also the
Magic and the red breed. In rela-
tion to the last mentioned, can re-
member when there were hundreds
Of thousands of the reds, or as they
were then called, sandy pigs. They
were decidedly much more prolific
than hogs in general are nowadays,
for it was rare TO see a SOW, after
her first litter. Fifty-seven years ago
my father had a sandy sow killed.
which weighed forty scores, 800
pounds. Thirty-eight years ago 1
was steward for a large landowner,
and had a young SOW slaughtered,
after, sue had two litters, and her
weight was 900 pounds. Her moth
err, a Yorkshire white SOW, was Kill
ed previously, weighing SOB pounds
The mother was nine feet long, and
the daughter not eight feet, but she
was thicker and deeper. The last
mentioned had her pigs by an Essex
boar, and won a great many preani-
ums at agricultural fairs from this
cross, the offspring of which were
not large when full-grown, like the
one mentioned above, but they came
quickly to maturity. The progeny
Of this cross between the large
Yorkshire white and the small black
Essex was very good for fattening at
any age, for from the age of two
months they would be only just able
to waddle about, till at the age of
ten months the show pigs became
totally blind from an accumulation
Of fat, and were fed with balls Of
barley meal pnt into heir mouths
as they sat upon their haunches.L
It is very certain that it will not
pay to keep pigs running around in
what is called store" condition, but
which is often a half-starvsd state
for. although they cost but little for
food. they pay nothing at all for that
little; whereas. when fed well from
the first, they pay all the while. and
by being kept in styes they will SO
enrich any farm with their manure
as TO bring it up to bear heavy
crops. Indeed, their dreppings are
richer in Eertilizing properties than
these of any other animals except
ng those fed on great deal Of oil
cake. Swine are fattened by great
proportion of the best tenans-farm-
ers 10 England on account of the
prodigsous crops which the manure
fattening hogs produces. So we'll is
this understood there that farmer
is wen satisfied if the manure is all
he gains for the trouble that is, if
the hogs when sold make enough
to pay for the feeding the farmer
thinks the manure good profit.
The worst Of hog feeding in the
west and south is, that the cnltivat-
ed land is robbed and impoverished
by giving the corn to the hogs either