The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1879-05-08
SOMETHING ABOUT PIGS.
farmers High Opinion OF their Intelil-
eence, Courage and Cleanliness:


the big is more intelligent than any
other Beast, more courageous, cleaner
and possessed Of more delicate organ
| iZation.
once bought thirty.six young pigs,
and put them in pen. For the ilrst few
days they behaved themselves admira-
bly,. Being novice in the business
ofhandling pigs, | thought this quietude
was the result of their being well fed.
What they were really doing was re-
flecting on their confinement. and devils
ing way to get out oG their pen. A.
any rate, they got out. / searched for
the missing thirty-siX, and found them
in nv garden, eating Nttuce and early
peas. But with the help of all the men
on the ranch 1 could not drive them
back into the pen; they seemed to have
forgotten where and how they got out.
Around the pen they ran, but not one
offered to get in. My men were yielding
to exhaustion, and I was nearly wild
with rage. Declaring that those pig;
should 20 into their pen the same way
theylcame out, I went to the house and
loosened n huge half-blood Newfound-
land dog that had an Unborn dislike for
hogs. "Put those pigs in their pen, and
don't YOU dare to bite one of them. !"
Fred, the dog, looked first at Inc and
then at the pigs, and making q quick
lump ut one small specimen, took him
down. Standing over the PROSTATE pig,
the dog growled savagely, and every now
and then he gave him severe shaking.
When, by my command, the pig was re-
leased it ran to corner of the pen, leap
ed to the third board. turned slightly on
its side, and scrambled through. The
others followed as fast rs possible. They
would have scampered around that pen
for week, and not one would have re-
yealed the place, if the sudden and over
whelming fright resulting from being
held in the jaws of 4 hundred-pound dog
had not made this one betray the secret.
Afterward the thirty-siX pigs would
tunnel under the fence and invade my
garden. but when the dog was called,
with wild grunts of alarm, they rushed
into their quarters. Soon 1t became nee
essary only to stand on the hill and yell,
Erred, Fred! Pigs, pigs!" to make
every hog within hearing run Ior that
hole in tile pen. Once. and only once,
the big dog went over the fence 10 pun
ish small pig that had been uncom-
monty exasperating. The knowledge
then and there absorbed by him lasted
the rest ofhis life. He was willing to
rest his forepaws op the fence, to look
over, and bark ut the occupants of the
pen, but when urged to 60 over he sulked,
and said, by his looks, 81 tried that
once, and believe me. it was not well"
had Il big crop of corn and oats, and
prices were very low. Not being in i'm
mediate need of money, L determined to
breed pigs enough to eat my crop. In
the course of my shooting prairie chick
ems, one day strayed on horseback some
forty miles from home, and coming
across a large pigpen found in it lot OF
pure razor-back soWs. l thought l
would like to be the owner of these
razor-backs, so returned with couple
of teams and bought twenty-five of
thcm--long of snout, long of leg, roach
backed, long tailed, heavy in the
shoulders, high in the withers, light and
low in the ham. Not to enlarge On the
troubles and vexations those pigs caused
me before got homo, l will simply say
that | lost all standing in my church
from what was overheard on that Jour-
ney. But got the pigs home:
My wife had raised some eighty tur,
keys, and countless chickens ranged
around my stacks, sheds and barns. We
used to select and point out with the
index finger the gobblers we would eat
when cold weather came. We enjoyed
many turkeys that way, and it was well
we ate them in anticipation, for we did
not taste them any other way. The
razor backs were turned into i large
yard, containing about IN acre. and the
process ofsbuildlng up meat on their
open homework began. The still hunt
Of the sows also began-turkcys and
chickens the game they sta.kcd. Though
I WIS on the point of losing my mind, as
I looked on l could not help admiring
the skill displayed. A wagon load Of
corn would be scattered on the ground in
the pen, and the sows would slowly rise
up on their launches. Sitting in all
conceivable attitudes they would yawn,
opening their long jaws much rs IN alli-
gator does his when he sees young per-
son indiscreetly coming to play in the
river. Then, getting on their feet, they
would slowly feed up and down the pen.
A turkey would hop over the fence and
begin to pick corn. and may be, in his
exceeding comfort. spread his tail and
give voice to cheerful gobble OF two.
A long, lean, wiry sow would look Mt
him, her bright black eyes sparkling
with the pleasure of anticipation. She
would slowly feed toward the turkey,
mild grunts issuing from her the while.
She would not hurt a turkey-not she!
Slowly and cautiously she would draw
near to the bird, and nearer yet, until
she was within three or four feet of him.
Suddenly 4 long, active body would be
launched through the air; Il swapping of
great jaws, sudden jumping of the fore
feet on the body of the Gobbler, II firm
grip of the jaws on leg, wing or breast;
quick, powerful, upward jerk, and the
gobblcr that erst strutted in my yard
was being converted into pork.
l once saw Il sow miss turkey, and
the fowl took to wing. The SOW gathered
herself for run, and, Jumping high in
the air, snapped at the flying bird. The
fving turkey would be Mortified to see
every SOW he passed over rise up in the
air toward him and vainly snap her jaws
at his dangling legs. The gobbler who
had made an escape of this kind would
spend hours in standing around, medita-
ting on the hard times it would be for
turkeys if razor backed sows had wings.
The upshot of this stalking Of my fowls
was that l lost all had, and to-day there
is not fowl on the place.
Once l had couple Of sows, each of
which raised me nine pigs, / let the lit
tie ones run out Gt was graSshopper
year, and they could hurt nothing.) Kan
SIS was considerably pestel ed with wolves
that year, and my neighbors predict
ed that I would lose my pigs. l met them
all over the neighboring country, but at
sundown they were generally at home. l
used to think they were lucky, until one
day.. while shooting prairie chickens, /
saw a wolf dancing around in the grass