The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-04-24
SOMETHING ABOUT PIGS.
A farmers High Opinion OF their Intelii
gence, Courage and CleanIinesst

the pig is more intelligent than any
other beast, more courageous, cleaner
and possessed of more delicate organ
ization.
1 once bought thirty-six young pigs,
and put them in pen. For the first few
days they behaved themselves admira-
bly. Being novice in the business
of handling pigs, | thought this quietude
was the result of their being we'll fed.
What they were really doing was re-
f1ecting on their confinement, and devils
ing a way to get out of their pen. At
any rate, they got out. searched for
the missing thirty-six, and found them
in my garden, eating lettuce and early
peas. But with the help of all the men
on the ranch l 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. Ny men were yielding
to exhaustion, and l was nearly wild
with rage. Declaring that those pigs
should go into their pen the same way
theyycame out, went to the house and
loosened a huge half-blood Newfound-
land dog that had an inborn 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 me and
then at the pigs, and making quick
jump at one small specimen, took him
down. Standing over the PROSTATE pig,
the dog growled savagely, and every now
and then he gave him a 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 as possible. They
would have scampered around that pen
for a week, and not one would have re-
vealed the place, if the sudden and over
whelming fright resulting from being
held in the jaws of a hundred-pound dog
had not made this one betray the secret.
Afterward the thhirty-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 it became nee
essary only to stand on. the hill and yell,
Fred, Fred Pigs, pigs!" to make
every hog within hearing run for that
hole in the pen. Once, and only once,
the big dog went over the fence to pun
ish small pig that had been uncom-
monty exasperating. The knowledge
then and there absorbed by him lasted
the rest of his life. He was willing to
rest his forepaws op the fence, to look
over. and bark at the occupants of the
pen, but when urged to go over he sulkcd,
and said, by his looks, Il tried that
once, and believe me. it was not we'll"
l had a 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
would like to be the owner of these
razor-backs, Sc 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 home, | 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 large
yard, containing about an acre, and the
process of building up meat on their
open homework began. The still hunt
of the sows also began-turkeys and
chickens the game they stalked. Though
| was on the point of losing my mind, as
I l. hn1,~ s,,.,
the skill displayed. A wagon load of
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 as an 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 a cheerful gobble or two.
A long, lean, wiry SOW would look at
him, her bright black eyes sparkling
with the pleasure of anticipation. She
o'ould 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 long, active body would be
launched through the air; swapping oi
great jaws, sudden jumping of the fore
feet on the body of the gobbler, firm
grip of the jaws on leg, wing or breast
quick, powerful, upward jerk, and the
gobbler that erst strutted in my yard
was being converted into pork.
once saw a sow miss turkey, and
the fowl took to wing. The sow gathered
herself for run, and, jumping high il
the air, snapped at the flying bird. The
flying turkey would be Mortified to Sc,
every sow he passed over rise up in tn,
| air toward him and vainly snap her jaws
at his dangling legs. The gobbler whC
had made an escape of this kind would
spend hours in standing around, medita
| ting on the hard times it would be fo
| The upshot of this stalking of my fowl
was that l lost all had, and to-day ther
is not a fowl on the place.
| Once | had a couple of sows, each Q
which raised me nine pigs, / let the lit
tie ones run out (it was grasshoppe
year, and they could hurt nothing.) Kan
sas was considerably pestel ed with wolve
that year, and my neighbors predict
ed that would lose my pigs. / met ther
all over the neighboring country, but q
sundown they were generally at home.
used to think they were lucky, until on
day, while shooting prairie chickens,
saw wolf dancing around in the gras
in very peculiar manner. | watche
him from distance, but could not con
prehend his behavior So 7 walked n