Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-07-04
Farm and Household.
Something about Pigs.
FARMERS HIGH OPINION OF THEIR INTELL1-
.GENcE, COURAGE AND CLEANLINESS.
rFron the New York SUM-

l once bought thirty-s1 young pigs, and
pat them in pen. For the first few days
they behaved themselves admirably. Being
a novice in the business of handling pigs,
thought this quietude was the result of their
being well fed What they were really doing
was rejecting on their confinement, and de-
wishing a way to get out of that pen At any
rate, they got out. l searched for the miss
ing thirty-six, and found them in my garden,
eating lettuce and early peas But with the
help of all the men on the ranch 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 l was nearly wild with rage.
Declaring that those pigs should go into their
pen the same way they came out, went to
the house and loosened a huge, half-blood
Newfoundland 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 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
we're shaking. When, by my command, the
pig was released it ran to a corner of the pen,
leaped to the third board, turned slightly on
its side, and scrambled through. The others
AOhOMth 10 luol 10 loooiblOs my NbhAu
have scampered around that pen for week,
and not one would have revealed the place,
if the sudden and overwhelming fright re.
suting from being held in the jaws of a hun
dred-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 it became necessary only to
1 a L. u. n Nj
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 a small pig that had been uncommonly
exasperating. The knowledge then and there
absorbed by him lasted the rest of his life.
He was willing to rest his fore-paws on the
fence, to look over, and bark at the occupants
of the pen, but when urged to go over he
sulked, and said by his looks, Il tried that
once, and, believe me, it was not well"
1 had big crop of corn and oats, and
prices were very low. Not being in immedi-
ate need of money, determined to breed
pigs enough to eat my crop. In the course
of my shooting prairie chickens, l one day
strayed on horseback some forty miles from
home and coming across a large pig-pen
found in it a lot of pure razor-back sows. l
thought l would like to be the owner of those
razor-backs so l returned with couple of
teams and bought twenty-five of them-long
of snout long of leg, oach-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, 1 will sim
ply say that lost all standing in my church
from what was overheard on that journey.
But got the pigs home.
My wife had raised some eighty turkeys,
and countless chickens ranged around my
stacks sheds and barns We used 10 select
and point out with the index finger the COB
blers 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 We're turned into large yard contain
ing about an acre, and the process of build
ing up meat on their open homework began.
The still hunt of the sows also began-tur-
keys and chickens the game they stalked.
Though 1 was on the point of losing my
mind, as I looked on 1 could not help admir-
ing the skill displayed. 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 atti-
tudes, they would yawn, opening their long
jaws much as an alligator does his when he
sees young colored person indiscreetly COM
ing 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 up corn, and may be,
in his exceeding comfort, spread his tail and
give voice to cheerful gobble or two A
long lean, why SOW would look at him, her
bright black eyes sparkling with the pleasure
of anticipation. She would slowly feed tow
ard the turkey, mild grunts issuing from her
the while. She would not hurt 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. Sud
denly a long, active body would be launched
through the air a swapping of great jaws, a
sudden jumping of the fore feet on the body
of the gobbler, firm grip of the jaws on
leg, wing, or breast quick, powerful, up
ward jerk, and the gobbler that erst strutted
in my yard was being converted into pork
l once saw a SOW miss turkey, and the
fowl took to wing The SOW gathered her
self for run, and, jumping in the air, snap
ped at the flying bird. The flying 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 COB
bier who had made an escape of this kind
would spend hours in standing around, modi
tating on the hard times it would be for tur.
keys if razor-backed sows had wings The
upshot of this stalking of my fowls was tina
lost all had, and to-day there is not fow
on the place.
Once had couple of sows each of which
raised me nine pigs. let the little ones ruI
out Gt was grasshopper year, and they coul(
hurt nothing.) Kansas was considerably pes
tered with wolves that year, and my neigh
bors predicted that would lose my pigs.
met them all over the neighboring country
but at shutdown they were generally at home
used to think they were lucky, until on
day while shooting prairie chickens, / saw
wolf Happip0 around in tba N, a yar,
peculiar manner. l watched him from a dis
tance but could not comprehend his behay
ior SO walked toward him, and by takin
advantage of ravine, was able to get With
forty yards of the beast. Lying down benin
a bunch of blue joint grass, looked on. Tn
coyote had found my eighteen pigs, then som
four months old, and wanted one for dinner
The pigs Directing had formed circle, wit
their heads out, and were bravely gruntin
defiance. The wolf was running around then
swapping his jaws, and doing all in his pow
er to brighten faint hearted pig out of til
circle The compact ring Of sturdy litt
black porkers slowly moved down the road
never faltering but constantly keeping u
their war grunt. As they passed me at abol
twenty-five yards, rebuked the coyote wit
an ounce of No. 10 bird shot He suddenl
lost interest in pork, and retired to the hill
to hunt jack-rabbits. l never had any anxi
ty about my pigs after that.
Once l built pen for 100 stock hogs by
deep pond of water. ran the fence out I'M
the pond to where the water was five fe
deep then took logs, and claiming them t,
gether stretched them between the ends
the fence. This made pen with a big pon
in it, and the pigs could not get out unle
they Owed under the logs. l was raised
the belief that n pig could not swim. III
hogs We're driven to the pen, put in and,
had self-feeding corn bins that were full,
hattered myself that was rid of the perso
al care of those hogs until butchering tim
The result was that they became such expe
divers that they were never in the pen. The
would swim out to the logs and dive unde
If | went to the pen on horseback, accou
panied by my dog, l would gather them L
by setting the dog ON them, make them q
jump into the pond swim TO the log, plun(
under it and swim ashore into the pen. The
the dog dared not follow.