DeSoto times. (Hernando, Miss.) 1879-1898, 1890-03-27
THE RAZOR-BACKED HOG.
Grandfather Lickshingle Conveys Some
Facts About the Brute.

urahdIather Lickshingie Conveys Some
Facts About the Brute.
81 would like" said Grandfather Lick.
Shingle, as he entered the Wocld Office
and looked around cautiously, ito lay
before your agricultural editor some
facts of interest regarding the razor.
backed hog. used to farm down in Vir-
ginia, and also in North Carolina, and
have been more or less intimately asSo.
ciated with razor-backed hogs. The
razor-back Is so-called because it is
razor backed. You can't make any thing
else out of him. 1t would have been a
misnomer to have called him any thing
else, except, possibly, son of gun.
The razor-backS have peculiarities
peculiar to themselves. You can't fat
ten one of them any more than you can
fatten a clothes-horse. At the same
time they will eat any thing that is
loose and squeal for more. When squeal-
ing for some thing to sustain life a razor
backed hog can be heard across three
counties. They regard their own Off
springs as great delicaCy, although |
don't see why they should, and they will
also go further to eat a colored baby
than crocodile. You can't kill a razor
backed hog by any ordinary means.
Unless he is run over by an express
train he will live to be a couple of hun
dred years old.
The statement made by the Com
missioner of Agriculture at a recent
Cabinet meeting that a North Carolina
man had invented a fence that would
turn a razorbacked hog was premature
There is no fence that will turn this
animal If he wants to go through it,
and he generally does. Barbed wire is
a positive delight to him. His skin is
so tough that it simply affords him a
pleasant, ticklish sensation, and he viii
go great distance to find one of these
fences to amuse himself with.
"You can't drive a razor backed hog
any more than you can drive hyena.
The only way to get him from one spot
to another is to hold out to him the bow
of promise in the shape of an ear Of
corn. For an ear of corn he will swim
the English channel. fyou haven'tan
ear of corn handy an old tin can with an
ear of corn or tomato pictured on the
label will do just as well. Tho intel
lect of the razor back is not what you
would call brilliant, and it is not diff
ticult to cheat him this wav. His in
telllgence is of such low order that he
will eat the tin can for the sake of the
picture and enjoy it just as much as if
it was the real thing.
There is no vital spot to a razor
backed hog that bullet can find.
have shot at them in fit of anger, hun.
dreds of times, and the bullet slides
from them like water from a ducks
back.
"a drove of a dozen of them once took
the town of Clarksville, Va, and ate
and destroyed every thing in the place.
As for the Clarks, they took to the
woods, and were glad of the chance.
The razor backs got to roofing on the
railroad that runs through ClarkSville
for some grain along the track, and
they rooted up the ties and rails for
quarter of mile and wrecked an eX-
press train. They tore down the City
Hall and post-ot1ice to get at the picture
of fat woman, some SleCk-lOOking aero
bats and the wild children of Borneo
that circus had pasted up. The speed
and endurance of razor-baCk is some
thing that will pretty soon be attract
ing the attention of turf men. | have
seen them jump over stake and
ridered fence that was fourteen feet
Understanding jump. They can walk
on the top of a board fence, and can
catch birds like cat. Three or four of
them will tear up more ground in given
time than plowing match. Turn them
loose on the granite pavements Of New
York, and if you give them a night at it
they will rip up Broadway from the Bat
terry to Central Park, and do it worse
than a subway company, and that is say
ing great deal.
"You have these facts all fixed in your
mind?" asked grandfather, as he paused
in the narrative.
The reporter said he had
"Then just convey them to the agri-
cultural editor, with my compliments,
and Mr.. Lickshingle drew the door soft
ly after him as he passed out.-N. y.
\Vor11