Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-02-23
H0G-GUESSING.
PECULIAR SPORT VERY POPU-
LAR ~ NEW JERSEY.
The Farmer Who Comes Nearest TO
Its Weight Gets the Porkcr
- How the Experts DO
Their Estimating.


NJ amusement peculiar to North
- ern New Jersey. 1t is not
known to be popular and
prevalent anywhere else in the cclrn-
try, except, possibly, in a remote cor
nerof Long Island Hog culture is q
seienoe in these parts. The average
Sussex County farmer knows how to
grow the fattest, LATEST hogs on the
least fodder of any man in the world.
He prides himself on the large amount
Of pure lard he can get in the shortest
possible time and at the least expense.
Fhe breeds were imported, and the
owners claim that they have been yustly
Improved by wallowinS in the mires
of upper Jersey. 1t isn't a bad bust
ness, either, that of raising champion
swine. There is one farmer, Peter
Scott by name, who last year 'aised
ffty.six hogs, averaging so pounds,
or total Of II ,28o pounds. he got
six cents pound for his pork, which
made q good profit for year ofpanics
and failures
The sport Of hog guessing IS finely
developed. There are hundreds of ex-
pcrts at the game. Most Of them are
old farmers, who travel around with
"Horace Greeley whiskers,' wear
overalls and rubber boots that reach
to the knees. The younger blood
doesn't care so much for the pastime
These patriar,hal sports understand
how TO run tha tape measure around
the ncchs, loins and stomach- OF the
porzy victims. anil guess within few
pounds of their exact weight. They
size mp hog i'm mighty short order,
aud then have the guess recorded by
the mallorl OF tin hotel in front of
which tine hos facssiu, contest always
fakes place. Th, act OF recording
costs the slssser couple o.; cigars or
p drink or two oi sola water.
The sport i, now in full bloom A
description oi tine game II one inn is
typical of chem all This occurred a
fswdsvs ago tara2ular Aaak-numbor
hotel q few miles from Newton, y.
y. Nearly 3)) sports participated.
They came from all directions, in
ancient vehicle or ION the hoof, as
they expressed If. Four hogs were On
hand TO be guessed at. They seemed
f. be altogether too deshy for their
frail legs to hold. The difficult feature
olthe guessing was % get the hogs to
stanl erect AMI assume a military at-
titud,. When one of the farmers
proddcl them with a cane they SCI u2
uuearthly yells anil their huge bodies
shook and tremblel like delicate
mold- Of Jelly. 4 young man finally
driftej IN, and soon had them all on
their feet by blowing clouds of smoke
in their faces.
No sooner had the four hogs fallen
under tine influence of the smoke than
n dozen experts ia hosproducts leaped
the bars AMI began winding tape
measures about them. They have a
way Of multiplying the loin measure
msnt by that Of the neck, and divid-
ing it b. the length from ears to tail.
The result, they say, furnishes the
hogs weight Before any one was al
lowed to make any scientific researches
within the bars the hotel man made
sure that he was properly registere l
on the long list tied with cigarribbon,
and that the sacrel monosyllable
paid" was recorded opposite his
name. He who guessed nearest to the
weight was to have the hog.
After the four hogs had been speeu-
lated on the real fun began. A large
pair Of platform scales was rolled to
the side Of the inclosure, and a box on
wheels, open at one end, was placed
inside. Four stalwart men then began
to try and urge hog number one to
enter the box, but he could no more
be induced to do 50 than any kind OF
hog could be induced to cross
bridge. Fair means having become ex-
hausted, each man tried to persuadeit
to stand erect and walk gracefully by
the urgent pro lding Of sharp sticks.
FailinS in this, two pieces OF stout
planking were procured aul placed
beneath the hog, but, when the men
began to lift, the planking bent,
cracked and broke, and the hog gave
ont grunts Of approval When NJ ons
could think of an ingenious scheme By
which the mammoth porker could be
inveiglcd into the box the boy in pos
session OF the smoking habit came along
and said he could perform the job.
He tried to the extent Of burning half
Of cigar, and succeeded in moving
the hog to tho opposite side of the in
closure
Without wasting any more time the
landlord, who seemed panied at the
delay, brought forth some four-inch
timbers, a block and tackle and nails
In a short time a derrick was rugged,
aud when a moose was placed about
the hogs body, eight men took hold
and hoistod him into the box, while
nc was making more noise than an
aye-age-sized pig under a gate The
,oA WAS rolled upon the scales, the