The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-26
THE TRUE RAzoK-BAcK HOG.
Look at His PeeuIIarIsIes and
ways Of Living.

leuce while with each succe edlug genera
tior. his inc tvIduality mas grown and his
back become sharper. until. after years
o. ignominy, he TazOr-back STANDS forth
distinct race. ParadOXical though u may
81 IN, the genuine razor-back OF LOUISIANA
ana Arkansas is a thoroughbred sEirnal'
bear.u.. the same relation 10 Jhe state fair
poIke.-s as the KeIuucky race horse bears
10 the Norman draft. Each are distinct
sr,s.oies OF ne same great fam ly, and
have o.tly one charac Eeristlc IN comm on
both are hogs. ana " zen thal y sa41 81
comparisons cease
Tfe lard producer IS a cylindrical indi-
vidtlal with :. rudimenIa - snout, and eyes
that look fOrch on the b sauIleS OF nature
through layers OF raw Ia ms AeSt al e
equity and the leader Of has tan Is weak
Altogether, he resembles = twenty -ASuI-
inch log with twO-lnch pes {.
The razOr-back found in The secluslon
Of the Black river swamps IS broad
clpper-built curiosity, turnE 'h.sa Win
head tLat looks ike she prov u d AioueIH
war vessel. This fOrW arr eXteI- s. on OF the
wild swine is OEe-third the Lex "a q MS
body. and terminates III a SnO-N Win q
naring rim. The legs are long ana operaI-
ed by Leaders that have cdpac y q ~
pulls a minute. His feet are rGl' ana
adapted for taking firm hoid upon lhS
ground His tail is pieced out with j. tassel
Of pendant curls, and is OF Sufhclent l@hBll
to break the wing Of any mosqull tldI
may chance to alAyht on MS seventh ilp;
Many persons, 7sirous Of nAFlNS l-S
coal smoke blown from unelr halr d
cheaply as possible. leave the city aacn
year and go into 81 miner quarters W IA
the owners of various pine tree fahcn =
scattered throughout the country y -
cause these well-meantng gel tlemeh nc D.
tice a few angular specimens oil CORFU
gated swine with ears a. half-maSt, tney
return home with the impress on enat they
have seen Ihe rdZOr-baCk. Let alt Suci
summer blossoms remember mat the nalI-
rod "A
scenes is not a member of the rdHOr-Dack
fraternity, but only q common ScfHD' De
longing 10 no particular breed, ana AaN ms
no aim in life beyond lying under an elBIlt
| bv ten crib ana deVouring an occasional
| grain of corn that may be thrown 10 MN
| by some philanti,rOpic rat.
To see the wild hog in his NAIVE nome
| IL is necessary to penetrate into the depths
/ of the river swanps, accompanied by a
/ guide and several trained hog-dogs II
| was my fortune 20 go on sUcn an eAleui-
! ton into the Ouachita bottoms win d
| party of hog owners, VINO unuertOOk tiie
| trim for the purpose of estimating the IN
| crease for the year. Two large dogs OF a
| breed known only in hog districts were
| taken along 20 locate the stl-ne any y, i -
| 10 to bay. Soon after entering the Inn
/ Der we heard a roar as II mar dozen
| lions were holding poWW0W- Inc near
/ er we approached the more emphallc were
/ the remarks OF the hogs. Suddenly out
| sprang a cog from the confines OF
| thicket, and, close at his heels, a huge
| boar with long white tusks. Foam arp
| ped from his mouth, and the red g.are OF
| his eyes was terrible. After him rushed
| the entire bunch" followed at a safe
| distance by the other dog. When more
| omen ground was reacheQ the iedd cog
| ended the chase by turning suddenly, anu,
| win me HELM of his mate. bring the hogs
| a second time to bay. Tins feat was ac-
| complished by running several uines
| around 1he bunch, each dog Keeping on
| opposite sides and at safe distance from
| az dangerous game. The adults threw
| themselves into a solid phafanH about the
young. and with heads out, presented a
| Formidable array. Woe pc lnUo man OF
| beast that approaches too near the ranks
| IF these brutes when standing at bay
They know their strength, and mounting
can resist their charge. A blow from one
Of those tusks cuts like knife, as many
an inexperience,1 pup learns to his Sor-
row on rare ocl' aSlons even an Old cog
il caught unawares and ripped from end
to end. s,,.
| sarnbl,, u,a~e the tal1est a, I'd thinnest speci-
| mems of the razor tribe l .laNe ever seer.
The body of the most prOmii. 'eul pOeI " d
at least six inches wide and " 'ei.y lncilss
, deep, with ten inches of dayhtSH 9iiueI-
| Meath. Extending from end to emo was
an unbroken line of standing DIlsIles
that were longest on the withecs ana
hips
Il was decided to pen this bunch, and
| IL Obedience to the wave OF the ha no,
froJa his master, the lead dog ran as Gle .
! as re dared to the death line, and the d
/ started at full speed in the direction indl-
| Gated, with the hogs in pursuit, and the
second dog brought up the rear. A short
distance a way was a stout pen punt
with wings running out from the bars.
In fed the lead dog, and before the hogs
had time to realize the situation they
were prisoners, and the individual whose
hide they so earnestly desired had leaped
the fence.
When it becomes necessary to catch one
of these savage animals a large dog, kept
for this purpose, is turned loose. some
times he is only a common cur, but oIten-
er the result of cross with the bElldog
! or bloodhound. At all events he must be
; strong, active, and know when to catch
and how to let go; else his career VIII
not be long
My friends informed me that once a
year all persons owning hogs in the
woods appoint a time and make Drive,
for the double purpose of marking the
pigs and selecting the fattest candidates
for the annual hog killing. 1t seems
! however, that in some districts the nogs
roam unmarked through the great WOODS
: too wild to be handled. Land owners nv
ing near such ranges obtain right iron,
: the parish to hunt them through the fall
and winter months, when they are shot
down like other wild game. ANY man
: found on the ranges killing hogs without
a permit is arrested and prosecuted as a
, common thief.
these animals would surprise many
Northern stock growers. There are sew
eral shades of blue, ranging from alead-
en- hue to a light azure. Then there are
soMd tans, and tans with dashes of black
2 or white. Some are of a solid covered
and some are of a cow-red with a broad
belt of white about the middle. Others
again are arrayed in shades varying from
a dahl yellow to an up-country mud-hole
color. Brindles are numerous and blacks
are rare.
The razor back Is never so happy as
when the nut season opens; for he knows
that a summers hard roofing is Ger, and
that he may begin a period OF ease ano
luxury, with nothing to do but eat, sleeI
2 and keep Some other hog from infringing
on his claim. Two months of such feeC
and the razor-back is just a little wider
t a deal heavier, and his ribs are packed
! with layers of fat against the coming o.
winter Then it is that one of these
swine is in his best spirits, and can Leaf
: a four-foot log and click his hoofs twice
while going over. He also gives careful
attention to apparel, scarcely an houl
going by that he does not polish his bris
ties against the rough surface of a. con
? venient log. The magnetic apparatus
[ shares in the general prosperity, and
= plentiful flow of the subtle fluid circulate
with great Vigor throughout the hog