St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-10-24
ABOUT THE wArTLED HOG.

ABOUT THE wATTLED HOG.
singular Excrescences OF the .Ani-
malls JOwls Serve Useful
Purpose.
Most every resident of the south or
west, as we'll as those who, although at
present residents of Washington, have
in former years lived in either one or
the other of the above-named sec
lions, has seen or knows something
about Waited hogs" says the Post, OF
that city. 1t appears that during the
early settlement of the region beyond
the Appalachian range there appeared
a race of swine remarkable for the Pc
culiar elongated excrescences OF skin,
gristle and flesh growing outward and
depending from either jowl, which the
early settlers termed "waktles." These
singular growths were generally from
six to eight inches In length, and were
joined to the skin Of the jowl by
narrow neck, while the main or lower
part Of the waffle thickened out. until
in some cases they measured nearly two
or three inches in diameter, always
terminating in a narrow tip, from
which grew heavy tuft Of hair.
Swine of this character are still
found in many parts of the west, While
in the south they are almost as nu-
merous as they were 60 years ago. In
view of the fact that every animal
mechanism has some definite function to
perform in promoting the welfare,
safety and protection Of the beings pos
sessing the same, people have often
wondered what earthly use the wattles
could be to the swine above described,
for as near as they could see they filled
no useful purpose whatever.
It will be interesting to many who
doubtless have often wondered what
useful function these wattles could fill
in the economy of nature to learn the
following from Prof. w. ]. MCGEE, who
who offers very satisfactory explana-
ton as to the use of these singular and
unsightly appendages OF the old-fash-
toned western swine. Speaking to a
Post reporter he said:
During my boyhood days on farm
in Iowa waited hogs were as numer-
Gus as the more improved kinds are to-
day. In fact they were all over the
west, and nowhere very popular. Most
farmers were getting rid of this peculiar
stock by crossing them with the i'm
proved varieties, and the question as to
what use the animals found for their
peculiar wattles was as great mystery
then as it is to-day in sections where
hogs of this race still exist. However,
there was general and widespread be-
lief at the time that while other hogs
that nature had not endowed with wat
ties were most certain to cut their
threats and drown whenever they un-
dertook to swim creeks, rivers or ponds,
the waited hog could swim any dis
lance without mourning the least injury
to its throat. Waited hogs never
drown was a common saying at the
time, and on investigation discov-
cred that far from being farmers SUI
perstition the belief was founded on
fact.
For a time failed to understand
why such was the case, until one day
happened to observe several waited
hogs swimming across stream of
rather clear water, saw at glance
just what function those wattles per-
form. Once in the water the wattles
drifted back by the current against the
throat, so that in swimming the sharp
hoofs of the animal strike not against
the throat, but upon the wattles, thus
preventing their sharp hoofs from cut
ting into the jugular. In short, these
wattles serve to protect the throat of
the hog from its sharp hoofs while It is
swimming. It is certainly very Curl
Gus provision Of nature, and one which
enables hog to swim without injury.
The wattles may be cut and bleeding
after long swim, but they soon heal,
and no great injury could be done to
the animal, even il they were cut en-
tirely through"