CHINESE BREED..

most every county has its peculiar breed. These varieties are in part, it is said, the effects of crossing the European variety with the Chinese, some account of which we shall here give.

I. The CHINESE BREED, of the general appearance of which the above is a tolerably correct delineation, when fat, were originally obtained, as their name imports, from China. Of these there are two nearly distinct kinds: the white, and the black; both are small; and, although of an extraordinary disposition to fatten, will seldom arrive to a greater weight than sixteen or eighteen stone of fourteen pounds at two years of age. The former are better shaped than the latter; but they are less hardy, and less prolific. They are both very small limbed; round in the carcass; thin skinned, and fine bristled; and have the head so bedded in the neck, that when quite fat, the end only of the snout is perceptible. They are tender and difficult to rear, and the sows are bad nurses; yet, from their early aptitude to fatten they are in great esteem with those who only rear young porkers. Their flesh is rather too delicate for bacon; it is also deficient in lean; and their hind quarters being small, in proportion to the body, they cut up to disadvantage: they,however, possess the valuable properties of being very thrifty, and of fattening on a comparatively small quantity of food.

There is also a mixed breed of this kind, being white variously patched with black; some of which have prick ears, like the true breed, which they otherwise resemble in form, and others have the ears round at the ends, and hanging downwards.

BERKSHIRE BREED.

II. BERKSHIRE BREED, is distinguished by being in general of a tawny, white, or reddish color; spotted with black; large ears, hanging over the eyes; thick, close, and well made in the body; legs short; small in the bone; having a disposition to fatten quickly; and when well fed the flesh is fine. Berkshire has been long famous for its breed of swine, which, as it now stands, is, in the third class, in point of size, excellent in all respects, but particularly as a cross for heavy, slow feeding sorts. It has extended itself from the district from which it takes its name, over most parts of England; it is the sort mostly fatted at the distilleries; feeds to a great weight; is good for either pork or bacon; and is supposed by many to be the most hardy, both in respect to its nature and the food on which it will thrive.

III. The ESSEX HALF BLACK pigs, are apparently descended from the Berkshire stock, and may be reckoned among the finest breeds in England. They are black and white, short haired, fine skinned, smaller heads and ears than the Berkshire; but the latter are feathered with inside hair, which is a distinctive mark of both; short, snubby noses, very fine bone, broad and deep in the belly, full in the hind quarters, but light in the bone and offal; the sows are good breeders, and bring litters from eight to twelve; but they also have the character of being bad nurses.

Mr. Western describes them, as feeding remarkably quick, growing fast, and being of an excellent quality of meat; and he considers them at least equal, upon a fair comparison of age, food and weight, to any other sort whatever.

The Sussex Breed, is either a variety of the Essex, just described, or, as some assert, the original stock. It is smaller than the Berkshire, and of a very handsome form, the general size, when full grown, seldom exceeding eighteen or twenty stone of fourteen pounds. The bone is not particularly small, but it is clean; the animal is of a kindly disposition to fatten, and arrives at maturity sooner than any other kind.

The Dishley Breed, which were at one time as celebrated as all the other kinds of Mr. Bakewell's stock, are remarkably fine boned, and delicate, and are supposed to be partly descended from crosses of the Berkshire and Chinese. They are certainly carried to great perfection, and have reached to considerable weight, in a very small compass, being, when

fat, nearly equal in height, length, and thickness, their bellies nearly touching the ground, and their eyes scarcely to be seen for fat; the whole carcass appearing a solid mass of flesh.

The form of these pigs possesses considerable beauty, and is well calculated to lay on a large quantity of meat compared with their bone and offal. They also keep themselves in good condition, on a moderate quantity of food, and are easily fattened.

WOBURN, OR BEDFORD BREED.

IV. The WOBURN BREED, of which the animal portrayed above was exhibited at Lord Somerville's Cattle Show, in 1806, is a new variety introduced by the Duke of Bedford. They are of various colors, well formed, hardy, very prolific, kindly disposed to fatten, and have attained to nearly twice the weight of some other hogs within the same given period of time.

Besides these, there are :

The Hampshire, the specific characters of which are-color chiefly white; neck and carcass long, and the body not so well formed as the Berkshire pigs; but they fatten kindly to a very great size and weight, and make excellent bacon.

The Northampton, which are also white, with very short legs, ears enormously large, often sweeping the ground; size large, with coarse bone and hair, and many bristles. They fatten to a great size, but not very kindly, and are reared chiefly in the county of Northampton.

The Shropshire, which appear to be a variety of the Northampton race, to whose characteristics they bear a great resemblance; fattening to a large size, but not so kindly disposed as the Berkshire; yet they are both favorites with the distillers, who seem to require a coarse, heavy pig to consume their wash and grains with advantage.

The Yorkshire, which are similar in color to the Berkshire, but with longer ears, and coarser hair. They have long legs, flat sides, and are coarse in the bone: they are also slow feeders; but for the reasons already assigned they, as well as the Northampton and Shropshire, are in esteem with the distillers.

The Lincolnshire, with well formed heads and ears of a medium size pointing forward, and curled at the tips; they are long and straight from

CHESHIRE BREED.

the head to the tail, and of sufficient breadth; round in the carcass and deep in the sides; the skin and hair thin. The true bred pigs of this race are white, and rather tender; but they reach to thirty stone of fourteen pounds, and in point of profit may be ranked next to the Berkshire. This breed is also known (with some occasional variation) as the Norfolk and Suffolk.

The Cheshire, of various colors, but chiefly marked with broad patches of black, or blue, and white, have lage heads, with long pendant ears; are of a great length, but proportionably narrow; curved in the back, and flat sided; large boned, and long legged, with much loose skin, and are altogether ill-formed; but they grow to an extraordinary weight, and are the largest kind of pigs in the kingdom, except the Rudgwick breed, which take their name from a village on the borders of Surry and Sussex, and are remarkable for the enormous size to which they reach.

Each of these breeds has its several advocates; but as their respective value does not, as in other species of stock, depend on soil and situation, these differences of opinion can only be ascribed to the want of sufficient comparative experiments or to prejudice. A very competent and apparently a very candid judge of the merits of the principal kinds, gives it as his decided opinion, that the Berkshire rough-haired, feather-eared, curled pigs, are superior in form and flesh to all others; even to the best Chinese.

To the foregoing might be added many other varieties and sub-varieties in England; but it is deemed unnecessary to be more minute.

The hog is not a native of America, but was brought hither by Europeans. Until within a few years, the principal breed of hogs to be found in the United States strongly resembled the old Irish breed—a longlegged, thin-sided, lank, haggard race, which scarcely attain to their full size, short of two or three years, and two or three of which require all the corn commonly raised on a good sized farm, to get into a decent condition for the barrel.

Within a few years, however, more attention has been paid to this important subject; more valuable breeds have been introduced, which have been crossed to advantage in the country. We have crosses from the Chinese, Russian, Dutch, Spanish, and English breeds. Of the latter, we have the Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Suffolk, Sussex, Lincolnshire, Hampshire, and other families. In general, however, there is room for extensive improvement, in respect to our swine. Among the breeds deservedly in high repute in New-England, at the present time, is the Bedford or Woburn breed. The history of its introduction is both curious and interesting, and for it we are indebted to the Hon. Oliver Fiske, of Worcester Mass., as we are to his zeal for its extensive dissemination, in various parts of New-England, and other sections of the United States.

According to this gentleman, the breed-a boar and a sow-were sent by the Duke of Bedford-after whom they are in this country called-but in England are better known, it is believed, by the name of the "Woburn breed," as a present to Gen. Washington. They were committed to the care of an English farmer by the name of Parkinson. This man took a farm in the neighborhood of Baltimore; but, instead of sending the swine to Gen. Washington, he sold them. Being highly esteemed by Gen. Ridgely, of Maryland, who became acquainted with their excellence, he sent a pair of them to Col. Pickering, of Massachusetts, in a vessel bound

MANAGEMENT OF HOGS.

to Salem. From Col. P.'s stock, Mr. John Reed of Roxbury, obtained the breed, and of the latter Dr. Fiske obtained parts of several litters, which he transferred to Worcester. The pure breed is, perhaps, nearly the perfection of the race-judiciously crossed with our native breed, greatly improves the latter. To the excellence of the above breed Gov. Lincoln and several other gentlemen have borne the most ample testimony. See New-England Farmer, Vol. III. p. 222.

The importance of a general introduction of such a breed of swine as the foregoing, to the farming interest of the land, can scarcely be estimated. Although the keeping of a moderate number of even the old breeds, was advantageous to the farmer, and almost essential, inasmuch as they would feed upon things, which would otherwise be of no considerable service to him; yet the fattening of such swine usually proves a serious tax upon the granary, and often before the farmer's pork was in the barrel, his stock of corn was exhausted. Too much apathy in respect to the improvement of this part of the farmer's stock, it is believed, still generally prevails.

Next to the importance of a good breed, is the proper management of them. That management will vary according to their age and other circumstances. The suggestions which we design to make will respect these animals distinguished into the following classes: 1. Sows with Pig; 2. Pigs; 3. Store Pigs; and, 4. Fatting Hogs.

I. With regard to sows in pig, it is obvious that they should be better fed than either of the two following classes, in order that they may be enabled to supply their young litter with the necessary supply of milk; but while care is thus taken to keep them in good condition, equal caution is necessary that they be not too fat. Thus, for such a litter in the spring, tares and cabbages, combined with the waste milk and wash of the house and dairy, may be employed with advantage; or, if the supply from the dairy be not adequate to the demand, a wash may be prepared with oat, barley, or other meal. For those which litter in autumn, lettuces have been found very wholesome and nutritive, in addition to the wash; and in the winter season, potatoes, Swedish turnips, and other roots, previously prepared by boiling, should be added.

II. With regard to young pigs, they may be fed, after being weaned, in the same manner as sows; but it is eminently important that their food should be so nutritious as that they should be continually in a growing state. No food is better for them, it is well known, than milk; and nothing scarcely promotes their growth more rapidly than corn soaked in milk, or milk thickened with corn and oat meal combined. It may be remarked, also, that young pigs seldom do well, when constantly confined in the pen. More than at any other period do they need to range abroad. They require also a warm and dry shelter, especially in the latter part of autumn, and during the season of winter. From inattention to these points, the growth of pigs is scarcely a moity of what it would otherwise be, besides, that they require a much greater amount of food.

III. Store pigs are those which have attained nearly half their growth, and for these, every farmer, who has it in his power, should have a good enclosed pasture, it having been found by experiment, that in a pasture of moderate dimensions and properly managed, the same number of hogs may be kept in better condition, and probably at only a quarter of the expense, than if they were kept in the pen, upon Indian, or even upon roots. The hog pasture, observes Mr. Dean, in his New England Farmer,

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