This is the operation of removing the ovaries of sows, in order to prevent any future conception, and promote their fattening. (See article _Spaying Cows_, p. 201.) It is usually performed by making incision in the middle of the flank, on the left side, in order to extirpate or cut off the ovaries, (female _testes_,) and then st.i.tching up the wound, and wetting the part with Turlington"s balsam. An able writer on this subject says, "The chief reason why a practice, which is beneficial in so many points of view to the interests and advantages of the farmer, has been so little attended to, is the difficulty which is constantly experienced from the want of a sufficient number of expert and proper persons to perform the operation. Such persons are far from being common in any, much less in every district, as some knowledge, of a nature which is not readily acquired, and much experience in the practice of cutting, are indispensably necessary to the success of the undertaking.
When, however, the utility and benefits of the practice become better understood and more fully appreciated by the farmer, and the operators more numerous, greater attention and importance will be bestowed upon it; as it is capable of relieving him from much trouble, of greatly promoting his profits, and of benefiting him in various ways. The facts are since well proved and ascertained, that animals which have undergone this operation are more disposed to take on flesh, more quiet in their habits, and capable of being managed with much greater ease and facility in any way whatever, than they were before the operation was performed.
It may also have advantages in other ways in different sorts of animals; it may render the filly nearly equal to the gelded colt for several different uses; and the heifer nearly equal to the ox for all sorts of farm labor. The females of some other sorts of animals may likewise, by this means, be made to nearly equal the castrated males in usefulness for a variety of purposes and intentions, and in all cases be rendered a good deal more valuable, or manageable, than they are at present."
VARIOUS BREEDS OF SWINE.
BERKSHIRE BREED.
This 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. When well fed, the flesh is fine. The above county has long been celebrated for its breed of swine.
The Berkshire breeders have made a very judicious use of the pug cross, by not repeating it to the degree of taking away all shape and power of growing flesh, in their stock. This breed is supposed by many to be the most hardy, both in respect to their nature and the food on which they are fed. Their powers of digestion are exceedingly energetic, and they require constant good keep, or they will lose flesh very fast. They thrive well in the United States, provided, however, due care is exercised in breeding.
HAMPSHIRE BREED.
This breed is distinguished by being longer in the body and neck, but not of so compact a form as the Berkshire. They are mostly of a white color, or spotted, and are easily fattened. The goodness of the Hampshire hog is proverbial, and in England they are generally fattened for hams.
SHROPSHIRE BREED.
These are not so well formed as those of the Berkshire kind, or equal to them in their disposition to fatten, or to be supported on such cheap food. Their color is white or brinded. They are flat boned; deep and flat sided; harsh, or rather wiry-haired; the ear large; head long, sharp, and coa.r.s.e; legs long; loin, although very substantial, yet not sufficiently wide, considering the great extent of the whole frame. They have been much improved by the Berkshire cross.
There are various other breeds, which take their name from the different counties in the mother country. Thus we have the Herefordshire, Wiltshire, Yorkshire, &c. Yet they are not considered equal to those already alluded to. Many of the different English breeds might, however, serve to improve some species of breed in this country.
CHINESE BREED.
This is of small size; the body being very close, compact, and well formed; the legs very short; the flesh delicate and firm. The prevailing color, in China, is white. They fatten very expeditiously on a small quant.i.ty of food, and might be reared in the United States to good advantage, especially for home consumption.
BOARS AND SOWS FOR BREEDING.
Mr. Lawson says, "The best stock may be expected from the boar at his full growth, but no more than from three to five years old.[22] No sows should be kept open for breeding unless they have large, capacious bellies.
"It may be remarked, in respect to the period of being with young, that in the sow it is about four months; and the usual produce is about eight to ten or twelve pigs in the large, but more in the smaller breeds.
"In the ordinary management of swine, sows, after they have had a few litters, may be killed; but no breeder should part with one while she continues to bring good litters, and rear them with safety."
Pregnant sows should always be lodged separately, especially at the time of bringing forth their young, else the pigs would most probably be devoured as they fall. The sow should also be attended with due care while pigging, in order to preserve the pigs. It is found that dry, warm, comfortable lodging is of almost as much importance as food. The pigs may be weaned in about eight weeks, after which the sow requires less food than she does while nursing. In the management of these animals, it is of great utility and advantage to separate the males from the females, as it lessens their s.e.xual desires.
FOOTNOTE:
[22] Sows are generally bred from too early--before they come to maturity. This not only stints their own growth, but their offspring give evidence of deterioration. A sow should never be put to the boar until she be a year old.
REARING PIGS.
"As the breeding of pigs is a business that affords the farmer a considerable profit and advantage in various views, it is of essential importance that he be provided with suitable kinds of food in abundance for their support. Upon this being properly and effectually done, his success and advantage will in a great measure depend. The crops capable of being cultivated with the most benefit in this intention are, beans, peas, barley, buckwheat, Indian corn, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, Swedish turnips, cabbages, &c.
"The sows considerably advanced in pig, and those with pigs, should be fed in a better manner than the stone pigs. The former should be supplied with boiled meal, potatoes, carrots, &c., so as to keep them in good condition. The sows with pigs should be kept with the litters in separate sties, and be still better fed than those with pig. When dairying is practised, the wash of that kind which has been preserved for that purpose while the dairying was profitable, must be given them, with food of the root kind, such as carrots, parsnips, &c., in as large proportions as they will need to keep them in condition."
Pea-soup is an admirable article when given in this intention; it is prepared by boiling six pecks of peas in about sixty gallons of water, till they are well broken down and diffused in the fluid: it is then put into a tub or cistern for use. When dry food is given in combination with this, or of itself, the above writer advises oats, as being much better than any other sort of grain for young pigs, barley not answering nearly so well in this application. Oats coa.r.s.ely ground have been found very useful for young hogs, both in the form of wash with water, and when made of a somewhat thicker consistence. But in cases where the sows and pigs can be supported with dairy-wash and roots, as above, there will be a considerable saving made, by avoiding the use of the expensive articles of barley-meal, peas, or bran.
Mr. Donaldson remarks, that in the usual mode, the pigs reared by the farmer are fed, for some weeks after they are weaned, on whey or b.u.t.termilk, or on bran or barley-meal mixed with water. They are afterwards maintained on other food, as potatoes, carrots, the refuse of the garden, kitchen, scullery, &c., together with such additions as they can pick up in the farmyard. Sometimes they are sent into the fields at the close of harvest, where they make a comfortable living for several weeks on the gleanings of the crop; at other times, when the farm is situated in the neighborhood of woods or forests, they are sent thither to pick up the beech-nuts and acorns in the fall of the year; and when they have arrived at a proper age for fattening, they are either put into sties fitted up for the purpose, or sold to distillers, starch-makers, dairymen, or cottagers.
Nothing tends more effectually to preserve the health and promote the growth of young pigs than the liberal use of hay tea. The tea should be thickened with corn meal and shorts. This, given lukewarm, twice a day, will quicken their growth, and give the meat a rich flavor. A few parsnips[23] or carrots (boiled) may be made use of with much success.
FOOTNOTE:
[23] The Suss.e.x (Eng.) Express says, "At our farm we have been in the habit of employing parsnips for this purpose for some time. Upon reference to our books, we find that on the 11th of October, 1847, we put up two shotes of eleven weeks old, and fed them on skim milk and parsnips for three months, when they were killed, weighing 231 and 238 pounds. They were well fattened, firm in flesh, and the meat of excellent flavor. The quant.i.ty of parsnips consumed by them was nine bushels each."
FATTENING HOGS.
F. Dodge, of Danvers, Ma.s.s., states that, in the spring of 1848, he "bought, from a drove, seven shotes, the total weight of which was 925 pounds. The price paid for them was seven cents per pound. They were fed an average of 184 days, and their average gain was 179 pounds of net pork. The cost of the food they consumed was as follows:--
68 bushels corn at 53 cents, $36 04 30 " " damaged, at 35 cents, 10 50 50 " " at 65 cents, 32 50 8 " meal at 65 cents, 5 20 ------- $84 24 Add first cost of pigs, 64 75 ------- Making a total cost of $148 99
"The whole quant.i.ty of pork afforded by the pigs killed was 2178 pounds, which was sold at 6-1/3 cents per pound, amounting to $141 57; leaving a balance against the pigs of $7 42. The inference from this statement is, that, at the above prices of grain, pork could not be profitably produced at six and a half cents per pound. But it is suggested that something might be saved by breeding the stock, instead of purchasing shotes at seven cents per pound, live weight. It is thought, however, that the manure afforded by the hogs would be of sufficient value to more than overbalance any deficiency which might appear in the account by only crediting the pork."
The food in the above case was too costly. One half of it, mixed with parsnips, carrots, beets, or turnips, would have answered the purpose better. The balance would then have been in favor of the pigs. We are told, by an able writer on swine, that they will feed greedily, and thrive surprisingly, on most kinds of roots and tubers, such as carrots, beets, parsnips, potatoes, &c., particularly when prepared by boiling.
It may be taken as a general rule, that boiled or prepared food is more nutritious and fattening than raw cold food; the additional expense and labor will be more than compensated by the increased weight and quality.
Cornstalks might be used as food for swine by first cutting them[24] in small pieces, and then boiling them until they are quite soft; a small quant.i.ty of meal is then to be mixed in the fluid, and the stalks again added, and fed to the pigs twice a day.
Mr. P. Wing, of Farmersville, C. W., gives us his experience in feeding swine; and he requests his brother farmers to make similar experiments with various kinds of food, and, by preparing them in various ways, to ascertain what way it will yield the most nutriment--that is, make the most pork. He says,--
"I now give the result of feeding 100 bushels of good peas to sixteen hogs, of various mixed breeds, as found in this section. The peas were boiled until fine, making what I call thick soup. After having fed the hogs on the same kind of food for two weeks, I gave them their morning feed, and weighed each one separately, noting the weight. Twelve of them were about eighteen months old; one was a three year old sow, and three pigs were seven and half months old when weighed. I found their total weight 4267 lbs.; and after consuming the above amount, which took forty-two days, I weighed them again, and found that they had gained 1358 lbs.; and on the supposition that as they gained in flesh they shrunk in offal, I estimated their net gain to have been 1400 lbs. Their drink consisted of ten pails of whey per day. It was allowed to stand forty-eight hours, and the cream was skimmed off.
"I find that there is a great difference in breeds of hogs. The three year old sow small framed, and pretty full-fleshed, weighing 504 lbs.
Her gain in the forty-two days was 66 lbs. The three pigs were from her, and showed traces of three distinct breeds of hogs. Their first weight and gain were as follows: the first weighed 253 lbs.--gain, 97 lbs.; the second, 218 lbs.--gain, 75 lbs.; the third, 171 lbs.--gain, 46 lbs. When butchered, the smallest one was the best pork, being the fattest. Two of the most inferior of the hogs gained 1-1/2 lbs. per day; six, mixture of the Berkshire, (I should think about one fourth,) gained 1-3/4 lbs. per day; three of the common stock of our country gained 2-1/2 lbs.; and one of a superior kind weighted 318 lbs., and in the forty-two days gained 134 lbs. They were weighed on the 20th September, the first time. They were kept confined in a close pen, except once a week I let them out for exercise, and to wallow, for the most pint of a day."
METHOD OF CURING SWINE"S FLESH.