Page images
PDF
EPUB

give an improvement in form, with a larger quantity of wool, and an animal that will fatten more readily; but this result is by no means certain.

The most certain way of improving and keeping up a good breed of sheep, is by constantly selecting the very best of the flock for breeders, and discarding the animals of inferior kind or defective form. This may be done gradually, without interfering with the general fertility of the flock; and if steadily pursued, it will rarely fail in effecting its object. The selection should be judiciously made with reference to breed and situation, and the selected ewes and rams should be kept apart from the rest of the flock, and have a distinctive mark that they may always be known. Their lambs also should be kept separate, and be marked in like

manner.

In addition to the careful selection of the breeders of your own flock, some other change is occasionally necessary, or the flock will be injured by a long-continued"breeding in-and-in." The ewes will lose their fecundity and produce fewer lambs, and the quality of your sheep will become deteriorated. To prevent this, the farmer should exchange his rams every second or third year, with some other farmer whose flock is of the same breed, and as nearly equal in quality as possible. This change will effectually prevent the evil that would arise from continuing to "breed in-and-in," without any break. The more distant the farms from which the rams are so exchanged the better.

The usual time for putting the rams to the ewes, is from the middle of October to the middle of November, and as the period of gestation is five months, or 152 days, the yeaning will take place between the middle of March and the middle of April. The ewes and rams will of course have been kept apart, and, previous to the pairing, the ewes should be carefully examined, and those which show any signs of disease, such as dullness and deadening of the eye, darkening of the teeth, and tainted breath, should be rejected and sent to be fattened. When the objectionable animals are

thus weeded out, the ewes should be placed in a good pasture previous to the rams being admitted.

The breeding ewes should be gently treated, and must never be hurried, nor be followed by dogs in removing them from one field to another. As the lambing-time approaches, a dry convenient sheltered spot should be selected for the lambing-ground, and the ewes should be gently removed thither a few days previously. During parturition they will require particular attention, and should never be left without the means of assistance when required. The attendance necessary on such occasions, is generally given by an experienced shepherd, or some other person conversant with the nature and management of sheep.

It is not desirable to employ dogs for driving and collecting your sheep, for the barking of a dog always alarms sheep, which are so timid that even when folded on turnips, the presence of a dog at the heels of the shepherd will often prevent their feeding. In large ranges of pasture it may be necessary to use dogs, but this should never be done if it can be avoided, as, notwithstanding the utmost care on the part of the shepherd, it will certainly tend to impede the fattening of the flock.

THE PIG.

The pig is found in every part of the world, from the Equator to the Pole. It lives and thrives on every kind of food, and no animal converts its food so soon into fat. In a wild state, the food of the hog is chiefly grass, roots, acorns, beech-mast, and wild fruit. In its domestic state, it is chiefly fed upon barley-meal, peas, potatoes, turnips, and the refuse of the kitchen, dairy, and garden.

There are various breeds of pigs reared in this country, and crosses between the one and the other are constantly taking place, according to the fancy or the judgment of the breeder.

The China pig, as its name imports, is of Chinese

origin. It is short in the head, with pricked-up ears, full wide cheeks, high in the chine, and very short legs. This breed is very prolific. The pigs easily fatten, and although they do not grow to a great size, they will pay well for their food, and may be killed for bacon at a twelvemonth old.

The Neapolitan pig, is black, without any hair, and very plump, with pricked ears. It fattens as readily as the China breed, but is not so prolific, and is more tender. Crosses of the China and Neapolitan kinds with our hardier English breeds, have greatly improved the latter, by increasing their prolificness, and their aptitude to fatten.

The Suffolk breed, is generally white, with pointed ears, broad chest and loins, and short compact form, much resembling the China sort. They make fine bacon-pigs, weighing from 12 to 15 score at twelve or fifteen months old.

The Essex pig, is for the most part black, or black and white, with little hair, and in form and character bears a strong resemblance to the Neapolitan breed. It fattens very readily, and at an early age.

The Berkshire breed, is a very well-shaped animal, having small pricked ears, broad chine and loins, good hams, and short legs. This is a very valuable breed, and second to none for the farmer.

These are the breeds principally reared in this country, but there are some large breeds of pigs still found in some districts, and prized on account of their great size; but they do not so soon come to maturity, and will not be found so profitable as the smaller sorts, which are more prolific, and fatten more readily, and at an earlier age.

The best-formed pigs of the litter should always be selected to breed from. This will serve to improve the breed, without crossing; but where the sow and the boar are too nearly related, the fecundity diminishes, and hence frequent crossing with other boars and other

breeds is found to be necessary. To increase fecundity, no cross is so effectual as that with the China breed.

In order to obtain the greatest profit from the keeping of pigs, a regular system must be pursued, both in the breeding and feeding. There must be proper hogsties for the pigs of different ages, and the breeding sows must be kept separate. Coppers must be provided for boiling and steaming their food, and tanks in which it may then be deposited and mixed; and the greatest cleanliness should be observed in everything connected with their feeding and management. The pig is naturally cleanly in his habits, and although he is sometimes seen wallowing in mud, it is not from the love of dirt that he does this, but to allay the heat and itching of his skin in warm weather. If allowed a sufficiency of clean straw and water, the pig will never be dirty; and nothing pleases him more, and makes him thrive so quick, as being washed and curried regularly.

The sow goes with young four months, and when near farrowing she should be put into a sty by herself. The pigs should not be taken too young from the sow, as they are then apt to get sickly; but if allowed to get strong before weaning, they are seldom liable to disease afterwards. They ought never to be weaned before they are six or eight weeks old, and at the time of farrowing the sty should not have much straw, lest the young ones be trodden and overlaid; and the sow must be frequently attended to, as some are apt to destroy their young. Eight or ten will be enough to rear in one litter.

The sow having a litter of pigs to support, should be well fed with beans, barley-meal, and milk or whey. Grains are also good if they can be got. In summer

she may be allowed to go out occasionally for an hour or two, into a grazing meadow, if near at hand; but the young pigs must not be allowed to accompany her until they are a fortnight or three weeks old. A sow will live many years, and bring numerous litters; and in general an old sow makes a better nurse than a young one, and she ought therefore to be kept as long as she will breed. Young sows may have a litter at ten or twelve months

This

old, and may then be spayed, and fed for bacon. should likewise be done whenever a sow does not breed well, or eats her pigs.

In the management of pigs, a comfortable warm sty is an object of the first importance. It need not be large, but it should have an opening to the south if possible. If pigs are kept clean, dry, and warm, onehalf the food will suffice, which would be requisite in a cold, wet, or dirty situation; and depend upon it, if you attend to the comfort of your pigs, they will return your kindness tenfold, in the shape of bacon, ham, and lard. The flooring of the sty should be raised and flagged, or laid with brick or tile, that it may, in warm weather, be washed clean, as the pigs will not then require bedding.

Almost anything will serve as food for your pigspotato peelings, cut clover, boiled turnips, cabbages and garden-stuff, small corn, acorns, beech-mast, and the scrapings and washings of your pots and dishes: but whatever is given to them, let it be first boiled or steamed, and then be laid by for a day or two before using, as it is well known that a pig will fatten sooner on stalish food, than when it is quite fresh. One-half the quantity of potatoes will, if boiled, keep your pigs, which would be required if they were used raw; and the same rule applies to all other vegetables.

The pigs should never be allowed to roam about in search of food, for if not ringed in the nose, they will turn up and destroy the grass lands; and if ringed, they will tire and fret themselves in vain exertions to dig. Every day a pig is loose, is a certain loss in flesh and fat ; and he should never quit his comfortable sty from the time that he is littered till he is fit for use, unless it be when very young, when he may be permitted to accompany the sow for a short time, as is above recommended.

POULTRY.

The management of poultry is commonly understood

« ՆախորդըՇարունակել »