scarcely be able to keep a roof over their heads, therefore, we may with justice designate the hog "the poor man's friend."
With the exception of the rabbit, swine are the most prolific of all domesticated animals, and this is another argument in their favor. Nor does its value cease with its life; there is scarcely a portion of the pig that is not available for some useful purpose. The flesh takes the salt more kindly than that of any other animal, and, whether dried as bacon, or salted down as pickled pork, forms an excellent and nutritious food, exceedingly valuable for all kinds of stores. The fat, or lard is useful for numerous purposes the housewife, the apothecary, and the perfumer in particular, know how to value it; the head, the feet, and great part of the intestines, all are esteemed as delicacies. Brawn, that far-famed domestic preparation—which is evidently no recently invented dish, for at the marriage of Henry IV., in 1403, and of Henry V. in 1419, we find, among other records quoted by Strutt, that brawn and a kind of hashed pork formed the staple dishes—is made from the hog. The bristles, too, are another important item in the matters furnished by swine; they are used by brushmakers, and are necessary to the shoemaker, and some idea may be formed of the extent to which they form an article of use and of commerce, when we state that in the year 1828 alone, 1,748,921 lbs. of hog's bristles were imported into England, from Russia and Prussia. As these are only taken from the top of the hog's back, each hog cannot be supposed to have supplied more than 7680, which, reckoning each bristle to weigh two grains, will be one pound. Thus, in Russia and Prussia in 1728, 1,748,921 hogs were killed to supply the consumption of bristles in England. The skin is formed into pocket-books, employed in the manufacture of saddles, and of various other things, and even the ears are eaten in pies.
It has been too much the custom to regard the hog as a stupid, brutal, rapacious, and filthy animal, grovelling and disgusting in all his habits; intractable and obstinate in temper. But may not much of these evil qualities be attributable to the life he leads? In a native state swine seem by no means destitute of natural affections; they are gregarious, assemble together in defence of each other, herd together for warmth, and appear to have feelings in common; no mother is more tender of her young than the sow, or more resolute in their defence. Besides, neglected as this animal has ever been by authors, there are not wanting records of many anecdotes illustrative of their sagacity, tractability, and susceptibility of affection. How often among the peasantry, where the hog is, in a manner of speaking, one of the family, may this animal be seen following his master from place to place, and grunting his recognition of his protectors.
The well-authenticated account of the sow trained by Toomer, a
