said, and say again, is this all true? for if so, what prevents the immediate use of the same beneficial proceeding to every one, not even omitting the allotment tenant? What more easy and practicable than to breed on a small scale, or to join two or three families together, and thus diminish expense and increase profits? I throw out the hint, and hope that good may arise from a due consideration of the prominent facts already stated."
With the following valuable remarks by that well-known practical agriculturist and grazier, Arthur Young, we will conclude this chapter:—
"The breeding of swine being one of the most profitable articles in the whole business of a farm, the husbandman cannot pay too much attention to it. I shall, in as few words as the subject will admit, give an account of the best system to be pursued in this branch of his business. The farmer who would make a considerable profit by hogs must determine to keep a proper number of sows in order to breed many pigs; but this resolution ought to be preceded by the most careful determination to prepare crops proper for supporting this stock. The proper ones for that purpose are barley, buck, beans, peas, clover, potatoes or carrots. In the common management, a farmer keeps only a sow or two because his dairy will do no more; but in the system of planting crops purposely for swine, a different conduct must necessarily be pursued. Potatoes, carrots, Swedish turnips, and cabbages, must be provided for the sows and stores from October till the end of May, by which time clover, chicory, or lucerne should be ready to receive them, which will carry them till the stubbles are cleared; so that the whole year is filled up with these plants, and the common offal of the barn-door and the corn-fields. When the sows pig, meal must be provided to make wash by mixing it with water. This in summer will be good enough for their support, and in winter it must be mixed with boiled roots, oats, and pea-soup, for the young pigs. If cows are kept, then the dairy-wash is to be used in the above mixtures.
"Upon this system, a farmer may proportion his swine to his crops, or his crops to his swine; and he will find that for the whole year he should have about an equal quantity of roots and grass, and half as much corn as potatoes. For carrying the profit to the highest advantage, the sows should pig but twice a-year, that is, in April and August, by which means there will never be a long and expensive season for rearing pigs before they are put to the staple food of clover or potatoes, &c.; but this circumstance is much removed by the provision of crops raised expressly for the swine.
"Upon this plan the annual sale of lean hogs should be in October, the litters of April sold then as stores, and those of August kept till October twelvemonth to sell for baconers, if the farmer feeds none himself. The stock upon hand this month will therefore be the sows,
