The gentlemans recreation in two parts : the first being an encyclopedy of the arts and sciences ... the second part treats of horsmanship, hawking, hunting, fowling, fishing, and agriculture : with a short treatise of cock-fighting ... : all which are collected from the most authentick authors, and the many gross errors therein corrected, with great enlargements ... : and for the better explanation thereof, great variety of useful sculptures, as nets, traps, engines, &c. are added for the taking of beasts, fowl and fish : not hitherto published by any : the whole illustrated with about an hundred ornamental and useful sculptures engraven in copper, relating to the several subjects.

SWINE.

SWINE are of that great profit, that he that hath Sheep, Swine, and Bees, let him sleep or vvake is sure to thrive, being a great support to a Family, affording great variety of Meat, as Pigs, Pork, Bacon, and Brawn, besides their Offal, which is very good food. And Hogs require the least charge in keeping of any other Beast; for their Food is course and ordinary, being con∣tented vvith any thing, so that they have but their Bellies full, as Whey, Flit-Milk, Wash, Grains, Offal, Corn, Carots, Parsnips, Coleworts, Cabage-Leaves, Bean-tops, &c. And it vvere not amiss if a parcel of Land vvere planted vvith such like Garden Food, on purpose to feed them.

Now for the Keeping them, some are of Opinion, 'tis better to have a Hog-yard with Styes in it, and there to keep them penned up, than to have their liberty, for then they wast their Flesh, and will not fat so soon. Yet after Harvest, to let them have the benefit of eating up the Corn left on the Ground would be profitable. And some are of Opinion, that 'tis better to keep all Boars and Sows, and no Barrows; for a Boar will re∣quire as little keeping as a Barrow, and is much better, having more Meat in him, and if you

make it into Brawn is far dearer; and for Sows, before they are fit to kill, may bring more Pigs than they are worth, and notwithstanding be as fit for Bacon as Barrows, provided they are not too old, for a Sow will bring three Litters a Year, and commonly nine, ten, or twelve at a time; but the only reason against keeping too many, is the great trouble attended with the charge of bringing up the Pigs, either fit for the Market, or for Store. [ 10]

For the choice of your Swine, both Boars and Sows that you design for a Breed, let them be long and large of Body, deep Sided, and Bellied, thick Necks and Thighs, short Legs and thick Chined, well set with strong Bristles; as to their Co∣lour it matters not much, but the White, or Sandy are esteemed the best, the Pide being held the worst, as subject to the Meazles.

A Sow will brings Pigs from a year old until se∣ven; and the Pigs best to rear are those sarrow∣ed [ 02] in or or about Lent, and in Summer, for in Winter the cold doth much pinch them and keep them back; then having chosen out the best for Boars and Sows to breed on, Geld all the Males, and Spay the Females you design to Rear, for both will make the best Hogs for fatning, and yield more Lard.

For Fatning of Swine it differeth much, having regard to the Country where you dwell; for those that inhabit near Woods, and places where Mast [ 30] is plentiful, turn them unto the Mast for six, or eight Weeks, by which time they will be much improved as to Flesh, and then put them into Styes to fatten, with old dry Pease, which makes their Fat Firm and not to wast away in boyling. But Swine fatned with Acorns, or Ches∣nuts, or with Parsnips, makes the Flesh of an excellent sweet tast; and if in Salting you use Salt-Peter mixt with Bay-Salt, the Bacon will imitate that of the Westphalia. [ 40]

Those that dwell in Champain Countreys, or by Cities or great Towns, destitute of Wood for Mast, do use to put their Hogs they design to fat into Sties, and so feed them with Pease, Beans, Buck-Wheat, or such that they have; but Buck-Wheat is not good, making the Fat soft and subject much to wast, without they are kept some time before their killing only which Pease, or Beans; for midling sized Pork, three Weeks is enough to fatten them, and four Weeks for Bacon. [ 50]