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171
HOG POPULATION.
Sixth year 2)62,500
31,250
10
156,250
10
781,250
10
3,906,250
10

"I hope my friend has brought his pigs to a good market; but to equalize the supply, I shall, for the present purpose, take only the male half of the pig population for food, leaving the breeders to go on. In this way we can kill and eat ten the first year—no bad increase from two sows, recollect; the second year, 50; the third, 250; the fourth, 1250; the fifth, 6250; the sixth, 31,250 (pork in abundance now); the seventh. 156,250 (still more abundant); the eighth, 781,250; the ninth, 3,906,250; and the tenth, when divided in like manner, the enormous number of 19,531,250 for food, without interfering with the breeders, who, I presume, by this time will probably require killing also. Now, I am not aware that much commentary is required on this prolific subject; every man who reads this short paper will at once draw his own conclusions from the facts. They are, however, of a very cheering description, and drawn from the breeding of one domestic animal only, and amply prove what abundant stores nature and the God of nature have provided for human subsistence. I shall close this paper with the sensible practical observation of my friend in reference to this subject, as, after all, it is in practice only that the benefits open to all are to be received by any. In the county of Kent, he informs me, there are 31,000 agricultural families or farmers. It is a very easy matter for each to keep two breeding-sows, which in three years would produce in round numbers 15,000,000 of pigs.

"In the fifty-two counties of England, he also adds, the number of agricultural families is 760,000; so that, by the same mode of calculation as for Kent, every farmer keeping two sows, the produce would be, in the like period, 380,000,000 pigs. One good breeding sow to each would consequently produce 15,000,000. As I have