The Biggle Swine Book: Much Old and More New Hog Knowledge, Arranged in Alternate Streaks of Fat and Lean

by Jacob Biggle

When Jacob Biggle first published TheBiggle Swine Book in 1898, hog husbandry was undergoing major changes. New feeding methods had come into vogue, new breeds of hogs had been developed, and significant progress had been made in curbing swine-borne epidemics. Even the public perception of pigs as filthy creatures wallowing up to their knees in mud had brightened, and pigs were accorded a modicum of respect. But with the onset of railroad development across the United States, the backyard pig farmer started losing ground to slaughterhouses and large processing plants.

The Biggle Swine Book captures this moment in American history when home animal husbandry was giving way to more industrialized meat production. Nevertheless, Jacob Biggle continued to offer guidance to the small-scale farmer on all manner of livestock issues, centered around the proper breeding, feeding, and care of pigs. His book includes valuable instructions on:

What to do at farrowing timeConstructing the piggery and styKeeping on top of the manure pileButchering and curing meatsProtecting your animals from various pig ailments

Illustrated with photographs, engravings, and line drawings throughout of all things pig-related, this book is a glimpse into a bygone era when sows and their litters had a place on every farm, and people knew exactly where their bacon came from.

144 pages, Hardcover

First published February 5, 2009

Reviews

[Kat McMullen]

I don't pretend to know how the content of this book relates to modern piggery practices, but as someone who greatly enjoys the Victorian era, farming, and similarly flavored books such as Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management, I find this book a charming and practical explanation of the pigkeeper's concerns in a time gone by. The pen ink illustrations, as well as interspersed photos of very fat pigs, always make me smile.