BEATING SUGAR CANES FOR A HOG.
does no. dlorcl n,,,,,!. cove-, ,vl,c,l,cr nf heavy gra, s or „1 undorwood J,.ngle,
„ i , l , i „ a CO,lain dislancc, for hi.n 10 Hy to in case of n,olcs.al,o„ ; anJ c.pecally
. o s c r v c as a rclrea, during U.c l.ol season, as o therwise l,e ,voul d in,d nosheUcr.
T l , e s„<;„r cane is 1,1s g,-eal delight, both a, being his lavonnte oocl, and as
all-onlin" a hi.^,, i.nliervious, and n„fre,,uented situat.on. In these, bogs CO,n,n,t
„•eat d "vastation, especially the breeding sows, which not only devour, but cut
the canes for litter, an.l 10 lh,ow „p into little buU; which they do w,tb unicl,
art Icivln" a su.all entrance, «bicll they stop up at pleasure. Sows never quit
'their young pigs without cotnpletcly shutting ihcin up. This indeed is reqn.s.te
only for a few days, as the young brood may be seen follow,ug the molher, at
a round pace, when not n,ore than a week or le„ days old.
T h e canes arc generally planted about the end of M.ayor beginning of June
i„ groan,1 ,-e„dere,l e.xtrcuely fnic by digging. For this purpose cuttn.gs of
canes are burie.l horizontally. a„,l with the li.-st showers of the ra,ny season,
which usually co,n,nenecs in the ,niddlc of June, the several jo.nts tlu'ow out
shoots, that g,ow so rapidly, as often to be two or three feet high by the
b e g i n n i n g of Septcnber. The red cane, called the bm-ool; winch ,s not so
valuable as the s,naller or yellower sort, begins to ripen „1 Septcnbcr ; by tlie
end o fwhi c b „,oull, it will have attained the height of seven or e ight feet. Tliese
serve as the fn'st |-eceptacles for the wihl hogs, nhici, having sullered, s,nee the
liarvcst in Ma,eh, all the inconveuicnces of had diet, long nightly excursions,
s r a , T i t y of water, great diin'nal heal, and fietpieut disturbance, arrive among
then, in excellent running or.ler, as ,nay be judged from the instance just
quote,1. It should be observed, that tln-oughout India a customs prevails ol sett
i n g fn-e to the grass pinglcs in the „,o,ith of May, when they are completel y dry,
f o r ' t h e purpose of inceasing the glowth of the new grass, by the stimulus of
the ashes which arc washed in with the first showers in June.
T h e bun-ool- is commonl y cut in November, and the hogs then shift to the
yellow eaues, which are by that time forwar d enough to serve as sufficient cover.
Canes ,-equi,e „,uch „,anure and excellent tillage; eonsecpicntly they are
u s u a l l y planted near to villages, and surrounded by lields of wheat , barley, and
o t h e r grain. A species of lupin called rknr, is cultivated in large quantities. It
grows Ui.vnriiuitly, generally to the height of eight or nine feet, ror,ui,ig quite
a wilderness. The natives split the seeds, which they boil with rice, &c. In
t h e s e rhm- lields hogs delight, as they are completely umbrageous; bnt being
open below, ad„,it the air freely. Eesides this, having often wild rice growing
ve,-y thick among the rhur, or a kind of soft downy grass about a foot in height,
t h e y f„,d thcnselves very con,fortably sit,iated.
About the middle of March or, at the latest, by the beginning of April , the
hogs must shift their ipiartcrs ; the canes and grain being by this time generally
cut. However they often retain possession to the last moment; frequently
d i s p u t i n g every inch with the reapers, and not rarely causing them to leave
p a r t s uncut, in the hope that the hogs will evacuate them ; which if the
j u n g l e s whither they ,nust betake themselves happen to be remote, they feel no
^^reat disposition to do. For at this season the hog is ext rcnel y heavy and ind
o l e n t , in consequence of the abundance of the excellent food to which he has,
for live or six months, been habituated. Hogs a,e often killed in March with
t h r e e and four inches of fat on their ehi,xes and shoulders.
E x c l u s i v e of the habits of ease in which he has so long indulged, it is prob
a b l e the hog feels diffident as to his want of exercise, and ability to travel
n n d e r such a mass of flesh. Besides, h e is extremel y tenacious of the spot which
has so long pampered him; and, though „„able to ]irocced any distance
w i t h o a t being blown, yet the short sallies he makes to attack saeh as venture
n e a r bis haunt , are marked with vigour and resolution. So,neti,nes he will do
c o n s i d e r a b l e misehicf with his tusks; or if a sow, by biting, before taking out.
I n d e e d great nuinhers a,e at this season either canght in nets, made for the
p u r p o s e , or they are shot by the skeairries, or native sportsmen ; a eireu
t h a t never fails to alibrd an happy t,-iun,pb to the allVighted vdlagers.
I circumstance
I t ^^enerally requires a great number of people to drive hogs out of sugar
canes, some of which are of large extent, covering pei h a p s fifty or sixty acres.
T h e beaters should not he ,no,-e than five or six feet distant frotn each other,
else the hogs will frequently turn back and n,sh through the intervals ; sometimes
they will squat, imd snUer the beaters to pass them. They should p,eservc
an even line as much as possible, so that the canes may be equally
searched, and the game be induced to p,-oceed before them. In o,-der to
clfect this, the whole of the ]icrsons employed should be previously a,-ra„ged
a l o n g the outside of the cane, each man furnished with a lattie, or bamboo
staff. The persons who cairv' drums, trumpets, &.e. shoidd be equally divided
in the line. The hunters should bo stationed at the sevei al corners of the canc,
so that two may see any hog that may start, and follow instantly. All being
a r r a n g e d , the signal is given to move on through the cane, wi t h all the ela,uour
t h a t can he raised. It sometimes happens that the game will bolt instantly;
a t least will proceed to the verge, peeping ont to see if the coast be clear;
w h e n , if any object appear to them suspicious, they will return, and often
occasion infinite trouble to expel then,. Sometimes, indeed, nothing can force
t h em to run. A sow with pigs is very difficult to ilislodge ; she will frequently
come to the edge, and running along the skirt, re-enter the canc wi t h her litter,
and dash tbrougb the line of beater s repeatedly.
T h e most arduous and „„pleasant species of chase occurs wher e much heavy
cover, either of canes or of rhur, happens to be somewhat contignons. On such
occasions, one or two of the party should hide themselves hchi,id any patch
of cover, that may stand hctweci, the cane wher e the people arc heating, and
t h a t next to it, in the direction to which they are proceeding; so that, when
t h e hog may have taken fairly out, he may be surprised-with a sudden attack,
w h i c h , if it be not successful in spearing, at all events wUl force him forward
t b r o u g b the next cover, and tend to blow him the sooner. Those horsemen
i",iOS WEdw'o™ M.priy