406 FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



and short well dished face. The National Livestock Journal said of them a 

 few years ago that they were the shortest nosed, most dished faced and most 

 easily fattened pig in existence. They are always found with short, thick 

 neck, heavy jowl, good shoulder and back, and fair loin, and while they may 

 sometimes be found lacking in the ham and inclined to be short in the body 

 they are very deep, and when well fattened are so broad on the back that 

 they approach nearer a cubical form than any hog that I am familiar with. 

 This cubical shaped body is most always to be found mounted on short, 

 fine boned legs that seem capable of carrying all the weight that their pos- 

 sessor would be liable to have. 



POLAND CHINA. 



I believe there are more Poland Chinas and their grades in the United 

 States to-day than there are of all other breeds and their grades combined. 

 The breed originated in the southwest corner of Ohio, in Warren, Hamilton 

 and Butler counties. As early as 1816 we have indisputable proof that there 

 were two distinct breeds of swine in the Miami Valley, which had been 

 brought with them by emigrants from the old country, called the Russia 

 and the Byfield. They were crossed and recrossed with the common stock of 

 the locality, and it is said that great improvements were made by the use of 

 the two breeds. The next direct cross was made by the use of the Berkshire, 

 about 1835. The last cross was made by the use of the Irish Grazier. Mr. 

 Wm. NeS, of Cincinnati, made a direct importation of the last named breed 

 in the fall of the year 1839. It was this breed that gave the finishing touches 

 to the now called Poland China. Thus they have remained for more than 

 thirty years. 



ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD HOG. 



It will now be in order to discuss the merits of these breeds by comparison. 

 But first we must take into consideration that the hog is situated differently 

 from most animals raised by -farmers. Each breed of cattle, horses and sheep 

 seems to have been bred for some particular place, which they alone are best 

 adapted to fill. Not so, however with the pig. His object in life is always 

 the same, to eat and grow fat, and his destiny is the pork barrel. This being 

 true, we have only to secure that breed that can be got into condition for the 

 barrel to the best advantage. In other words the hog is a corn market and 

 we want to patronize that market that will pay us the highest price for our 

 corn. The ham is the most valuable part of the hog, and next in value is 

 the shoulder, consequently we must have hogs with good, thick, heavy hams 

 and shoulders. Next comes the side pork. We must grow the hog whose 

 sides will hold theip^thickness well down and not be thin and flabby at the 

 lower end of the cuts, in short one the greatest percentage of whose live 

 weight is good, saleable meat. 



In selecting a breed of swine the most important things to be taken into 

 consideration are early maturity, size, quality, form and disposition. The 

 latter may seem of little moment, but in reality it is just as essential to have 

 hogs of good, quiet disposition as horses or cows. Cross, fretful, restive 

 hogs are seldom good feeders, the females are not good mothers and the males 

 are dangerous to handle. We want a hog that has good digestive machinery, 

 that will eat what you give him and go to his bed and lie down, not one that 



