126 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



headed pig^ with a thick layer of fat about his body. He weighs heavy, 

 is slow of movemeut, often lacks in vigor and too often produces small 

 litters. The hacon hog is the other type. This is a class common in 

 Europe, and but little bred in America. It is relatively narrow of 

 back, somewhat long of body, and should be fairly deep, and usually has 

 a long leg and long nose. This type does not produce a thick external 

 layer of fat, but rather, produces more lean meat intermingled with 

 the fat, and also has much larger litters than the lard tj-pe. The 

 bacon pig has never become really popular in America, for the reason 

 that it will not mature so rapidly as the American breeds, neither 

 will it produce so many pounds of meat from a given atnount of food, 

 as will the lard ty^e. The bacon hog, however, has certain features 

 which commend themselves to us, which it would be well to engraft in 

 our native breeds and which will be referred to later. 



In a consideration of profitable pork production, it is essential that 

 the man keeping pigs, either as a breeder or feeder, take type into ac- 

 count. This has somewhat more application to the breeder and feeder 

 combined, than to the feeder, for he^ the former, is doing something 

 towards forming the character of our future pig stocks. For this reason 

 it is highly desirable to select with care, having in view a number of 

 things which bear largely on final profit. Of these, I might lay em- 

 phasis on (a) hardiness, (b) prolificacy, (c) uniformity and (d) good feed- 

 ers. Considering briefly these features, hardiness is important with all 

 animals. The extra fat, thick-fleshed, thick-winded type of pig, is 

 very apt to lack vigor, and will be subject to disease and trouble, 

 where one of more vigor, activity, more lean meat and less thickness 

 in lard, would withstand what the other could not endure. Consti- 

 tution among breeding animals is of the greatest importance. 



Prolificacy is also highly essential. The real profits on farm animals 

 come from reproduction, the primary purpose of all living bodies. 

 Take two sows, and if one farrows four pigs, and another eight, the 

 latter stands a much better chance to pay the owner a profit than 

 does the former. Our very fat types of pigs are getting too deficient in 

 the ability to reproduce. The breeder should select brood sows with 

 regard to the size of litter they are derived from and so develop a strain 

 of effective breeding stock. 



Uniformity is also an important factor in handling stock. The man 

 who can market a bunch of pigs uniform in color, size and character, 

 will be sure to receive a price better than would have been obtained 

 from a mixed lot, both in color and quality. Each of these features have 

 their influence, and while color is of least importance, buyers are in- 

 fluenced to some extent by fancy points such as color. A carload of 

 handsome pigs, white or black, would bring a better figure than the 

 two mixed together. 



Good feeders are always shown in type. It is a bad policy to feed 

 a lot of odds and ends, ranging from really desirable animals to runts, 

 titmans and inferiors. One who studies type will soon be able to select 

 desirable feeders, such as may be expected to render a good account of 

 themselves. They should show capacity for growth, be alert, of uniform 

 type, and such as the market recognizes as of the best sort. If one 

 is buying, he does not w^ant to get rough skins, coarse bone and rough 

 hair, long legs and stock of the wasteful type in killing. 



