TENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART VII 293 



dustry, both pure bred and grades for feeding purposes. Inasmuch as I 

 am not confined to either branch, I shall be inclined to mention both 

 branches in these rambling remarlis. 



I have not the data at hand giving information as to the variety of 

 the breed or when the first swine were introduced into the Hawkeye 

 state; although I came to Iowa myself fifty-three years ago, I am still 

 in the dark on this subject. As long ago as the date mentioned, the 

 swine industry of Iowa was being developed to some extent with mixed 

 breeding of the breeds then extant, which were very many, and, like 

 Jacob's coat — of many colors. As Iowa was peopled early by many Ohio 

 settlers, it Mas very natural to presume that more or less of the then 

 so-called Miami Valley breed of hogs wended their way to the Hawkeye 

 state. This breed was so called because it had its origin in the Miami 

 Valley of Ohio. This breed was formed by a co-mingling of the various 

 distinct breeds then in this country. The Miami Valley farmers realized 

 that none of the distinct breeds quite met the requiremnts of their 

 day, and sought to establish a breed distinctly American that would give 

 them a larger return for the corn fed, a hog that was more docile and of 

 a lymphatic temperament, not possessed by any of the then prevalent 

 breeds. So the constructive breeder of that early day used the following 

 breeds in the composition of the Miami Valley hog, which afterward be- 

 came world-famed as the corn belt hog. The breeds referred to were the 

 Berkshire, Irish Grazier, Poland, Byfield and the Big Spotted China. From 

 these crosses it naturally followed that a great variety of types and colors 

 was the result. But by judicious selection from the best representatives 

 of these crosses, and through intelligent matings, a distinct type was 

 finally produced back as early as 183.5. Just when the advent of this 

 improved blood first made its appearance in Iowa, I can give no informa- 

 tion, but the development of the swine industry, and particularly 'its im- 

 provement, must of necessity date back to representatives of this new 

 breed, and began soon after corn became one of the prime factors in 

 Iowa agriculture in the development of this new state. That the Miami 

 Valley hog, afterward called the Poland China, played a very prominent 

 part in the early development of the swine industry of Iowa, is unques- 

 tioned, and that they had assumed proportions that made them a great 

 favorite in the Hawkeye state before I came on the scene of action is a 

 well known fact. Yet, I became identified with the swine industry in 

 1867, and have been in close touch with its development and evolution 

 from that day to this. "When I first identified myself with swine breed- 

 ing, the preponderance of the hogs in my community were of a great 

 variety of color — all were very spotted, some with very large white spots, 

 some with very red and distinct sandy spots, and still others that might 

 aptly and appropriately be called white with black spots. In about 1877 

 numerous Iowa swine growers encouraged by some growers in Illinois, 

 Wisconsin, Indiana and Kansas, started an agitation called the Purity 

 of Breed. It was the design of these far-seeing and enterprising pioneers 

 to keep in its purity the corn belt or Miami Valley hog and prevent the 

 introduction of foreign bloods through the hands of injudicious and inex- 

 perienced breeders, which might have a disastrous effect on the breed. 



