294 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



The aim was to keep a record of the breed and establish a standard of 

 purity. After considerable letter writing and exchange of thoughts by 

 these pioneers, this was finally consummated at a called meeting in Cedar 

 Rapids, la., Jan. 23, 1878. After a great deal of preamble and much dis- 

 cussion pro and con, it was decided to form an association, establish 

 a herd book and issue the first volume of a pure bred record. The name 

 of this record was known at that time, and is today, as The American 

 Poland China Record. The first volume was printed in Cedar Rapids, 

 Iowa, 1879, and it is today beyond question the greatest association for the 

 purpose of registering pure bred swine, of any of the breeds or any of 

 its rivals. The first animal recorded in volume I has a very short his- 

 tory, his sire, dam and sire of dam is all that is given and all that is 

 known of his breeding, and no numbers are furnished for any of them, 

 inasmuch as this was foundation stock. At the foundation of this record 

 it is fair to assume that the ])reponderance of the hogs of Iowa contained 

 a very large per cent of this blood, as had been bred by the Iowa farmers 

 for years past. It was the prevailing custom at this time among the 

 farmers, and for years before, to breed their spring gilts the following 

 December or January, wean the pigs early in the summer, feed the sows 

 off in the fall or early winter, and keep gilts again next year. This cus- 

 tom was pursued for very many years, and quite successfully so during 

 that period v.hen the breed was comparatively new, and while much of 

 the strong composition blood, full of variety and vigor, was present. 

 Thus far it had not been weakened by too much in-breeding, as was the 

 case in latter years, and is still. At the time of the foundation of the 

 record, foolish fads, fashions and isms, both family and otherwise, had 

 not entered in, and were not cutting any prominent part with the breed 

 at this time. As yet the breed was in safe hands, the hands of conserva- 

 tive breeders, whose good common sense had yet to be contaminated with 

 fads, fancies and crazes, which afterward brought disaster on the corn 

 belt hog. The hogs of thirty years ago were very mellow, easy feeders, 

 could be fattened at any age, yet^ if carried to 18 to 24 months of age, grew 

 into very large, shapely profitable hogs. I speak in this instance from 

 personal experience, for in 1880 I bred, personally fed and marketed a 

 bunch of May pigs, sold them the following January at an average age 

 of 8% months old; their average weight was 317% lbs. The next year 

 I fed and sold just double this number at 9 months of age, and they 

 weighed 315% lbs. I sold the sire of these pigs as a stag at two years 

 old, weighing 960 lbs. This stag had considerable white on him, but 

 was one of the mellowest and easiest feeders that I ever owned. At 

 this time the very best boar pigs could be bought from the breeders 

 of registered swine at from $20 to $35 each. Occasionally a breeder 

 would pay as high as $50 or $75 for a boar that was exceptionally good 

 that he wished to place at the head of his herd. Along late in the 80's 

 the speculative element developed in the swin industry of Iowa. The 

 idea developed in the mind of a trotting horse jockey, who became inter- 

 ested in the then called Poland China swine. He conceived the idea 

 that the average breeder of swine was too slow and unsophisticated, and 

 that he needed a little stirring up; he doubtless thought he saw an op- 



