6;-> IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



or open the gate when they would prefer to step in or out of the pens at 

 pleasure. This complaint comes only from fat hog breeders. The bacon 

 men admit that low fences are not for them. These partitions that looked 

 so needlessly high when the Poland-Chinas and Duroc Jerseys were un- 

 der judgment actually looked low when Tamworths stretched their backs 

 up above them. The better system made possible in the judges' work by 

 the use of these pens should add to the accuracy of their decisions. This 

 seems to have been the case, for this year there was less than the usual 

 complaint that some hogs had not had a fair show or were lost by the 

 judges. 



The quality of the hogs averaged better than in previous years. There 

 was less space occupied by cheap sale pigs, and top show hogs were more 

 numerous. Although the diminution in sale pigs cut down the total hog 

 entries a trifle as compared with last year, there was really a greater 

 number of choice hogs in the pens. Breeders have the material to supply 

 a healthy fall hog trade. 



Duroc-Jerseys eclipsed all others in numbers. There were nearly as 

 many exhibitors of this breed as of all others together. Most of them 

 were from Iowa; less than a dozen Duroc-Jersey herds were shipped 

 in from other states, principally from Illinois. Undoubtedly this hardy, 

 prolific breed is fast capturing the friendship of Iowa farmers. Prof. 

 W. J. Kennedy and H. H. Kildee were assigned the laborious task of 

 sifting out the winners from this vast array of red hogs. They clung 

 tenaciously to the medium type, combining big bone and a fair degree of 

 quality and strong pasterns. It was quickly evident that hogs which 

 walked on their heels stood no show of winning and exhibitors generally 

 expressed their approval of this crusade against weak underpinning. 



Prizes were well scattered among the different herds, but Baxter & Co- 

 mer, Sells and Castle, were especially prominent in the winnings. The 

 former firm showed the champion boar, the senior yearling Protection 

 Colonel. Hanks and Bishop had the champion sow, the two-year-old Crim- 

 son Jewel. These made a pair hard to fault in any points. 



Poland-Chinas, also numerous at Des Moines, put up a splendid show 

 this year. There were only seven herds from outside the state, but these 

 brought the best the breed afforded and captured both purple ribbons. 

 The show of this .breed was a splendid one, particularly so because of 

 the large number of animals which combined size with quality. W. Z. 

 Swallow and J. M. Stewart tied the ribbons and sought as much scale as 

 they could find without sacrificing quality. Wellington & Spring, John 

 Francis & Son, and J. E. ]\Ieharry were the prominent first prize winners. 

 •Francis won the boar championship with the wide, smooth, short-legged, 

 medium type two-year-old Meddler Keepon. Meharry had the champion 

 sow, also of the medium type. 



Berkshires were shown from eight Iowa herds and one from Minneso- 

 ta. The visitor brought the goods with him and took back a lion's share 

 of the ribbons and money, but missed the championships. J. C. Miller 

 had the champion boar in the junior yearling Crown Premier; C. A. Evan^ 

 the champion sow in the two-year-old Stumpy Lady L-ee. N. H. Gentry 

 officiated as judge. 



