TWELFTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART XI 597 



THREE DISTINCT POLAND-CHINA TYPES. 



The most pronounced difference of opinion on merit of hog seemed to 

 exist with the breeders of the Poland-China, whose ideas of type varied 

 from the extremely large hog down to the small-boned hog, thus furnish- 

 ing room for three distinct types, so far as size was concerned, the big 

 Poland-China, the medium and the small type. This matter of distinc- 

 tion, governed by size, has become so pronounced with the breeders that it 

 is looked upon as a matter of injustice for these three types to be shown 

 together and have justice meted out to the exhibitors. There can scarcely 

 be a doubt that fair managements must provide some relief for this class of 

 breeders. It is a condition that exists; it is established among breeders; it 

 is not fair to ask the breeder of the small type to surrender his ideal and 

 take the large type; neither would it be fair to ask the large type breeder 

 to throw aside his ideal of propriety and hog advantage and take up the 

 small type. The medium type seems to offer no better solution to the ex- 

 tremes, and the result is the three types — large, medium and small — are 

 contesting against each other in the same ring, same class, same lot, with 

 the contest being in the selection of a judge that favors one or the other 

 of these types to the exhibition disadvantage of the others. The providing 

 of more money for the swine division and the extension of the premium 

 list so as to cover, in separate classification, the three types of hog, with 

 a judge for each type corresponding in his ideas with the type he is to 

 judge is the solution. This is a condition that exists and cannot be 

 changed, but can be accommodated by the expense of adding two more 

 lots in the swine division of the premium list. It will not injure the fair; 

 it will have the opposite effect and will aid in the promotion of the hog 

 industry at large. 



POPULAR HOG WITH PACKERS. 



A very interesting feature in the swine department was the astonish- 

 ingly large display of the Hampshire hog. The growth in popularity of 

 this breed might be indicated by its state fair history at Iowa. In 1907 

 there were exhibited three head; 1910, 200 head; 1911, 350 head, with 

 Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana represented. There were 

 fifteen herds entered at the Iowa fair this year. They are not a new breed 

 of hogs; have been in the United States since 1830, but have not at- 

 tracted attention of the packers until 1904, since which time they seem to 

 be receiving endorsement as a popular hog with the packer. 



STRONG SHEEP DEPARTMENT. 



The sheep department was larger and better than usual. This division 

 is receiving a strong endorsement from among the Iowa farmers. The 

 breeds represented were Rambouillet, American, Delaine, Merinos, 

 Hampshires, Shropshires, Oxfords, Southdowns, Cotswold, Leicesters, Lin- 



