82 Journal of the Department of Agriculture. — July, 1922. 



medium size, and the neck muscular and of good length. A pendulous 

 jowl is equally as objectionable as a short stocky neck. The chest" 

 should le deep, and of medium width, and ihe shoulders obliquely 

 placed, blouling- well Avith the chine and fore-ribs, to form a neat 

 -iuiooth shoulder-top. Excessive width of chest is correlated with wide 

 heavy shoulders, giving- an open shoiilder-top, none of which is 

 desirable. The crops should be full, the ribs well sprung — not exces- 

 sively wide — and well let doAvn to give the required heart-girth, 

 indicating constitutional vigour. The back should be of good length, 

 medium width, and as a lule slightly arched at the loin and fore part 

 of the rump. Openness in the crops is associated mostly with coarse 

 shoulders, while levelness of top-line is not so desirable as a slightly 

 arched back, as may frequently be noted in matured sows that have 

 produced a number of litters. 



The sides should be long and mediumly deep, being well let 

 down in both fore and rear flank, and the ribs well sprung. Good 

 depth and spring of rib are very desirable, though they should not be 

 obtained at the expense of good length — one of the outstanding 

 characteristics of the Large Black breed. The loin should be of 

 jnedium width, strongly muscled, and appreciably arched. The rump 

 should be equally well muscled, of medium width, and rounding out 

 well, not sharply dubbed oif. The hams should be firm, plump, and 

 h't down well into the hocks. The twist should be deep and devoid of 

 prominent fat pockets, especially in the case of gelts and sows, as 

 these are often found in poor milkers, and equally poor breeders. The 

 tail should be large, prominently set, and moderately ]\igh placed, in 

 order to allow of as large a development of ham as possible. Many 

 breeders consider a large prominent tail as indicative of constitutional 

 vigour. In the great majority of cases this is true, but it should also 

 be remembered that a large and prominent tail is invariably correlated 

 with coarseness. The legs should be Avell set under the body, strong, 

 and show plenty- of bone. Bow-legs, knock-knees, crooked or deformed 

 legs, also excessively fine or heavy bone, are all undesirable features. 

 The pasterns should be medium in length, and strong to ensure the 

 animal standing well upon his feet, and the two cloves of each foot 

 should be closely knit. Long heavy pasterns and open spreading 

 cloves are objectionable, since they reduce the height of the animal, 

 impair his grazing ability, and detract from his style and character 

 in general. 



Wrinkles, if pronounced, are undesirable, especially in young 

 hoars and gelts, as they are undoubtedly indications of coarseness. 

 However in the case of matured boars and sows, particularly in the 

 former, one sliould not necessarily descriminate against a reasonable 

 amount of wrinkling, as this condition is to be expected with age. 



The underline should be comparatively trim, as any (U^cided 

 tendency to flabbiness is a sign of coarseness, and is most undesirable 

 from a slaughter point of view. In the case of sows there .should be 

 at least half a dozen pairs of well-developed teats. It not infrequently 

 happens that seven pairs of teats are found, particularly in sows that 

 come from prolific families, and is therefore a most desirable featiire. 

 The number of teats as well as their fullness in development, are 

 undoubtedly indications that sows having these characteristics are 

 not only likely to farrow large litters, but also regular breeders. 



Sows or gelts having less than six pairs of teats, and particularly 

 if thdso are poorly developed — sometimes called buttons— are to be 



