THE JUDGING OF SWINE 



409 



Figure 186. "The neck of the hog should be reasonably 

 short." Photograph by the author. 



The shoulders of the hog vary considerably. The ten- 

 dency is for them to be heavy or coarse, and open on top, 

 the blades not lying back in close. The shoulders are valu- 

 able for meat, 

 and the more 

 they are covered 

 with flesh the 

 better they are. 

 While the breast 

 of the hog does 

 not appear as 

 prominent as 

 with other ani- 

 mals, on account 

 of the low car- 

 riage of the head, 

 if the shoulders 

 are placed right, the breast will be wide and full and the front 

 legs will come down in good form. By means of the hand 



one can feel the 

 end of the breast 

 bone, which 

 should extend at 

 least beyond the 

 legs. Such a 

 breast develop- 

 ment shows good 

 constitution. 



The legs 

 should be strong 

 and stand 

 straight and well 

 apart, a position associated with a wide chest and vigorous 

 constitution. The pasterns of the hog are often found to 

 be very weak and too sloping. At the back of the leg, 



Figure 187. "The shoulders of the hog vary consider- 

 ably." Photograph by the author. 



