CHAPTER IV. 



Breeds and Types 



Although the hog is older than history, his conspicuous 

 improvement through selection and judicious breeding 

 is a feature of the last half of the nineteenth century. 

 Since 1840, in the United States, and in great part since 

 1875, the advances made in swine husbandry are quite 

 as remarkable in their way as those in any other line of 

 endeavor 



By some of the ancient nations the hog was considered 

 a sacred animal. By others it was regarded as unclean, 

 and prohil)itcd as food. This prohibition among the 

 Jews was regarded by Tacitus and others as having been 

 because of a feeling that pork was often unfit to 

 eat in warm climates, and apt to encourage the spread 

 of leprosy. Moses is thought to have forbidden the eat- 

 ing of pork because it was liable to give the Israelites 

 diseases that would make them unable to endure the long 

 march out of Egypt. In those days, when cooking was 

 crudely done, there was no doubt much reason to fear 

 trichina 



The original wild hog was generally rather small and 

 of a slaty color. Environment changed his size and 

 color according to the climate and the difficulty in ob- 

 taining sustenance. Thus, in a tropical region wiiere 

 luxuriant herbage made it easier to obtain food, the hog 



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