102 ' 'BEGINNINGS IN ANIMAL HUSBANDRY 



have a thick, full ham. He should have good legs 

 and bone, and should stand well on his feet. The sows 

 farrow medium-sized litters, averaging about eight pigs. 



Berkshires are fair feeders, and mature just moderately 

 well under ordinary conditions. If not fed too much corn, 

 they make a grade of pork that is unsurpassed. In the corn 

 belt of America, with the feed and care given by Western 

 farmers, the Berkshire may be regarded as a lard hog; 

 while if fed a variety of grain, with corn only a moderate 

 part of the ration, it makes a superior bacon. It has always 

 been a popular breed of swine in England and America, but 

 is not today as extensively kept as the Poland-China or 

 Duroc-Jersey. Yet its merits have long been recognized 

 among the critics of high-class pork. The breed is more 

 widely distributed than any other in North America, being 

 found in about every state and in Canada, and thrives under 

 a wide range of conditions. It is the most popular breed in 

 the East and South. In the West it is in less favor than the 

 Poland-China or Duroc-Jersey. 



The Poland-China is an American breed of swine that 

 originated in southwestern Ohio in Butler and Warren 

 counties. This is a rolling country, and produces extensive 

 fields of corn, wheat, and grass. There is no better region 

 in America in which to raise hogs. In that section the early 

 settlers kept large numbers of hogs, fed off their corn, and 

 drove the hogs overland to the Cincinnati market. Dif- 

 ferent so-called breeds came into Ohio, including the Russian, 

 Byfield, Big China, Irish Grazier, and Berkshire, the latter 

 being taken to the state in 1835. From this mixture, in 

 time came the Poland-China. At first this was a big, coarse, 

 spotted hog, which was rated as a good feeder. The coarse- 

 ness was gradually reduced, no doubt the Berkshire blood 

 bringing a very great improvement. 



