46 



BREEDS OF SWINE 



must be his own judge as to how much latitude to allow in the 

 matter of markings. Unless the markings were glaringly de- 

 fective, it would not seem to be the part of wisdom to reject 

 an animal that was really first-class in. other respects. 



Origin and History. Berkshires derive their name from 

 Berkshire in England, though the breed is now to be found in 



Fia. 13. Champion herd of Berkshires, Iowa State Fair. 



all parts of the British Isles. Very little is known regarding 

 the origin of the original Berkshire, but the breed was very 

 different from the Berkshire of to-day. The old Berkshire was 

 very much coarser than the present type, had lopped ears, and 

 its color was commonly a sandy or reddish brown spotted with 

 black, or white with black spots. It had a reputation of 

 producing a good quality of meat. 



