CHAPTER XXXIII 

 SWINE 



521. Introductory. The modern hog was probably derived 

 from the wild types of Europe and southern Asia. In the 

 United States the hog ranks second in importance among the 

 farm animals. The United States is the leading swine-producing 

 country, having about two fifths of all the swine of the world. 

 Years of selecting and breeding for two distinct purposes have 

 given rise to two distinct types of hogs the lard type and the 

 bacon type. Each type comprises several distinct breeds. 



522. The lard hog. The lard hog is an American product, 

 and is essentially a corn-belt hog. The early settlers needed a 

 hog which would produce meat and lard, both of which might 

 be kept through the summer months. These products found a 

 market wherever there was a demand for palatable food which 

 would furnish an abundance of heat and energy. Later it was 

 found that this same type of hog was the most suitable for 

 marketing the large crops of corn that were produced. Thus 

 the hog that would put on the most fat was the one most 

 sought (Fig. 199). The need of the corn-belt farmer in later 

 years has not been so much for a market for his corn as it 

 has been for a means of converting his feed into pork and lard 

 to feed the people of the cities. 



Breeders and farmers had different ideals, and several distinct 

 breeds of the same general type were originated. Each has its 

 particular merits, as judged by the fancy of the breeder. The 



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