454 FARMING FOR LADIES, [chap, xxiti. 



its character has been, perhaps, more ac- 

 quired from its being fed, when young, upon 

 beech-mast and acorns in the New Forest, 

 and from the mode of curing it, than from 

 any inherent degree of excellence. 



The Suffolk and Norfolk, together with 

 those breeds of the same sort, reared under 

 different denominations in the midland coun- 

 ties, though rather small in size, have been 

 long in repute for their hardihood of consti- 

 tution and fruitfulness. 



Thus the Essex half-blacks, which were in- 

 troduced some years ago by the late Lord 

 Western, as descendants from a cross with 

 the Berkshires, are now justly considered a 

 very superior stock. They are described in 

 the Survey of that county, as "black and 

 white, short-haired, fine-skinned, with smaller 

 heads and ears than the Berkshires, but fea- 

 thered with inside hair, which is a distinctive 

 mark of both ; have short, snubby noses, very 

 fine bone, broad and deep in the belly, full in 

 the hind quarters, but light in the bone and 

 offal. They feed remarkably quick, grow 

 fast, and are of an excellent quality of meat : 

 the sows are good breeders, and bring litters 



