Chapter LXII. 



CHESTER-WHITES. 



The breed derives its name from the place of its origin Chester 

 county, Pennsylvania. In 1818, a sea captain James Jeffries by name 

 brought over from Bedfordshire, England, a pair of superior white 

 pigs, showing bluish spots in skin since known as "Bedford " hogs 

 and placed them on his farm near West Chester, Pa. These pigs and 

 their progeny, in connection with the Big Chinas, brought to Delaware 

 county, Pa., about the same time, were used by the farmers of Chester 

 county, in grading on a foundation stock of large, coarse white hogs 

 probably descendants of the old English Large Yorkshire supposed to 

 have been imported about 1811, until after many years of careful selection 

 and judicious inbreeding the Chester- White breed was brought before the 

 American Farmer, and turned over to him for further improvement. 



The modern Chester-White is well known throughout the Eastern 

 and many Western states, and has, at one time and another, found a 

 place in most of the mixed-bred herds in the Mississippi Valley. The 

 writer well remembers the time when a black hog was looked upon with 

 more or less disfavor by a great majority of Western farmers ; and the 

 Chester was at that time the hog sought for to improve and maintain the 

 herd. One of the most prolific and valuable brood sows we have ever 

 known was of this breed, a sow that for beauty and utility combined 

 would be hard to surpass ; her owner, however, not fancying the white 

 color, persisted in using a black boar, and declared that the magnifi- 

 cent litters she brought owed their great excellence to the sire. 



Improvement of the Chester has been very constant. Our Western 

 farmers are, almost to a man, good judges and good handlers of swine ; 

 and those who have not been carried away during the last fifteen or 

 twenty years by the popular tide in favor of black hogs have used their 

 abilities to advantage in perfecting the Chester-White breed. 



DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS. 



Color white as the name indicates with hair of medium length, 

 mostly straight, neatly parted on the median line, and in the best speci- 

 mens, showing a handsome curl or rosette just over the loins. The head 

 is of medium length, broad between the eyes ; ears thin, drooping, 

 pointing well forward, and showing a decided bend or "lop " near the 

 point ; neck short and thick ; jowl large ; body long and deep ; back 



20 



305 



