BREEDS OF SWINE. 961 



their substance than the Jersey Reds. The origin of both the Jersey- 

 Reds and the Diirocs was undoubtedly in the old-fashioned Berkshire, a 

 sandy hog with more or less black. This was not unusual with the Berk- 

 shires as we knew them and bred them over fifty years ago — a hog in 

 every respect different from the elegant and finished swine of the last 

 quarter of a century. 



XVII. Thin Rind or Hampshire Hog. 



The propriety of this name, "Thin Rind," is due to the fact that the 

 hog has a mellow, thin skin and soft, silky hair. In this respect it differs 

 materially from the Jersey Red, the Tamworth, and other popular breeds. 

 The name ''Hampshire" is due to the fact that the hog was a native of 

 Hampshire, England, early in the last century. Their first importation 

 to this country dates back to about 1825, when a sea captain living near 

 Boston, Mass., brought some of the pigs from England to Massachusetts 

 where they became popularly known as "Thin Rinds." By this name 

 it has long been known in Kentucky and it has been assumed that it 

 came from the same source as the McKay pigs imported to M^issachusetts. 

 Major Joel Garnett, a wealthy and highly intelligent farmer in Kentucky, 

 in 1835 purchased in the East and carried tc^ Kentucky a small herd 

 which increased, and it became popular in that agricultural state. It is 

 a fact that authorities differ in reference to the ancestry of this pig — 

 some claiming that the original importation was from Tonquin, China, 

 and that this importation was made by a noted New Orleans merchant. 

 It is a singular fact that the early English writings make no mention of 

 this breed, 



Descriptionally, the head of the Thin Rind is of the straight faced 

 type of medium size and with light jowl. The ears are erect but inclined 

 slightly forward. The back is of only medium width — not thick but 

 fairly well supported. The shoulders are light and well set in, and have 

 fair width. The body has only moderate depth and length as a whole, 

 but produces a fair side for bacon. The hams do not possess the thick- 

 ness and depth of the more popular Ainerican breeds, as they are lacking 

 in fullness. They are somewhat long of leg, but the bone is of good 

 quality and the pasterns and toes are usually well placed. The color of 

 the Thin Rind is usually black with always the white belt about the body. 

 The width of this white band is from 4 to 12 inches wide, encircling the 

 body just back of the fore legs and front of the hind legs. 



While the list will long be retained by many of the breeders as the most 

 fashionable color, there are also those who try to run their herds pure 

 black. The breeding of the blacks is thought to be a necessity. Other- 

 wise, a list of hogs would begin to show too much white, and the breeding 

 of the blacks is to avoid narrowing the belt. The Thin Rind pig is only 



