392 Pork Production 



TYPES OF HOGS 



With respect to type, all hogs are roughly divided into 

 two classes, known respectively as the lard type and the 

 bacon type. The efforts of the breeder to furnish the 

 finest bacon have resulted in the evolution of the bacon 

 hog ; while the efforts of the breeder to produce a profit- 

 able feeding hog possessing the maximum of lard-produc- 

 ing tendencies have resulted in the modern lard hog. Dif- 

 ferences between these two primary types are due, there- 

 fore, to the essential variation in the market demands 

 which were responsible for their creation. 



The lard type of hog has been developed to his highest 

 degree of perfection in the corn-belt, because corn is essen- 

 tially a fat or lard-producing food. But it is not correct 

 to say that the modern lard type is the sole result of corn 

 feeding ; the development of this type has been brought 

 about by the selection for breeding purposes of those indi- 

 viduals which responded favorably to corn-belt conditions. 

 It is a matter of good fortune that the market should 

 prefer the type of hog which the farmers of the corn-belt 

 are best qualified by natural advantages to produce. 



The bacon type of hog, on the other hand, has found its 

 highest development in an environment which supplies 

 a variety of feeds less fattening in their qualities than corn. 

 In Canada, where the bacon type is generally produced, 

 peas, barley, and oats are the grains on which chief reliance 

 is placed. With these advantages and the continued se- 

 lection for the type which produces high-grade British 

 bacon, the Canadian farmer has developed and main- 

 tained a hog conforming to the standard of the bacon 

 type. 



