PART IV 



BREEDS OF SWINE. 



THE majority of the present breeds of hogs in the United 

 States and Canada originated in Great Britain. It has been 

 the custom to divide them into white and black breeds, and 

 into lard and bacon types. These are divisions adopted in 

 the markets and should be known and considered by all growers. 



The Berkshire. Color Black, and, like the Poland-China, has 

 six white points, viz., on feet, face, and tip of tail. The face is short 

 to medium in length, and gracefully dished, and the ears are erect, 

 or slightly inclined forward. The back is level and of moderate 

 breadth, with considerable length of side. The cheek, or jowl, is 

 full ; the shoulder of medium thickness and breadth ; the ham is deep 

 and thick, extending well up to the body and down to the hock; the 

 leg is medium to short, straight and strong, and widely set apart. 

 The bone is of fair quality. 



Although the Berkshire is classed as belonging to the fat or lard 

 type, it is generally considered as a medium between the lard and the 

 bacon types of swine. 



The breed seems to be able to adapt itself to almost any environ- 

 ment, as it is found being successfully raised in the warmer sections 

 of the South and Southwest, as well as in the more northerly parts of 

 the country. The early-maturing qualities of the Berkshire are 

 classed as good; and as a grazer, it ranks high. 



Pigs at 6 months old should readily weigh 175 pounds, and at 

 one year about 300 pounds. For grading purposes, the value of the 

 Berkshire is very good. (La. B. 124.) 



The Berkshire breed is one of the old and well-established lard 

 types of hogs. In form they are long, broad, deep, and low. They 

 are much shorter on their legs and have a shorter head and neck and 

 a better developed ham than the bacon type. While the back of the 

 Berkshire is broader than that of the hogs of the bacon types, still it 

 is not as broad as that of the Poland-China. The modern Berkshire 

 breeders are working for a back medium in width and for a side long 

 and deep and free from wrinkles. They are admirably suited to the 

 South. They are good rustlers, fatten at almost any age, and cross 

 well with the inferior hogs of the country. The quality of the meat 

 is good, also. While they are relatively strong in breeding qualities, 

 still they are not as good breeders as the Yorkshires, Tamworths, or 

 Duroc-Jerseys. They are, however, more prolific than the Poland- 

 Chinas. (F. B. 411.) 



The Berkshires lose less in dressing than most other breeds, al- 

 though a greater proportion of their dressed weight consists of fat, 



417 - 



