BREEDS OF SWINE 513 



bacon hogs, the following breeds are best adapted for that purpose : 

 the Large Yorkshire, the Tarn worth and Hampshire. The objection 

 to producing the bacon hog is that the cost of growing them is greater 

 than to grow the lard breeds. Experiments made at several experi- 

 ment stations in the United States and at the Ontario Agricultural 

 College, do not support this objection, since the bacon breeds in some 

 of these trials made cheaper gains than the lard breeds. The bacon 

 breeds also have in their favor greater prolificacy. (N. D. B. 83.) 



Pork Classified. Hog products may be described under three 

 heads: (1) Dressed Hogs, (2) Pork Cuts and (3) Lard. As a rule, 

 not more than one or two per cent of the number of hogs slaughtered 

 in large packing houses are sold as whole carcasses. Approximately 

 three-fourths of the trade in hog products consists of various cured 

 meats and fresh cuts, the remainder consisting principally of lard 

 and a small percentage of sausage and canned meats. Further, fresh 

 pork is of much less importance, relatively, than fresh beef or 

 mutton, only about one-fifth of the domestic trade and five per cent of 

 the export trade in pork products (other than lard) consisting of 

 fresh meat. Thus the classification of pork consists largely of cured 

 and manufactured products, the number and variety of which ren- 

 ders the outline of this subject quite complex. 



Dressed Hogs. The classification of the hog carcasses is based 

 on the uses to which they are adapted, or the products into which 

 they can be converted. The classes generally recognized and average 

 weights included in each are as follows: 



CLASSES. CARCASS WEIGHTS. 



Smooth Heavy or Heavy Loin Hogs 240 to 400 Ib. 



Butcher or Light Loin Hogs 160 to 240 Ib. 



Packing Hogs 100 to 400 Ib. 



Bacon or Marked Hogs 90 to 170 Ib. 



Shippers 100 to 200 Lb. 



Pigs 20 to 100 Ib. 



Different styles of dressing are characteristic of the different 

 classes of carcasses except heavy and light loin hogs, and shippers 

 and pigs. Dressed hogs of all classes are cut open along the under- 

 line and through the aitch-bone and brisket, but the method of 

 splitting and trimming varies with the class. 



Grading Dressed Hogs. The grades of hog carcasses are much 

 less numerous and complex than those of carcass beef or mutton, 

 owing to the greater variation in the latter with respect to age and 

 general development. Standard grades are recognized only in the 

 bacon and packing hog classes. In a broad sense, however, the six 

 general classes may be regarded also as grades, since they are differ- 

 entiated largely by shape, finish, quality and weight as well as by 

 styles of dressing. 



The shape dasired in loin and packing hogs is great width of 

 side and back in proportion to length of body, straight, even linea 

 and well-filled hams and shoulders. In bacon hogs, length of side 

 is more important, with less width and thickness of back in propor- 

 tion to that of the side than in the grades of fat hogs. Finish is indi- 



