BREEDS OF SWINE 57 



The back and hams show the extreme of development. 

 As a rule, the bone is small and weak, and it is in the 

 pasterns that this breed is noticeably deficient. The 

 color is pure white, and the animals average large in 

 weight on account of the extreme fattening tendencies. 

 Mature boars will weigh around 500 and the sows 

 around 400 pounds. Some individuals will, of course, 

 greatly exceed these figures. 



The breed is suited primarily for Corn Belt conditions, 

 and is not easily adapted to other conditions. There are 

 a few small herds of the breed in the South, but they will 

 probably never attain any great prominence. They are 

 extremely early maturing, but they rank low as grazers. 

 They cannot stand up in the pasterns. As feeders and 

 fatteners they rank high, but they are not adapted to 

 intensive methods of feeding on grazing crops. Their 

 color is against them in the extreme South. The pork is 

 usually too fat, very similar in many respects to the meat 

 of the Poland-China. For crossing they do fairly well 

 where early maturity and fattening propensities are 

 desired in the offspring. The boars are only fairly pre- 

 potent in stamping their type. As breeders they rank 

 rather high and are considered as the most prolific of 

 the heavy types. Dr. A. W. .Bitting 1 found 600 litters to 

 average 8.96 per litter, which is high for the lard type 

 of hog. 



There are a few herds scattered over the South, but 

 their distribution cannot be said to be widespread. They 

 are probably on the decline in popularity rather than on 

 the increase. In prices, they have never brought the 

 fancy figures obtained by the individuals of some breeds, 



1 10th Ann. Rept. Ind. Agr Expt. Sta. (1897). 



