poiKTs OF A no.] AND Til KI U VA IMOUS BREEDS. [roiNxs of a pig. 



Hence they should have depth enough to give 

 the two enda of the rectanf,'lo, which is the 

 desideratum in a well-formed pip;. The same 

 remark applies to the throat. It is not natu- 

 rally fat; but if it descends so as to till that 

 corner of the rectangle, it is also indicative of 

 the thriving propensity. The chest should be 

 deep and long ; and as the belly carries with it 

 a deposit of internal fat, it may bo ex[)ccted 

 nearly to fill that corner also of the rectangle. 

 Such may be considered the principal features 

 of a perfectly formed pig. 



It must bo further stated, that whether 

 viewed from behind or before, the animal 

 should still present the rectangular view. 

 Looking at it in either of these directions, the 

 back will exhibit a broad and flat appearance, 

 and form the top ; the sides will be full, and 

 the hams and shoulders will fill up the angles, 

 and give the base of the rectangle. In con- 

 junction with these marks, the head should be 

 fine and small ; while the chaps and upper 

 part of the face should show a full develop- 

 ment of muscle and fat, not only because the 

 snout is useless and the chaps valuable, but 

 because the smallness of the former is highly 

 characteristic of a fine quality in the pig, 

 while the latter indicates a power to feed well. 

 The neck siiould be short and deep ; for if 

 flabby and loose, coarseness and grossuess 

 must be expected in the animal. The ears 

 should be small, pricked upwards, thin and 

 fine, and either destitute altogether, or very 

 slightly sprinkled with fine soft hairs. The , 

 bones should be small ; the legs short and i 

 fine ; and the tail small and curled, as beinc 

 indicative of a strong back. The eyes should < 

 have a bright and mild expression, and all the 

 extremities should be as small, light, and • 

 delicate as possible. 



In the large breed of pigs, there is much , 

 that is the converse of this. Here the skin 

 is thicker, the hair stronger and coarser ; and . 

 though the large animal can grow and thicken, i 

 and increase in size, it is not fat only that is 

 accumulated. It is divided with muscle ; and 

 hence the bacon is the streaked, marketable ' 

 article, which is sought after much more than 

 that of the prick-eared animal. This sort of 

 pig is also hardier and constitutionally stronger, 

 and much more able to resist the influences of 

 a cold climate than the smaller animal. Ac- 



cordingly, in the valleys which intersect the 

 hills, especially of the " backbone of England," 

 this breed is highly esteciiu'd. It is fed on 

 the skim-milk of dairies where butter is made, 

 and on the whey where cheese is the product, 

 and is, therefore, altogether more prolitable to 

 the dairy farmer than the small-bred pig. 

 IMany efl'orts have been made to combine the 

 qualities of the two ; but, to a certain extent, 

 they have been found incompatible. More 

 rapid feeding and earlier maturity may bo 

 gained, at the expense of size, constitutional 

 power, and mottled or streaked bacon. 



As types of the smaller and larger breeds, 

 the Leicester pig, or the Essex, will be the 

 most perfcxit for the former, and the Yorkshire 

 and the Berkshire for the latter. In the pur- 

 chase of a pig, Mr. Eichardson says, that even 

 colour is not altogether to be neglected. " In 

 the case of pigs," he says, " I would, as in ref- 

 erence to any other description of live stock, 

 prefer those colours which are characteristic of 

 our most esteemed breeds. If the hair be 

 scanty, I would look for black, as denoting 

 connection with the delicate iS'eapolitan j but 

 if too bare of hair, I would be disposed to ap- 

 prehend too intimate alliance with that variety, 

 and a consequent want of hardihood, which, 

 however unimportant if pork be the object, 

 renders such animals hazardous speculations as 

 stores, from their extreme susceptibility of cold, 

 and consequent liability to disease. If white, 

 and not too small, I should like them, as ex- 

 hibiting connection with the Chinese. If light 

 or sandy, or red with black marks, I should 

 recognise our favourite Berksliire; and so on, 

 with reference to every possible variety of hue. 

 Some judges are much influenced by the colour 

 of an animal. They disregard his make and 

 qualities, and pass him by if he is not UacJc. 

 It is true that the black nose in cattle is gene- 

 rally indicative of a want of pure blood, as the 

 white back is in any ox, not a Hereford or an 

 Irish. To so ridiculous an extent was this 

 notion at one time carried, that the best pigs 

 were passed by, at the Show of the Royal Agri- 

 cultural Society of England, and the prizes 

 given to those which were of the black breed; 

 this being considered an indispensable qualifi- 

 cation for a winner. As indicative of breed, 

 therefore, it may be useful to attend to colour; 

 and it may be taken as one point indicative of 



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