110 HARKIS OX THE PIG. 



be able to so improve the Chester County pigs by such 

 " a persevering course of careful selections," as to give 

 the breed a better and " more definite type and character," 

 and to so thoroughly establish these characters, that we 

 may use the boars with a reasonable prospect of improv- 

 ing any common breed with which they are crossed. Until 

 this is done, however, it will be a mistake to use Chester 

 County boars, except for the purpose of obtaining large, 

 vigorous sows, to be crossed with some thoroughly estab- 

 lished breed. 



The " Hog Breeders' Manual," a little work published 

 in the interest of Chester County pigs, says : " The 

 Chester and Suffolk make a very fine cross. If a new 

 breed could be made by crossing these two breeds, and 

 continuing, and the offspring were a uniform mixture of 

 the two, I should consider it the maximum of perfection." 



In other words, the Chester Whites are too coarse, and 

 need to be refined by crossing with some of the thorough- 

 bred English breeds. This is undoubtedly true; and 

 coming from a prominent breeder of Chester Whites, may 

 be regarded as decisive on this point. But why should a 

 farmer wish for a " new breed " when, by using a thor- 

 ough-bred Suffolk boar on a Chester White sow, he can 

 attain at one step the cc maximum of perfection ?" True, 

 he cannot breed from these perfect pigs. He cannot hope 

 to make them " more perfect ;" but, by continuing to use 

 thorough-bred boars, he is always sure of obtaining good 

 pigs. What more is needed ? We think it would be a 

 mistake if the Chester White breeders should refine their 

 pigs too much. The chief value of the breed consists in 

 its size and vigor, and in furnishing strong, healthy sows, 

 to be crossed with thorough-bred boars of a refined breed. 

 There is no object to be gained by refining, or, in other 

 words, reducing the size and vigor, of the Chester Whites. 



