SUMMARY. 237 



Pigs should be provided with scratching posts, having 

 auger-holes for pegs at different heights, to accommodate 

 pigs of different sizes. 



Stephens, in his " Book of the Farm," gives the follow- 

 ing description of what may be considered the perfection 

 of form in a fat pig : " The back should be nearly straight, 

 and though arched a little from head to tail, that is no 

 fault. The back should be uniformly broad, and rounded 

 across along the whole body. The touch all along the 

 back should be firm, but springy, the thinnest skin spring- 

 ing most. The shoulders, sides, and hams, should be 

 deep perpendicularly, and in a straight line from shoulder 

 to ham. The closing behind should be filled up ; the legs 

 short and bone small ; the neck short, thick, and deep ; 

 the cheeks round, and filled out ; the face straight, nose 

 fine, eyes bright, ears pricked, and the head small in pro- 

 portion to the body. A curled tail is indicative of a 

 strong back. All these characteristics," he adds, " may 

 be seen in the figure of the brood sow (fig. 52, page 180), 

 though, of course, the sow is not in the fattened state." 



