38 



DISEASES OF SWINE 



Chester-White hogs are excellent breeders, producing a larger 

 litter, and carrying a larger percentage to maturity than do the 

 Berkshire, Poland-China, or Duroc-Jersey. They also show an 

 early maturity, and are excellent feeders and rangers. It has been 

 estimated that the Chester-White will show an average gain under 

 good conditions of 1 pound in weight for every 3 pounds of feed 

 given. This is an excellent showing, and one worthy of consider- 

 ation by the feeder. 



Distribution of the Chester-White is fairly widespread, but 

 for some reason they have never acquired the popularity enjoyed 



Fig. 7. — Group of Chester- Whites. Show exhibit of F. E. Bone, Ava, 111. 

 (Loaned by "White Breeders' Companion.") 



by the Poland-China, Berkshire, and, of late, by the Duroc- 

 Jersey. There are a number of reasons for this, one of the most 

 important of which is the fact that in the early days of the popu- 

 larity of the Chester-White a great deal of fraud was practised 

 by unscrupulous dealers. The demand for the white hog became 

 so large that the regular breeders were unable to supply it, and 

 fakirs in various parts of the country began to advertise and sell 

 what they called Chester-Whites, and which, in reality, were only 

 a coarse type of native white hogs. These animals proved unsat- 

 tisfactory, and disgusted many sections of the country with the 

 breed. The tendency to mange, and the scurfy appearance of 



