50 DISEASES OF SWINE 



hog in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Iowa, and other states of the Middle 

 West. The promotion of the interests of the breed is looked after 

 by two very powerful associations, known as the National and the 

 American. 



As a utility animal the Duroc enthusiasts believe that they 

 have a breed which has no superiors. The leading idea in the 

 minds of the promoters of this breed has been to develop an animal 

 that for pork utility will have the highest degree of excellence, 

 regardless of mere physical beauty. One of the leading Duroc 

 breeders, when quoted on this subject, states that, "After all, beauty 

 and fancy notions are not equal in importance to profit." 



The foraging qualities of the Durocs make them popular hogs 

 in the South and Southwest, where they are rapidly growing in 

 number. On the Pacific coast also the red hog is high in public 

 favor. Their easy-keeping quahties and the prolific litters offer 

 opportunities for maximum profit that are probably not surpassed 

 by any other breed. The Duroc has been energetically pushed for 

 only a comparatively few years, and the rapid gain in popular 

 favor has been the wonder of the pork-producing world. Literally 

 speaking, the breed has "made a hog of itself." 



THE BERKSHIRE 



The counties of Berkshire and Wilts, in the south-central part 

 of England, are the home of the Berkshire hog, which is one of the 

 most widely distributed breeds in the United States to-day. 

 This breed has long been a favorite with American swine owners, 

 and it is a close candidate for popularity with the best of the 

 native American breeds, such as the Poland-China and Chester- 

 Whites. The name of the breed, as might easily be divined, is 

 derived from the name of the county in which the type was most 

 prominently developed. 



Early History. — Berkshires are among the earliest of English 

 breeds, and were well known even before the year 1800. At this 

 early date the hog was reddish-brown in color and of enormous size, 

 it being common to meet examples of the breed that weighed over 

 1000 pounds. Young, a writer of that period, refers to one hog 

 of the Berkshire strain that weighed 1130 pounds. 



Like other native breeds of England, the Berkshire was about 



