DISEASES OF SWINE 



THE GREAT AMERICAN HOG 



In the United States the development and breeding of hogs 

 has reached the highest point of perfection, and the great American 

 hog may well be looked upon as the king of his breed. In no 

 other country in the world has the production of market hogs 

 reached the high degree of perfection seen in American feed lots. 

 Especially is this perfection in type of hogs to be seen throughout 

 the states comprising the so-called Corn Belt. In these states 

 hog raising is the king of industries, and more time and attention 

 is devoted to breeding of swine in this section of our country than 

 in any other part of the world. 



Hog raising is largely a money-producing investment in our 

 country, and the American type of hog is not the style of animal 

 that is looked upon with favor in other countries. The American 

 farmer desires a hog that will produce the largest possible amount 

 of money in the shortest possible amount of time and with the 

 least possible amount of feed. Hogs are raised by the Corn Belt 

 farmer for the money there is in them as well as the pleasure to be 

 derived from producing prize stock. As a result of these desires, 

 we find that the American type of swine has largely been developed 

 with the view of obtaining a hog that possesses compactness of 

 form, a wide back, full, heavy hams, short limbs, and that will 

 show the greatest possible gain in weight on the least possible 

 amount of feed, and which matures at a very early date. There is 

 no other animal that matures and becomes marketable as rapidly 

 as the United States hog, and no other species of farm live-stock 

 shows as large and as quick returns upon the feed given as the hog. 

 It is no wonder that the hog-producing industry has shown such 



