No. 15. 



Swine — JVo. 1. 



2S5 



1. Tlie Chinese Breed, of the general ap- 

 pearance ot" which, the above is a tolerably 

 correct delineation, when fat, were originally 

 dbtained, as their name imports, from China. 

 Of these there are two nearly distinct kinds: 

 tJie white and the black : both are small ; and 

 although of an extraordinary disposition to 

 fatten, will seldom arrive to a greater weight 

 than sixteen or eighteen stone, of fourteen 

 pounds, at two years of age. The former 

 are better shaped than the latter; but they 

 are less hardy, and less prolific. They are 

 botli very small limbed; round in the car- 

 cass; tliin skinned and fine bristled, and have 

 the head so bedded in the neck, that when 

 quite fat, the end only of the snout is per- 

 ceptible. They are tender and difficult to 

 rear, and the sows are bad nurses; yet, from; 

 their early aptitude to fatten, they are in 

 great esteem with those who only rear young 

 porkers. The flesh is ratlier too delicate for 



bacon; it is also deficient in lean ; and their 

 hind quarters being small, in proportion to the 

 body, they cut up to disadwmtage when in- 

 tended for ham ; they, however, possess tlte 

 valuable properties of behig very thrifty, and 

 of fattening on a comparatively small quan- 

 tity of food. There is also a mixed breed 

 of this kind, being white variously patched 

 with black; some of which have prick ears, 

 like the true breed, which they otherwise re- 

 semble in form, and others have the ears 

 round at the ends, and hanging downwards. 

 These last are in every respect coarser than 

 the former; but they are remarkably prolific ; 

 are good nurses, and, with proper care, will 

 bring up two litters within the year. They 

 are, however, only valuable as breeding sows 

 and roasters; for tliey are very indifferent 

 store pigs, rj-rely attaining any great weight, 

 and infiaitely more difficult to fatten than the 

 orio-inal stock. 



Fig. 



II. The animals from which the above 

 figures were drawn, were bred by the late 

 Sir William Curtis, and were exhibited at 

 Lord Somerville's cattle show, in 1807, where 

 they attracted universal admiration. They 

 were of the Berkshire Breed ; the specific 

 characters of which are a reddish color, 

 with brown or black spots; sides very broad; 

 body thick, close, and well formed; short 

 legs; the head well placed, and the ears 

 large, and generally standing forward ; but 



sometimes pendant over the eyes. Anotlier 

 distinctive mark of this breed is, that tlie 

 best are without bristles; their hair is long 

 and curly, and from its rough appearance, 

 seems to indicate coarse skin and flesh ; but 

 in fact, both are fine, and the bacon is of very 

 superior quality. The hogs arrive at a very 

 large size, and have been reared even to the 

 weight of 113 stones of eight pounds. 



Although generally termed the Berkshire 

 breed, and having probably been originaliy 



