780 SWINE 



The sides are a most important part, because from here comes 

 the bacon so highly valued in this class. The sides must be long, 

 evenly carried from shoulder to ham, be thick and full at flank, 

 and of moderate depth. A very deep side of a paunchy character 

 provides too much belly or cheap meat. Breeders of bacon hogs, 

 however, place a premium on brood sows of great length and 

 depth, for these features are associated with high-class breeding 

 and feeding capacity. The side must be quite smooth and free of 

 wrinkles and be covered evenly with flesh. In touching on this 

 subject the Ingersoll Packing Company of Canada says : " The 

 packer calls for the long, lean pigs, as they are the ones that suit 

 best and are most difficult to procure ; this is the only kind that 

 will furnish the desired ' Wiltshire side,' and it will also make any 

 of the other cuts the market calls for." 



The rump and hams lack the heavy development of the lard 

 type, but a level, long, moderately broad rump is important. The 

 hams in their lower parts should be long, gradually tapering, not 

 necessarily split up high between, with shallow, neatly turned 

 twist. They should also be broad from front to rear, with a 

 medium thick covering of flesh, tapering to the hocks. 



The hind legs should have all the merits of the forelegs in 

 bone, quality, and smoothness, and in position of pasterns and 

 toes. Besides this the hocks should be well placed, being smooth 

 of joint and neither close nor wide behind. 



The quality of the bacon pig is most important. This is seen 

 in the clean, smooth bone and joints and the abundant hair, lack- 

 ing in coarseness, lying close to the mellow skin. Wrinkles should 

 be lacking, and the entire body be smooth and evenly covered 

 with flesh in breeding as well as in feeding stock. 



The weight of bacon pigs most acceptable in the market is from 

 170 to 1 80 pounds, although 200 is not excessive. Danish bacon 

 pigs range from 180 to 220 pounds. The larger type is not 

 approved in Canada, the smaller being preferred. 



Breeding bacon pigs should show the characteristics associated 

 with sex, but in general the above description applies to the bacon 

 type. The boar should have a strong, masculine head, neck, and 

 shoulder, the sow a smaller, more refined sort, with more depth 

 of belly than possessed by boar or barrow. 



