THE BERKSHIRE 



477 



We examined every Berkshire in the show. Taking them at all ages, 

 there were 139 animals. We took the generally accepted standard of "four 

 white feet, white tip of tail, more or less white in face, and a little or not, 

 as the case may be, under the jowl, on the point of the elbow, or inside the 

 ear," and we found on looking through our notes that we had marked 1 19 

 down as within the limits of this standard. Only half a dozen were described 

 as having serious defects in the marking; the remaining 14 had only a 

 single small spot, generally on the shoulder or between the ears ; one or two 

 were on the sides, but several of them not large enough to attract notice if 

 we had not been looking for them. Out of the half dozen which we thought 

 might be ruled out of competition, only one had a second objection : this 

 was a spot on the front and another on the back of the ham ; the second 

 had a large sandy and white spot on the bottom of the shoulder ; a third 

 had a black foot ; Nos. 4 and 5 had black tails, and the 6th a white ear. 



The writer knows of a registered boar in service with a white 

 spot of three inches diameter on the back, and within recent 

 years has seen a boar in the show ring and in service with hair 

 noticeably tinted copper color. While these are only fancy 

 points, uniformity of breeding would be promoted by the adop- 

 tion of fixed standards of color markings, disqualifying when the 

 color fell without the limitations. The British Berkshire Society 

 in 1893 suggested that judges disqualify pigs notably irregular 

 in marking or with black face or foot. 



The size of the Berkshire pig may by classed as medium to 

 large. In 1842 Low wrote that " the true Berkshires are of the 

 larger races of swine." In 1893 Professor Long wrote : 



Thirty years ago . . . some of Mr. Sadler's prize pigs under seven months 

 old weighed 240 pounds each, although they were turned out into an orchard 

 daily while fattening. The same gentleman exhibited, and won the first 

 prize at Baker Street with a fat pig which weighed 856 pounds, the length 

 of her body being 6 feet 4 inches and her girth 7 feet 6 inches. At that 

 time, however, the ordinary weight of a well-bred Berkshire bacon hog was, 

 when ready for the butcher, about 50 stone of 8 pounds (400 pounds), but for 

 the curing of the best hams these were generally considered a little too large. 



The Berkshire is often advertised under the name " Large Eng- 

 lish Berkshire," but in England but one Berkshire breed exists, 

 and the title " Large English" is rather uncalled for and some- 

 what misleading. Young pigs at six months old should easily 

 weigh 175 pounds, and at one year about 300 pounds. The 

 ordinary mature boar in breeding condition should weigh 500 



