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2g THE GENESEE FARMER. 



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HOGS.— LARGE AND SMALL BREED. 



I^ the December number of the Farmer we gave a portrait of three beautiful specimens 

 of a small breed of pigs,. as exhibited at the Smitbfield Club Cattle Show. On the pre-_ 

 ceding page will be found a good representation of a breeding sow of a large breed. A 

 better specimen of the improved Yorkshire and Leicestershire breed could not be given. 

 The only fault we find with the sow is, she is much too fat for breeding purposes ; for, 

 while we tliink that many breeding sows are kept too thin — being in many mstances 

 half starved when they require the most nourishment — there is such a thmg as having 

 a bi-eeding sow, as well as all other breeding animals, much too fat. 



We are often asked which breed of hogs we think best adapted to our climate, circum- 

 stances and requirements. In answer we would say, it is impossible in the present defi- 

 cient state of our knowledge on this subject, satisfactorily to decide. We do not know 

 which of the various breeds produce the most pork, and the least otfal and bone, for a 

 given amount of food : and even if we did, we could not then decide which would be 

 the most economical or profitable breed; for it is not the absolute, but the circumstan- 

 tial value determined by taste, fashion, and demand, that makes this or that kind of 

 pork and pigs most sought for. Where bacon and large hams, rather than pork, are 

 required, the large breeds will be the most profitable. In the neighborhood of our 

 Atlantic cities, where fresh pork is in demand, the small breeds will doubtless be the 

 best; as small, delicate, fine flavored pork commands high prices. 



In improving our present heterogenous acclimated breeds of pigs, all that is necessary 

 is judicious sefection of sows to cross with some old established valuable breed having 

 the particular qualities desired strongly developed. If it is desired to reduce the size of 

 a common breed, and at the same time to increase its early maturity and disposition to 

 lay on fat, with a small proportion of oftal and bone, there is no better breed, in our 

 opinion, than the Chinese. The valuable characteristics of this celebrated breed — early 

 maturity, rapidity of fattening, delicacy of flesh, fineness of bone, heavy hams, broad 

 shoulders, and deep, well rounded sides — have been long and permanently fixed ; so 

 that they are the more purely impressed on the progeny than would be the case were 

 the breed of a more recent origin. The' improved English small breeds have all more 

 or less of Chinese blood in them, and owe their best points to this and other judicious 

 crossfs. Pure blooded Chinese hogs would probably be too tender and delicate in con- 

 stitution to stand the rigor of our northern winters, but their crosses with our acclimated 

 breeds are hardy ; and -it is better for us to make a good breed in this way, than to 

 import from England a breed which has been so produced there, and which, however 

 good they may be for that climate, do not, as we are informed, give very good satisfac- 

 tion here. This is the case with the Berkshire. A better breed, where neither a very 

 large or small hog is required, does not exist in Great Britain. Here, however, it is by 

 no^means a general favorite. The same rules will apply to the improvement of our 

 large breeds. Get, if possible, a boar of one of the long established improved breeds, 

 such as the Leicester, Lincoln, Sussex, or Yorkshire, and place him with carefully and 

 judiciously selected sows of the breed to be improved. The fecundity of pigs gives the 

 breeder a greater facility in improving his breed of hogs, than he possesses with any 

 other large domestic animals ; lience nothing is easier than to improve any of our breeds, 

 ?.nd also in a short time to extend the improvement from Maine to Georgia. Our com- 

 mon hogs in this neighborhood are a miserable, long-legged, slab-sided, lop-eared, 

 bristly race, aflording abundant room for improvement. We recently saw a tram of 

 hogs passing down the N. Y. & Erie Railroad, that were much superior to anything, as 

 a whole, yye^iwa before seen. They appeared to be a cross between the Berkshire and 

 grass breeds, and came from Ohio. 



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