92 THE HOG. 



Buxton. It was white, and two years and two months old. Its 

 height was 3 feet 9 inches, the carcass when dressed weighed 660 

 pounds, exclusive of fat to the amount of 98 pounds. It was fattened 

 upon Indian meal, pea-meal, &c. It was of the improved old Che- 

 shire breed. 



In taking a survey of our improved breeds, we can do little more 

 than generalize, although a few breeds may require a somewhat 

 particular notice ; we mean those to which other strains owe their 

 improvement. 



Among the early improvers of swine must be enumerated Mr. 

 Bakewell. Before his time the Leicestershire hogs were of the same 

 coarse ungainly kind which prevailed generally throughout the mid 

 land counties. He commenced by a judicious selection of stock 

 destined for breeding, and by persevering in this system greatly 

 modified the characters of the old race ; in due time the Bakewell 

 breed extended into other counties, superseding or influencing the 

 ordinary races. This was the case in Yorkshire, the old breed of 

 which county was of large size, gaunt, greedy, and unthrifty, coarse 

 in the quality of the meat, flat-sided and huge-boned. By crossing 

 with the new Leicester stock great improvement was soon effected ; 

 the cross-breed lost in size but gained in every good qualitv; it 

 became deep-sided, short-limbed, small-boned, and fattened readily. 

 The coarse wiry bristles were exchanged for fine thin hair, and the 

 whole aspect of the animal underwent a transformation. The hogs 

 at about two years old averaged from 420 to 840 Ibs., . younger 

 animals weighing in proportion. 



Some of the Yorkshire breeders preferred the pure new Leices- 

 ters, and these are still reared by judicious farmers, who esteem them 

 as superior to most others, and certainly more profitable than most 

 of the larger kinds. They fatten kindly, often attaining the weight 

 of upwards of 420 Ibs., at the age of sixteen or eighteen months. 

 Other breeds, however, besides the new Leicester, have found advo- 

 cates in Yorkshire : among these are the Berkshire, crosses between 

 which and the Yorkshire are deservedly esteemed, as are also crosses 

 between the Yorkshire and Lord Western's improved Essex variety. 

 The latter cross is remarkable for smallness of bone, rotundity of 

 figure, and aptitude for fattening. The hogs when fat average 420 

 Ibs. The Chinese and the Neapolitan pigs have been tried by several 

 breeders, and judicious crosses between these and the Yorkshire race 

 are excellent, both as regards good symmetry and fattening quali- 

 ties. In fact, the large old Yorkshire stock may be regarded as 

 extinct. 



The new Leicesters, even in their own county, have undergone 

 modification since the time of Mr. BakewelL Excellent crosses 

 have been made between them and the Berkshire and Essex breeds. 



The improved Berkshire hog belongs "to the tribe of large swine. 



