HOG. 



quality, as well as for their prolific 

 nature ; and when, by judicious cross- 

 ing, the size is increased, they are a 

 very profitable breed. The Chinese 

 pig (Fig. 1) is short in the head, with 

 Fig. 1. 



small ears, very wide in the cheek, 

 high in the chine, and short in the 

 leg. When a sow of this breed is 

 heavy in pig, her belly generally drags 

 on the ground. The young pigs of 

 the Chinese breed, especially the 

 white variety, are excellent for roast- 

 ers, at three weeks or a month old. 

 They are small and fat, with little 

 bone, and their skin is very delicate. 

 They also make excellent "porkers at 

 about three months old, when kept 

 for some time after weaning on the 

 refuse of the dairy. They may be 

 kept fat from the time they are wean- 

 ed till they are fit to be killed for ba- 

 con ; and although they do not come 

 to a great size, they will pay very 

 well for their food if killed at a twelve- 

 month old. 



" The breed that is nearest to the 

 Chinese is the Suffolk. They are 

 generally white, with the ears point- 

 ed and rather forward ; they are broad 

 in the chest and loins, short and com- 

 pact : they make fine bacon hogs at 

 twelve or fifteen months old, weigh- 

 ing from twelve to fifteen score when 

 killed. The sucking pigs and pork- 

 ers are also very delicate. The Es- 

 sex breed is mostly Wack and white ; 

 the pure breed, however, is said to 

 be quite black, and is so nearly al- 



lied to the smooth Neapolitan breed, 

 which has scarcely any hair, that we 

 cannot help supposing a consanguin- 

 ity between them. \\'hen crossed 

 with the Neapolitan, they produce a 

 breed which fattens at a very early 

 age, and to an astonishing degree. A 

 breed of this cross, carefully select- 

 ed by Lord Harborough, has gained 

 the first prizes for fat pigs at the 

 Smithfield annual Christmas shows 

 for several years past. They were 

 fed extravagantly, no doubt, but at 

 twenty-two weeks old they were so 

 completely covered with fat that their 

 feet were scarcely to be seen ; and 

 if they could stand, which is doubtful, 

 it is certain that they could not walk.'' 

 Mr. Coleman speaks favourably of a 

 grass breed raised in New- York : 

 " This is a hog, raised with little oth- 

 er feed than clover pasturage for the 

 first six months, of a white colour, 

 with black patches sprinkled over him, 

 long and well formed, of good thrift, 

 and who, with good keeping, at eigh- 

 teen months old is easily brought to 

 400 and 500 pounds weight." 



" The Neapolitan hog is black, 

 without any hair, very plump, with 

 pricked ears. No breed can excel it 

 in the aptitude to fatten. The sows 

 often become so fat on very scanty 

 food, that they will not breed : they 

 are extremely tender, and if they hap- 

 pen to have litters in wmter, it is dif- 

 ficult to save the young pigs from dy- 

 ing in cold nights. A cross of the 

 Neapolitan with some of our hardier 

 breeds greatly improves their useful- 

 ness, without injuring their aptitude 

 to fatten : the best cross is with the 

 Berkshire, which is a well-shaped hog 

 (Fig. 2), with short legs, small ears, 

 broad chines and loins, and good hams. 



" From the prolific nature of the 

 hog, it is not difficult to select the 



370 



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