40 British Cattle, Sheep, Horses, and Pigs 



many pigs in Ireland as in Scotland, although the two 

 countries are about equal in area and population. In 

 England there is only one head of swine to about every 

 fifteen people, whereas in Ireland the ratio is one to 

 three. The pig in Ireland is, in some districts, almost 

 a domestic companion. 



Our native breeds of pigs are of several classes. 

 There are the Large, Middle, and Small White breeds 

 which are indigenous to Yorkshire, Leicester, Cam- 

 bridge, and Suffolk. Then there are the Black breeds 

 of Suffolk and Essex, and those of Berkshire ; and 

 the Staffordshire pigs, one of the oldest breeds known 

 as the "Tamworth." 



8. THE BOARDS OF AGRICULTURE. SMALL 

 HOLDINGS AND ALLOTMENTS 



In some of the previous chapters we have traced the 

 history of the agricultural industry in our country, and 

 we have dealt with the crops and livestock. We will, 

 in this chapter, refer first to the Boards which have the 

 oversight of all that relates to British agriculture, and 

 then to the establishment, in recent years, of small 

 holdings and allotments. 



The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries for England 

 and Wales, to give the full title, was established in 

 1889, though it had predecessors, the first of which was 

 created in 1793. It is under the Lord President of the 

 Council and has most important functions to discharge, 

 such as the collecting of statistics relating to agri- 

 culture and forestry, and the publication of information 

 relating to these subjects. 



