A MANUAL ON THE HOG. 15 



are indebted to the Old World for this, as well as the rest 

 of our useful domestic animals. 



There is, perhaps, no other animal which has been so 

 much improved by domestication as the hog. Indeed, his 

 form has been so changed that his relationship to his grisly 

 progenitor, the wild boar, would hardly be recognized. 



The hog has been successfully raised in Georgia since her 

 first settlement, and has always constituted an important 

 product of her farms. 



Previous to 1865, more attention was given to breeding 

 and fattening hogs than since. In 1860 the population of 

 the State was 1,057,286, and the number of hogs 2,036,116 

 nearly two per cent, capita. In 1870, the population 

 was 1,184,109, while there were only 988,566 hogs. The 

 number in the State has increased since 1870 about 300,- 

 ooo, but is still far below that necessary to supply the home 

 demand for bacon and lard, nearly 100,000,000 pounds of 

 bacon, pork and lard being annually imported into the 

 State. 



Until within the last few years the general practice was 

 to keep hogs until they were two years old, and this is still 

 the practice with many who have large wood range. There 

 is more attention being paid now to the improvement of 

 the common, long-legged, narrow-chested, common stock, 

 by crossing, than with the improved early-maturing breeds. 



ADVANTAGES OF PORK OVER ALL OTHER 

 % KINDS OF MEAT. 



i . EASILY PRESERVED B v SALT. The facility with which 

 pork is preserved with salt, without the use of brine, will 

 always stimulate the rearing of swine as an article of food 

 for home consumption, as well as an important article of 

 commerce. 



The flesh of no other animal is either so readily preserved 

 by salt, so palatable to the general taste, or capable of safe 

 transportation to any part of the world at any season of 

 the year. 



