A MANUAL ON THE HOG. 



BERKSHIRE. 



21 



ALICE BROWN. 



DUKE OF WELLINGTON. 



Thorough-bred Prince Albert 

 Berkshire boar, weight, 600 pounds 

 gross when fat. 



Both the property of Capt. E. T. Davis, Thomasville, Ga. 



Weight, 500 pounds gross when 

 fat. Thoroughbred Prince Albert 

 Berkshire sow. 



Mr. A. B. Allen, in his premium essay, published in 

 Vol. 1. American Berkshire Record, gives the following 

 account of the 



"FORMATION OF THE IMPROVED BERKSHIRE SWINE." 



" Tradition tells us that this was made by a cross of the 

 black or deep plum colored Siamese boar, on the old un- 

 improved Berkshire sows. Other traditions assert that the 

 black, and white spotted, and even pure white Chinese 1 

 boar, was also sparingly used to assist in the same purpose. 



" I can well believe this ; for I often saw swine, in Berk- 

 shire, spotted, about half and half black and white, in addi- 

 tion to the reddish brown, or buff and black, and so on, up 

 to a pure plum color, or black. The produce of the above 

 cross, or crosses, was next bred together, and 'by judicious, 

 subsequent selections, the improved breed, as we now find 

 it, became, in due time, fixed and permanent, in all its 

 desirable points. 



