536 



THE COMPLETE GRAZIEE. 



BOOK V. 



the market. Many of the young boars were too heavy in the jowls and 

 thick in the shoulders, the least valuable portions of the pig ; and too 

 light in the middle and hind parts, which realise nearly as much again 

 when cured and exposed for sale. A society was formed by bacon-curers 

 for the improvement of the Irish pigs, and much good will result from 

 it providing its managers do not form too high an opinion of their own 

 stock, and thus fail to look further afield for the boars intended for 

 distribution in the various districts where pig breeding is followed. 

 The very keen competition to which the Irish bacon-curers are now 

 exposed from Canada, and from Denmark and other foreign countries, 

 has doubtless led them to take similar steps to those adopted by the 

 foreign curers. who are constantly importing some of the best Large 

 White boars it is possible to buy, until as good bacon pigs are to be 

 found abroad as in England, and better than the average Irish pig. 

 It is quite possible that we have omitted to notice some local breeds 



Fig. 138b. Large Black Sow, " Hasketon Long Lady." 

 The property of Mr. C. F. Marriner, Thorpe Hall, Hasketon, Suffolk. 



of pigs which may have a great reputation in the limited districts 

 where they are bred, but it will usually be found that these so-called 

 breeds are offshoots of one or other of the foregoing varieties. 



When an association was established some few years since, mainly 

 by the efforts of Lord Moreton, the late Mr. James Howard, and 

 Mr. Sanders Spencer, for the purpose of registering the pedigrees of 

 pigs and for the general improvement of the chief varieties, the 

 Honorary Secretary, Mr. Spencer, at the desire of the Council, drew 

 up a scale of points. This scale was adopted and embodied in the 

 introduction to the first volume of the Herd-book, and has so generally 

 been accepted as a standard that we have thought it advisable to give it. 



The following scale is applicable, as nearly as a single scale can be, 

 to most of the improved breeds : 



Points. 



Head wide and deep, lower jaw sprung 10 



Neck muscular and rather long 5 



