ESSEX SOCIETY. 23 



to the appearance of swine, and the first cost of those selected 

 might often, with the best of feed, be hardly doubled in six 

 months. We believe there is a great difference in the breeds of 

 swine ; that some lay on fat as fast again as others, with the 

 same feeding. Some seem to have no other ambition than to 

 increase in weight, and to rejoice the heart of the farmer ; whilst 

 others seem determined to baulk his efforts and hopes, by either 

 eating with a dainty appetite, or, if devouring food with a seem- 

 ing relish, making no good use of it after it has passed from the 

 stomach, except to increase the contents of the hog-pen. 



With regard to breeds, — the Berkshire, which but a few years 

 since put forth the loftiest pretensions to public favor, is now 

 generally condemned by those who have kept and slaughtered 

 them. In England, where swine meat is used more as other 

 meat is than with us, and where it is consequently desirable to 

 have a considerable portion of it lean, the Berkshires are held in 

 high repute. A Yankee, however, looks first and foremost to a 

 hog for pork, as a relish and as fat. But for furnishing this, the 

 Berkshire breed of swine is among the very worst that exists. 

 The fat pork of an entire Berkshire hog that weighs 350 or 400 

 lbs., is about two inches in thickness, and about a half an inch 

 of that is rind. It is very soft, and does not cool hard like good 

 pork. The legs and shoulders are very weighty, as are also the 

 spare-ribs and loins. 



Your Committee are not sufficiently acquainted with the dif- 

 ferent varieties of swine to distinguish them by their names and 

 qualities, so as to give a preference to any particular breed. It 

 is, indeed, difficult to know what to call the best breed, as they 

 are so crossed and intermixed, as they are to be seen among us. 

 In selecting swine, we should not take a pig with a large head, 

 large ears, large legs and a large tail ; but if we wanted a pig 

 of which to make a hog, we should endeavor to procure one 

 that had a short head and small ears, fine legs, and a slim tail 

 set upon a slope rump. We should then have pork and not 

 bones. At slaughtering, the latter pig, which to appearance 

 would weigh 300 lbs., will be found to weigh 350 lbs. or more ; 

 the former will apparently weigh 400 lbs., but, when brought to 

 the balance, he will be found wanting. 



