Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 321 



the fat, finished pig is short winded and is weak in underpinning, so 

 that it becomes a difficult matter and perhaps impossible to get him 

 safely to market. 



The head is of medium size, medium length, broad between the 

 eyes, and short of snout. A narrow head and finely pointed snout are 

 indications of a poor feeder. The shape and length of head vary ac- 

 cording to the breed, but in none of the lard breeds is much length or 

 narrowness desirable. The eyes should be as large, prominent, and 

 clear as possible, a small, sunken eye obscured by rolls of fat around 

 the socket being objectionable. The carriage of the ear varies accord- 

 ing to the breed, being erect in some and drooping or broken in others. 

 In all the breeds, however, a fine and medium-sized ear, neatly attached 

 to the head, is desired. The jowl should be neat and trim. It should 

 not be loose and flabby, because this indicates an excessively fat condi- 

 tion, lack of firmness in covering, and lack of intermixture of fat and 

 lean in the carcass. Trim, firm jowls from light-weight hogs may be 

 made into bacon squares. The cheeks and jowls should be free from 

 wrinkles or seams. The poll of the head should be broad and carry 

 forward prominently. 



The neck should be of medium length, slightly arched, and medium 

 broad on top. A neck that is narrow or peaked on top is not often 

 associated with a body of the desired conformation, and it also denotes 

 lack of condition. 



The shoulders are very frequently too open and prominent, so 

 that as one looks down at the top of the hog the shoulders are found to 

 be much the widest part of the animal. They should be well laid in, 

 very smooth, and have no greater width than the rest of the body, 

 such a hog being much more desirable from a market and carcass point 

 of view. The tops of the shoulders should not stand open and apart, 

 but should be laid together and thickly fleshed so as to present a fairly 

 wide and very smooth surface in harmony with the rest of the top. 



The front legs should be of medium length, this being a somewhat 

 variable feature depending on the breed, and they should also be 

 straight. It is especially important that the pasterns shall be short, 

 upright, and very strong, and that the feet shall be strong also. These 

 points should be particularly emphasized, for it is a fact that weak, 

 broken-down pasterns and weak, spreading toes are among the most 

 common and most serious faults to be found in swine of the lard type. 

 Weak legs may be due to a natural or inherited weakness, or to im- 

 proper feeding during the growing period. If growing pigs are fed on 

 com exclusively, they are liable to develop weakness of the legs, be- 

 cause corn does not carry sufficient bone- and muscle-building con- 

 stituents to satisfy the demands of the animal during the growing 



