Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 331 



objectionable because it indicates hard feeding qualities and slow 

 maturity. The butcher prefers a fine-boned hog, but the breeder 

 wants the boar to stand on heavy, clean bone covered with skin that 

 shows no coarseness. The brood sow should have finer bone than the 

 boar, but it should be in every way proportionate to her weight, plus 

 the added weight resulting from pregnancy. 



Proper condition for a market bacon hog is a feature requiring 

 considerable practice in judging. There is danger of too high a degree 

 of fatness, even though the live weight be within the limits that have 

 been mentioned. People who live in the corn belt experience some 

 difficulty in accepting a properly finished market bacon hog as such 

 when first taking up a study of this type. To them the hog looks 

 considerably underdone. The indications of the proper degree of fat- 

 ness are difficult to describe. The hog has a well-fed, thrifty appear- 

 ance, but not a finished look comparable to that of the properly finished 

 lard hog. The flesh is firm and the hog is reasonably well filled out. 

 Soft flesh at the lower part of the hams, at the lower border of the 

 shoulder, or on the jowl, is undesirable because it indicates an over-fat 

 condition and an uneven distribution of the fat. Smoothness and firm- 

 ness of fleshing are decidedly essential. 



As indicating the importance of proper feeding and the proper 

 finish, George B. Rothwell states ^ that the feeding of the market bacon 

 hog is almost, if not equally, as important as the breeding. He par- 

 ticularly cautions against overfeeding and recommends that young pigs 

 be kept hungry and that exercise, green feed, and feeds that produce 

 bone and muscle be provided up to four months of age. He states 

 that middlings, shorts, oats, barley, and skim or buttermilk make a 

 desirable ration at this stage, and that com and barley must be used 

 sparingly, though they may be used more heavily during the last 6 or 

 8 weeks. He concludes by saying, "Once more and lastly — avoid over- 

 feeding." 



The style of the bacon hog should be marked. He should be very 

 active, thus indicating a full muscular development. He should walk 

 without apparent effort. A writhing movement when walking is taken 

 as an indication of weakness in muscling along the back and loin. 



The head varies in shape a great deal, depending to a large extent 

 upon the breed, but there is also much variation between individuals 

 belonging to the same breed. Length of snout varies with the breed. 

 A long snout is very often associated with a narrow chest, and a very 

 short snout often goes with a heavy jowl and neck. The face should 

 be broad, and the poll should be broad also and come well forward, 

 these being indications of constitutional vigor and feeding qualities. 



Dominion Experimental Farms, Seasonable Hints, No. 24, Nov., 1922, p. 34. 



