Types and Market Classes of Live Stock 389 



existed a great spirit of rivalry as to who should annually win the honor 

 of raising the best lot of hogs, making the greatest average weight at 

 different ages, for which Philadelphia butchers always paid an ad- 

 vanced price." Following are some of the dressed weights reported: 



Average 



dressed weight 



Pounds 



30 hogs, 22 months old 686 



18 hogs, 22 months old 734 



23 hogs, 20 months old 639.5 



34 hogs, 17 months old 565 



51 hogs, 17 months old 520 



17 hogs 862 



20 hogs 882 



25 pigs, 8 months old 413 



16 pigs, 7 months old 278 



20 pigs, 6M months old 280 



Other early writers reported equally heavy weights for Jersey 

 Red hogs and early Poland-Chinas. ^ 



The following weights of hogs packed in the West during the 

 winter packing season, and of hogs marketed annually at Chicago, 

 show the changes that have occurred during the last half century: 



Average live weight of hogs and yield of lard in the West for the winter packing 

 ending March 1 ^ 



Note that January weights exceeded yearly average weights at 

 Chicago until 1890, and that subsequently January averages were 

 lower than yearly averages. 



Development of an unprofitable type. — During the late seventies 

 and early eighties fresh pork and bacon began rapidly to replace the 



1 American Duroc-Jersey Record, Vol. 4, pp. 15, 16. 



2U. S. Dept. Agr. An. Rpt., 1866, pp. 384, 385; Standard Poland-China Record, 

 Vol. 1, 1887, pp. 22, 23. 



3 Compiled from Price Current — Grain Reporter Year Books. 

 * Drovers Journal Year Book of Figures for 1922. 



