206 FOREIGN. 



it will naturally be inferred, that pig-breeding has 

 been neglected in this country ; and in truth, the 

 stock of those districts which I have just quoted 

 is not equal in size and form to that which they 

 once possessed. The Herefordshire, half a century 

 since, were the crack stores for the London feeders, 

 and the Turners were the chief men for collecting 

 them ; but now it seems both the Turners (at least 

 as pig-dealers), and the large breed of Hereford 

 and Shropshire swine, are nearly extinct. Is Here- 

 fordshire, then, one day destined to lose her large 

 and noble breed of oxen in the same way? The 

 vicinity of Peterborough, Northamptonshire, is said 

 to produce some of the best large-sized swine of 

 the present day. We thus exemplify the motto of 

 the old Almanack makers, omnium rerum vicissitude 

 all things change. 



The West India Islands and the Azores ought 

 not to be forgotten, as producing a fine and deli- 

 cate breed of PIGS, originally it may be presumed, 

 Spaniards, which have at various periods found 

 their way hither; such have been used for the 

 purpose of refining our native breeds. South Ame- 

 rica has also a fine breed of pigs. At Lord Somer- 

 ville's show, in 1809, Mr. Gibbs, seedsman to the 

 Board of Agriculture, exhibited a black wild pig 

 from Monte Video. The sow and litter were im- 

 ported together, and were very savage. They were 

 deep in form, with, very fine bone. One of them 

 fattened very young to twenty-four stone, and al- 

 though ripe and carrying a sufficient quantity of 

 flair, it had more flesh in proportion, in the opinion 



