PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS 37 



siderable number of breeders show considerable variation 

 in type. Every breeder, who is a breeder in the truest 

 sense of the word, has a type of his own and breeds his 

 hogs accordingly; hence there are good Berkshires and 

 bad Berkshires; there are Berkshires of good type and 

 Berkshires of bad type. The latest improved Berkshire 

 is a hog of considerable size. One of the principal con- 

 siderations that goes to make up size and especially 

 weight is the length of body. In this the Berkshire prob- 

 ably excels all other breeds of the fat or lard type. Along 

 with the length of body it has a strong well-arched back, 

 even width and good depth of body, broad heavy hams, 

 light smooth well-set shoulders, excellent feet and legs, 

 standing well up on its toes. As above indicated there 

 are many Berkshires that do not have this required length 

 of body, and in fact many are quite short. Others are 

 small in size, but these should not be selected. 



The Berkshire in general has a short snout with a 

 dished face, that is, the snout turns up rather abruptly 

 from the head. When the hog stands with his head up, 

 the end of his snout may even be higher than the point 

 at which it leaves the head. The tendency of breeders at 

 the present time is to overdo the shortness of snout; 

 it has become a fad, and the snouts of many Berkshires 

 are so short and turn up so much that it is difficult for 

 the hog to eat out of an ordinary trough. Other Berk- 

 shires have what is called a medium snout; they still 

 have the dished face, but a snout that is not so short as 

 to be useless. Some also have a rather long snout, which 

 is not considered proper form. The snout of the Berk- 

 shire as a rule is not fine, but rather heavy and some- 

 what coarse, which is an indication of strength and vigor. 



