PRINCIPAL CHARACTERISTICS 49 



Essex Swine. The Essex is classed as a small hog and 

 is representative of the type of southern Europe. Its color 

 is jet black. There are different shades of color repre- 

 sented by different breeds. The Berkshire, while black in 

 general, is not a jet black; the Poland-China is black, 

 which is a darker shade than that of the Berkshire, but 

 not as black as the Essex; but the Essex is jet black and 

 has no white on it whatever. It is a small compact hog, 

 standing on short legs. It may briefly be described as 

 being typical of the fat or lard type except that it is 

 smaller in size. On account of the way the breed was 

 established, which was largely by inbreeding, it exhibits 

 great uniformity, but also some delicacy, and cannot 

 stand further inbreeding. 



Other Breeds. Besides the above mentioned there are 

 minor breeds such as the Small Yorkshire, Middle York- 

 shire, English or Black Suffolk, the American or White 

 Suffolk, Victorias by F. D. Curtis of Charleton, Saratoga 

 County, New York; Victorias by G. F. Davis of Dyer, 

 Indiana. The hogs of these breeds, however, are not 

 numerous enough to warrant further discussion. 



Besides these there is the mule-footed hog, which is 

 characterized by having a solid instead of a cloven hoof. 



There are two other English breeds that have come into 

 prominence in England during recent years; they are 

 the Large Black Hog and the Lincolnshire Curly 

 White. The Large Blacks are a long bodied, large, rather 

 coarse hog with heavy lopped ears. They are of the 

 bacon type and are good feeders and good scavengers; 

 also grazers. The latter is also considered of the bacon 

 type, but is really more of the fat or lard type, being more 

 compact, closer to the ground, heavier set and thicker 

 throughout. It has a white curly coat of hair. The fol- 

 lowing cut shows the Large Black. 



