430 THE HOG. 



tened at the age of two or three years, they become of enor- 

 mous magnitude. Few, however, perfectly unmixed with 

 foreign blood, now remain. Those that are to be found, are 

 merely scattered individuals, in remote districts., or in the 

 hands of old farmers unwilling to change their modes of hus- 

 bandry, or in the possession of persons who retain the fe- 

 males for the purpose of rearing large pigs. They are chiefly 

 to be found in Ireland, and, until lately, were very numerous 

 in that country. The cause of their disappearance is the 

 mixture of blood with that of the more improved breeds. 



In the cases where the older races exist without intermix- 

 ture, the animal presents remarkable characters. Its form is 

 uncouth ; the bones are large, and the limbs Jong ; the back is 

 arched and narrow, the shoulder low, the face long, the ears 

 are large and flapping. It presents, in truth, a combination 

 of the characters which breeders now wish to avoid. Yet, 

 with all their defects, these animals possess one important 

 property. The females produce large litters, and are the 

 best of all nurses for their young. If crossed with the supe- 

 rior races, as with the Chinese or the Berkshire, the imme- 

 diate progeny is always good, retaining the size of the dam, 

 and acquiring the aptitude to fatten of the superior male. 

 Thriftless, then, as these animals are in themselves, with 

 relation to their power of fattening on a given supply of 

 food, yet any one who possesses a Sow of this kind, will find 

 her more valuable than any other for the purpose of rearing 

 pigs. 



In Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and generally in the 

 eastern counties, there are breeds of large size, of a white 

 colour, and with pendent ears. These breeds have been cul- 

 tivated with more or less care, and have all been affected in 

 their form and characters by crossing. The county of Suf- 

 folk has been long noted for producing large quantities of 

 pork, chiefly for the supply of the London market; and the 

 white breed of Suffolk became early known for its goodness. 

 This breed, however, has been crossed and recrossed by the 



