CHAPTER LXXVI 



LARGE YORKSHIRE OR LARGE WHITE 



The ancestry of the Large Yorkshire clearly goes back over a 

 century. Swine from time immemorial have been known in Eng- 

 land, and a large, coarse, leggy, narrow-backed, white hog was 

 common in early days in that country. In 1789 George Culley 

 referred to what is no doubt parent stock of the breed, as follows : 



There was a breed of large white pigs with very large ears hanging over 

 their eyes, which a few years ago were very common in many parts of 

 Yorkshire and Lancashire. They were very plain, thin, awkward hogs, with 

 very long legs, but what distinguished them more was two wattles or dugs, 

 not unlike the teats of a cow's udder, which hung down from their throats 

 on each side. 



Early in the nineteenth century Dickson wrote that the old 

 Yorkshire breed was the worst of the large sort, being long 

 legged and weak loined, with a constitution not of the soundest 

 kind. These were, however, he writes, being improved by Berk- 

 shire stock. In 1842 Low wrote as follows : 



In Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and generally in the eastern counties 

 there are breeds of large size, of a white color, and with pendent ears. 

 These breeds have been cultivated with more or less care, and have all been 

 affected in their form and characters by crossing. 



The white pigs of Cumberland County were also closely related 

 to those of Yorkshire and were much intermixed. 



This old type of Yorkshire had a strong coat of white hair, 

 some blackish or bluish skin spots covered with white hair, a 

 large, long head, big ears, and strong bone. It was slow of 

 maturity and was fed up to over 800 pounds. 



The modernizing of the Large Yorkshire began about the 

 middle of the nineteenth century. Sidney credits the first cor- 

 rect movement to improve by using white Leicesters on old 

 Yorkshires. These Leicesters were large, with smaller heads 

 than the Yorkshire, had erect ears, were fine of hair and light 



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