JUDGING THE LARD TYPE OF SWINE 



499 



should liave quite an erect position. However, animals that 

 are old or heavy frequently break down at the pasterns and 

 slope considerably both at this point and the toes. 



The body of the hog is given 32 points more than to 

 any other one section in the scale of points. This is because 

 six parts are included here, two of which, the back and 

 loin, are most important from a meat-producing point of 

 view. The chest, which occupies the space just back of the 

 shoulders, gives 

 evidence of heart 

 and lung capacity, 

 hence a demand 

 here for width and 

 depth, and a dis- 

 tinctly large girth. 

 Special emphasis 

 should be given to 

 fullness at the front 

 flanks, and just 

 back of the shoul- 

 der. If the front 

 legs are short and 

 carried wide apart, 

 and the shoulders 

 are well laid in, as 

 a rule the chest 



will show a wide girth, exhibiting plenty of con- 

 stitution. Certain features are associated with desira- 

 ble chest conformation, viz. : the low-set floor, and a 

 wide placement of the legs. The chest girth of 

 the hog is relatively large, and a measurement of 38 

 inches at 9 months of age is quite common. Matured fat 

 hogs may girth 70 inches or more. The back of the hog 

 naturally rises in a slight arch, as reference to the skeleton 

 clearly shows. Some breeds exhibit considerable natural 

 arch, and others but little. It is very desirable to secure 

 plenty of length, with slight arch, and considerable spring 



Fig. 275. "The hack of the hog naturally rises 

 in a slight arch." 



