

I "hoto by Hills 



Tamwortb sow, KATY BELL, a very prolific sow that reared thirty-three living 

 pigs in one year, while in the herd at The fowa Agricultural College 



DESCRIPTION OF THE TAMWORTH SWINE 



*pHIS ENGLISH breed has been bred with care during the past sixty years with- 

 out any infusions of foreign blood, consequently the representatives of this 

 breed are very uniform as to color and type. The color should be a cherry red or a 

 dark chestnut and very uniform in shade throughout without any black spots in skin 

 or patches of hair other than the color indicated. The form should show the type 

 that is desired for bacon production, this means a hog that is exceedingly light in 

 offal with a long trim body and especially very smoothly covered with firm flesh indi- 

 cating a desirable mixture of fat and flesh. The head should be slim, the snout fine 

 and not unduly long, the ear of appropriate size for the head with the neck sharp 

 between the ears and light, swelling easily to cover a deep shoulder smoothly. 

 Depth of shoulder is desirable but without any roughness. The shoulder should not 

 bulge out beyond the body or the hips for this detracts from the general appearance 

 of trimness and smoothness which is so very desirable. The back should be long and 

 strong with a gradually rising arch over the shoulder to the loin and then a corres- 

 ponding descending line from there to the end of the tail. Width of the back is not de- 

 manded but extreme smoothness and an even covering of firm flesh is absolutely es- 

 sential. The ribs should drop as deep as possible making the body appear from the side 

 as if it had abundance of depth. The loin is even in width with the shoulder and bac k 

 well covered. The hind quarter lacks the width characteristic of the lard hog as 

 this should not be any wider than the parts which precede it. Length of ham or gam- 

 mon is a peculiar feature which should be looked for. A long ham, fleshed firmly 

 towards the hock without folds of fat is eminently desired. The leading features of 

 the type throughout are length and depth with trimness and smoothness in all 

 regions. See official scale of points, page 186. 



