SMALL HOLDINGS 165 



in appearance; he should possess good hams, 

 deep sides, a head of good length, and plenty 

 of hair of fine quality. The breeder should 

 remember that a pig is very much what he 

 chooses to make it. Some men have a pecu- 

 liar genius for breeding to a good type. A 

 man with an ill-bred sow of fairly large size 

 may, by judicious crossing, and by the 

 continuous selection of the best gilts, produce 

 almost any type of pig he requires in the course 

 of a few years; hence, by a recognition of the 

 type of pig which produces the most saleable 

 meat and rapid-growing youngsters, he may 

 be able to evolve that type by the practical 

 exposition of his art. The same work is 

 accomplished by the breeder of cattle and 

 horses, but a much longer period of time 

 is required in either case than with the pig, 

 which, owing to the rapidity of its growth 

 and productive powers, can be transformed 

 from a model of imperfection to a model of 

 perfection in a comparatively short space of 

 time. 



The skill of thousands of men has 

 Poultry been displayed for many years 



Breeding. in the production of highly 



perfect specimens of the many pure-bred 

 varieties of poultry which exist in these 



