358 [Assembly 



Lis limbs become shorter, and weaker, he sleeps at night and 

 partakes of his food in the day time, when wild he feeds at 

 night, the muscles in his neck diminish very perceptibly, and 

 his appetite is almost insatiate, the boar becomes gregarious, 

 and the female produces young more frequently and in increased 

 numbers; the teeth diminish to three in each jaw, from six in 

 the wild state. Probably the finest breed of hogs now know^n in 

 the Avorld, is the Berkshire, and he is fine from the fact that he has 

 been cultivated from an early period to the present time; he was pro- 

 bably derived from a cross between the wild boar of England, and 

 the Chinese; his progeny is now widely distributed, not only in Eu- 

 rope, but this country. I am inclined to think this breed has less 

 offal than any other now known; his skin is thin, bristles light, and 

 bones fine. Every breeder should obtain one or more of this breed 

 as cross; he bears unqualified approbation both abroad and at home. 



The Chinese are widely raised in England; they were obtained 

 originally from Canton; this climate agrees very well with the cross be- 

 tween it and our native hogs; in a pure state our climate is general- 

 ly too cold for them; they are fine in the limbs, the ears are transpa- 

 rent and small, head small and delicate, neck very thick, body beau- 

 tifully formed, meat fine grained, rich and luscious, the skin is thin, 

 and the snout, when the animal is fat, can scarcely be seen. I would 

 recommend them only as a cross. I once had a very fine boar and 

 a sow, they were always suflfering from the cold, bad breeders and 

 miserable nurses; if kept warm, they will fatten readily, and on a 

 small quantity of food. 



The Woburn breed has been introduced here from England; they 

 are fine formed animals, quite large, and good breeders; they grow 

 rapidly, being inclined by nature to fatten easily. They were first 

 introduced into England by the late Duke ol Bedford. 



According to experiments made by " M. Teissier on the gestation 

 of animals, it appears that the extreme periods of 25 sows were 109 

 and 143 days; from which he inferred, that on an average, they go 

 127 c^ays from the time of taking the boar until they farrow." Both 

 the boar and sow desire coition when nine months old; they should 

 not, however, be permitted to indulge until one year old; before that 

 age the sow cannot be expected to produce a strong litter of pigs. 

 In a recent French work it is said regarding the sex of the progeny, 

 " that among females who receive the male only once, those who 

 receive him first produce generally more males than females. In 

 proof of which the author, among many instances of similar nature, 



