330 JUDGING SWINE 



Head. — The head should be short, straight or medium 

 in dish and broad between the eyes. The eyes should be 

 large, clear, and prominent. Features of the breed or type 

 should be especially significant. The head should be deep 

 as viewed from the side, showing a straight face or medium 

 dish, a large muzzle, and open nostrils. 



Ears. — ^The ears should be medium in size, erect, semi- 

 erect, or pendant, depending on the breed, and covered with a 

 short, fine coat of hair. Heavy, coarse, pendant ears indicate 

 inferior quality. The Berkshire has an erect ear, the Poland- 

 China a semi drooping ear, and the Chester White a droop- 

 ing or pendant ear. These factors are not as important in 

 judging market hogs as when considering animals from the 

 breed type standpoint. 



Jowl. — The jowl should be firm, trim, and closely carried. 

 A large, heavy, pendant jowl is objectionable, as it indicates 

 coarseness of quality or overdevelopment in condition. A 

 smooth, trim jowl is most desirable, as this condition is 

 usually significant of quality. Superfluous, flabby flesh 

 or fat is objectionable in this region both in breeding and 

 market animals. 



Neck. — The neck of the hog should be short, broad, deep, 

 and smoothly and evenly blended with the head and shoul- 

 ders. A long, thin neck is objectionable as it usually signifies 

 inferior breeding, low condition or general unthriftiness. The 

 neck of the hog is extremely short, especially in the fat type, 

 there being a longer, more pronounced formation in the 

 bacon type of animal. 



Shoulders. — The shoulder development of the hog is 

 extremely important, as the form of it is indicative of several 

 important factors. Large, coarse, open shoulders detract 

 seriously from the value of an animal, either for breeding 

 or feeding purposes. The same characteristics will be 

 transmitted by the breeding animal, and such a condition 

 is objectionable in finished animals owing to the relatively 

 high value of the cuts in this region. The shoulders should 

 be broad, although not to such an extent that the fore- 

 width of the body cannot be carried out to the extremity. 

 This is one of the common faults of the hog and therefore 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



