JUDGING THE LARD TYPE OF SWINE 



505 



a conformation associated with a narrow thigh and ham. 

 If the hocks are widely separated, and the legs and toes 

 point in— a rather unusual position behind— then the legs 

 are usually bowed, and furnish a weak support to the body. 

 The butcher is not interested in this matter of position of 

 leg and bone, if the ham is sufficiently thick and deep, but 

 as a matter of inheritance, the strength of bone and proper 

 carriage of leg have a vital bearing on the character of the 



Fig. 281. — "It is a common tendency for the hog to shove the hind legs 

 beneath the body in quite a slanting position, with the dew claws almost, 

 if not quite, touching the ground." 



ham and its value. The pasterns and toes or the hind legs 

 should have an upright, straight carriage, for the same 

 reasons given in the discussion of these parts of the front 

 legs. 



The animal being carefully examined, and comparison 

 with the ideal being made through the various steps of 

 scoring, the total score is to be placed at the bottom of the 

 card. In making this detailed examination, the various 

 features of importance are brought to the attention of the 

 judge. A number of other hogs may be scored to advantage 



