CHAPTER XI 

 JUDGING SWINE AND SHEEP 



Swine are produced for meat alone ; and the ideal animal 

 is the one that will produce the maximum percentage of 

 good meat. The lard hog is a low-down, thick, compact 

 animal that has been developed on fattening foods ; while 

 the bacon hog has been developed on foods that tend to 

 produce more bone than muscle. The fat hog is a product 

 of the corn belt, where corn is the cheapest ration grown and 

 the one most commonly fed. The bacon hog is a product of 

 regions outside the corn belt. The market favors the corn- 

 fed hog because it dresses a higher percentage of carcass, 

 averaging from 80 per cent to 85 per cent of the live weight. 

 The bacon hog dresses about 10 per cent less than the lard 

 hog. 



The average consumer prefers meat from the bacon hog, 

 notwithstanding its higher cost, because it contains a larger 

 proportion of lean meat. 



JUDGING LARD HOGS 



In form the lard hog is deep, broad, low, long, symmetrical, 

 and compact, standing squarely on its legs. The ideal lard 

 hog gives one the impression of great weight in the smallest 

 possible space, and is the type sought by the butcher. In 

 this respect it closely resembles the beef steer and the 

 mutton sheep. 



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