PARTS OF THE HOG 189 



Shoulder. — From the shoulder, some very good meat 

 is obtained. This part of the carcass is usually trimmed, 

 packed, and cured separately. The so-called " picnic hams," 

 which are in great demand, come from the shoulder. This 

 should be deep, broad, and well covered with flesh. On 

 top, the shoulders should be compact and well knit, leaving 

 no depressions, which may occur if they are wide and too 

 far apart. If the shoulders on the male hog are too coarse, 

 they may develop " shields,"! which are great thickenings 

 of the skin over the shoulders and are very objectionable. 



Breast and Chest. — The breast should be prominent, 

 wide, and well let down. If the animal is tucked up or 

 deficient in the breast, he will be deficient in the region of 

 the chest and will lack constitutional strength. 



The chest of the hog is one of the most important points 

 to be considered. " Dropping " back of the shoulders and 

 "tucking in " at the heart girth are quite common faults. 

 The modern lard hog fives under unnatural conditions which 

 tend to produce a poor constitution, so that one cannot be 

 too careful in guarding against weakness of the chest. 



Sides. — From the sides of the hog is obtained sOme of 

 the best meat. Iq^bacon hogs this point is most important, 

 and in lard hogs the sides are valuable for packing. In 

 order to insure the maxitnmn amount of side meat, select 

 the animals that have deep, long sides, which are well filled 

 out, indicating thickriess and weight. Smoothness of sides 

 is also desired ; wrinkles indicate poor quality. 

 :. Back. — As is the case with all meat animals, the back 

 is very important. The judge should get his first impres- 

 sions of the animal from its back, and if the animal is defi- 

 cient in this region, it should be given low rank. The back 

 ■should be wide, strong, well arched, and well covered. Fat 



