Judging Swine 281 
JUDGING BACON-HOGS 
455. Condition. — The flesh is not so thick as on the lard type 
of hog, rarely exceeding one and one-half inches, but it must be 
firm, smooth, and even over all parts. It should be firm, as this 
indicates the presence of lean meat; it should be smooth and free 
from wrinkles and seams, as smoothness indicates even fleshing 
and good quality; and the flesh covering should be even over 
all parts ofthe body in order that the cuts of bacon may be 
uniform. 
456. Form.— The form should be long, level, and deep. It 
should be long in order to give length to the side cuts; it should be 
level and free from sway back; and it should be deep in order to 
increase the percentage of side meat. The shoulders and hams 
should be light and the animal of uniform width from the shoulders 
to the hams. Width is not sought, but both length and depth are 
of prime importance. The form should appear trim and neat, 
and the animal be free from all coarseness in hair, hide, and 
bone. 
457. Sides. — Among bacon-hogs, the sides are of prime impor- 
tance, as the choicest bacon comes from this region. It is, there- 
fore, essential to have as much as possible of the desired weight 
in this region. The sides should be long, smooth, and level. 
From shoulder to ham should be as long as possible without in- 
creasing weakness, thus giving long side cuts; they should be 
smooth and free from wrinkles and seams; and they should be 
level from shoulders to hips. A swaying back or a too pendulous 
belly are very objectionable. 
458. Market classes of swine. — On the market, swine are 
divided into classes according to weight and condition. While’ 
these classes are exceeding variable between the different mar- 
kets, yet the following table will give an idea of the nature of 
the classification. Each sub-class is divided into a number of 
grades. 
