JUDGING SWINE ' 61 



pact and smooth so as to give the hog a symmetrical ap- 

 pearance with respect to a smooth, well-balanced carcass. 

 It should not be too heavy because the shoulder is a 

 comparatively cheap cut. 



The hog should have a long back and loin as well as a 

 long body, because the back and loin is one of the most 

 valuable cuts. It is the place where the pork chop and 

 the pork roast are obtained. This also should be broad 

 because with the breadth of the back the size of the pork 

 chop is materially increased. The breadth should still 

 be maintained even if the hog is not in high condition. 

 The back and loin perhaps may be more improved in 

 breadth by high condition than any other part of the 

 hog; consequently it is very desirable that the hog have 

 good breadth even in moderate flesh, in order to have as 

 much lean meat in the back and loin as possible. The 

 back should be strong ; that is, it should either be straight 

 or, better still, arched, so that the hog will present an at- 

 tractive appearance at all times and will not "go down in 

 the back" or allow the back to sag at any time, especially 

 during periods of pregnancy. The back should be even 

 in width ; that is, it should be as broad in the rear as it is 

 in the front for obvious reasons. With many hogs there 

 is a tendency for the back to taper towards the rear, and 

 sometimes they are especially narrow at the loin. The 

 hog as a whole should be even in width. It should be 

 evenly and firmly fleshed which gives a smooth, well-pro- 

 portioned carcass. 



The side of the hog should be long, deep and thick so 

 as to have as much weight as possible in this cut, which 

 is one of the most valuable in the entire hog. To con- 

 tain sufficient lean meat and to be of good quality it 

 should be firm and free from wrinkles and flabbiness. It 



