Breeds of Hogs 421 



part which more liberal feeding and improved environ- 

 ment played in breed formation and improvement was to 

 provide the conditions whereby the inherent possibilities 

 of the individuals could be tested. More intensive feed- 

 ing, in other words, was not the direct cause of the evo- 

 lution of the modern early-maturing breeds ; it was the 

 selection by the breeder of those individuals which were 

 capable of prospering under these conditions. 



Although most of the breeds of hogs are not so old as 

 the larger number of breeds of cattle and horses, as age is 

 usually reckoned, they are older than most other improved 

 animals when measured by number of generations rather 

 than by number of years. This is because little more 

 than a year separates two successive generations of hogs, 

 while there are from three to four in cattle and usually 

 five in horses. This, with the large number of young 

 produced by each generation, explains why the develop- 

 ment of the various breeds of hogs has been so rapid and 

 the degree of improvement effected so extraordinary; 

 for there is probably no species or breed of farm animal 

 which has been more successfully bred to meet given 

 economic needs than has the American hog. 



In the following pages very brief consideration is given 

 to the origin, history, and present dominant characteristics 

 of the more common breeds. The purpose is not to 

 attempt an answer to the question as to what is the 

 best breed of hogs, but rather to note the important 

 characteristics for which each is distinguished. 



THE POLAND-CHINA (PLATE IX) 



The birthplace of the Poland-China breed is in south- 

 western Ohio in the counties of Butler, Warren, and 



