456 MANUAL OF FARM ANIMALS 



is to note the general appearance first, then pass to a more 

 detailed examination. 



General appearance of lard-hogs 



By carefully noting the general appearance of a hog one can 

 gain a fair knowledge of its value. Carefully view the hog or 

 the drove of hogs from a distance before moving up closely to 

 the animals. This gives one a good knowledge of their uniform- 

 ity, temperament, and their general form. The butcher will 

 base his estimate of their value largely on the uniformity and 

 form, and the feeder will base his estimate mostly on their tem- 

 perament, as a mild-tempered pig is likely to be a good feeder. 

 Such an examination will give one a good idea of the weight, 

 quality, and constitution, all very important factors in swine 

 growing. 



The general form of the fat-hog is of primary importance. 

 It should be compact, with the body deep, broad, smooth, and 

 symmetrical. The length should be medium, as a too long 

 back is likely to result in weakness just back of the shoulders. 

 As with the steer, the hog should have the larger part of its 

 weight in the region of the most valuable cuts; that is, along 

 the back, loin, and hams. While the fore-quarters, neck, and 

 head are parts of lesser value, they must show much develop- 

 ment in order to insure constitutional vigor and vitality, which 

 is largely controlled by chest capacity. The chest, therefore, 

 should be broad, deep, and carried well forward. This develop- 

 ment gives the hog a parallelogram development similar to that 

 desired for beef cattle. 



The weight and condition. — The weight will depend largely 

 on the condition, and as these determine the market value 

 they will be considered together. Formerly heavy hogs, those 

 weighing from 400 to 500 pounds, commanded the highest price, 

 but at the present time the market demands a much lighter 

 hog. While market demands are exceedingly variable, in 



