764 



SWINE 



Large Black now yields at a very early age the chief desideratum, 

 namely, a long, deep-sided carcass, of 160 to 190 pounds dead 

 weight, light in shoulder, jowl, and offal, and showing a larger pro- 

 portion of lean meat than any other breed." Spencer states that 

 while making a good grade of meat, the Large Black cannot be 

 regarded as the equal of the leading British breeds. 



The prolificacy of the Large Black pig is said to be above aver- 

 age in comparison with English breeds. They tend to produce 

 large litters, somewhat comparable with the Tamworth and Large 

 Yorkshire. They are reported' as having litters of from 17 to 18 



pigs, and one sow in 



Fig. 354. A Large Black sow, a first-prjze winner 



in 1914 at the Royal Counties Show, Portsmouth, 



England. From photograph by the author 



New Zealand, "typical 

 of the breed," is re- 

 ported as farrowing 

 in her first four litters 

 9, 12, 15, and 18 pigs 

 respectively. 



The popularity of 

 the Large Black pig 

 seems to be having a 

 rather remarkable de- 

 velopment. Compara- 

 tively little known a 

 few years ago and 

 scarcely referred to in the best British works on swine, it is to-day 

 one of the breeds that is attracting wide attention at the impor- 

 tant shows in England, and is being bought for export to a con- 

 siderable extent. As substantial evidence of this public favor it 

 is but necessary to record the sale of K. M. Clark, in 19 18, 

 where a Large Black sow sold for ^2275, and on which occasion 

 four other animals were struck off at ^1575, ^1500, ;^i2 5o, and 

 $1000 respectively. This was the outstanding swine sale in Great 

 Britain in a period of high prices generally. Present indications 

 are that the Large Black is to have a great growth in popularity 

 in the next few years. 



The distribution of Large Black swine in England is more 

 especially in the south counties of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, 

 Essex, and Suffolk, where numerous herds of merit are to be found. 



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