THE JUDGING OF SWINE 



407 



Quality in hogs, as in all other animals, is of great impor- 

 tance. This is shown in the condition of the hair, the size 

 of bone, and the development of the head. There should 

 be a plentiful coat of hair that is neither very fine nor very 

 coarse. If too fine, lack of constitutional vigor is indicated; 

 but heavy bristles along the back, tell us surely that 

 a coarse-grained, low grade of killing hog may be expected. 

 The quality of the hair is an index to the quality of bone. 

 Coarse hair naturally goes with coarse bone. Among ex- 

 perienced swine breeders, a bone of fair size, yet not coarse, 

 is especially desired. The well-fattened hog requires strong 

 bones to support the heavy body weight. A common criti- 

 cism is that pigs are too 

 small of bone and lack 

 support of the body. For 

 this reason, many breed- 

 ers and feeders are look- 

 ing for a hog that has 

 plenty of size and bone, 

 without coarseness. In 

 passing judgment on an- 

 imals of this class, one 

 must be mindful to secure 

 as much size as possible, 

 consistent with quality. A large head for the body, with 

 coarse thick ears, also indicates inferior quality. Many 

 young hogs are too small and refined for their age, and never 

 mature into animals of enough feeding or breeding capacity. 

 Excess of refinement is, therefore, to be avoided. 



The condition of the hog relates to its depth and even- 

 ness of covering of flesh and fat. This should be uniform 

 and smooth, no matter what the purpose of the animal. 

 One common defect, more especially of the lard type, is the 

 prevalence of seams, or creases, on the body. These are 

 particularly noticeable about the neck and the fleshy part 



Figure 185. — "The quality of the hair is an 

 index to the quality of the bone." Photo- 

 graph by the author. 



