490 



Canadian Bacon Pigs. 



buff Cochin cross. Their weight on entering the fattening 

 pen was 25 lbs. 3 J ozs., and after five weeks they scaled 

 33 lbs. 6-J ozs., an increase of 8 lbs. 3 ozs. The food con- 

 sumed by this let weighed 39 lbs. 7f ozs. 



In the opinion of the poultry expert, the results of this 

 experiment show that the question of the breed of the fowls 

 is very important in poultry fattening ; and that if the rapid 

 flesh forming breeds, such as Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, 

 Brahmas, and Cochins are properly kept and properly fed for 

 three or four weeks previous to being killed, no forcing or 

 cramming by machine is necessary. 



Breeding and Feeding Canadian Bacon Pigs. 



The Annual Report of the Ontario Bureau of Industries 

 'for 1898 contains some useful observations, which may be of 

 interest to breeders in this country, on the type of pig which 

 Canadian bacon owners engaged in the export trade to the 

 United Kingdom find most profitable. Formerly it was the 

 aim of every breeder in the Dominion to produce big, fat 

 hogs, but in order to meet the requirements of consumers in 

 the mother country a revolution has been effected in the 

 character of Canadian swine. The points now sought for 

 are great length and depth with a corresponding decrease in 

 width of back, light shoulders and jowl, and fleshiness rather 

 than fatness. The breeds which are regarded as most 

 suitable for the production of bacon for British markets are 

 Yorkshires and Tamworths, while Berkshires and Chester 

 Whites are also recommended. For feeding purposes cross- 

 bred swine are stated to give better results than the pure 

 bred, particularly Yorkshire-Berkshire and the Tamworth- 

 Berkshire crosses. 



The economical feeding of pigs has always received con- 

 siderable attention at the Canadian experiment stations, but 

 until recently the experiments have been directed mainly to 

 the determination of the cheapest methods of feeding, 

 irrespective of the quality or firmness of the meat produced. 



