Manacjement of Grass Land. 
161 
manufacturing towns and villages, many of whom pride them- 
selves on feeding their pigs up to 700 or even 800 lbs. each. 
On the other hand, in sone of the midland and southern districts 
there is a tendency to patronize the small short-nosed breeds, 
which frequently do not exceed 140 to IGO lbs. when killed for 
bacon. But the fancy breeds, either large or small, exercise 
comparatively little influence on the average of the whole 
I country. By far the largest portion of the pig stock of the 
j United Kingdom is composed of moderate-sized animals, of 
which the Berkshire and the Yorkshire pigs may be taken as 
types of the black and white breeds respectively. The average 
weight of these, when slaughtered, is about 280 lbs. There are, 
liowever, large numbers of pigs killed for salting, especially in 
the south of Ireland, which fall short of the usual weight of the 
regular Christmas bacon-pig. In October 1869 I visited one 
of the large pig-killing establishments in Waterford, and found a 
goodly row of 700 pigs slaughtered that morning. There were 
12,000 carcases of pigs on the premises, the proceeds of the 
previous three weeks' operations. The weights of these were 
from 150 to 250 lbs., and would, I think, scarcely reach an 
average of 200 lbs. These weights would probably be somewhat 
increased as the season advanced. On the whole, I think 250 lbs. 
fairly represents the average weight of a bacon-pig. 
I estimate the porkers at 65 lbs. each. The professional 
opinions all incline in favour of 70 lbs. or more, on the ground 
that comparatively few are killed below 70, whilst there are a 
fair number of heavy weights killed even up to 140 lbs. each, 
not only for consumption as pork, but to be worked up into 
sausages, and other forced-meat compounds. No doubt this is 
true as regards the large towns, but in the country districts and 
small towns a few roasters and a good many young porkers are 
killed; and as the large breeds are unsuited for early slaughter- 
ing, the small breeds are generally selected for the purpose, and 
only reach light weights. I therefore assume the average weight 
:of porkers killed to be 65 lbs. 
j It has been already shown that, out of 269 pigs of all ages 
(available for market, 101 would be killed for bacon, and 168 for 
pork ; and applying to these numbers the weights of 250 lbs. and 
i65 lbs. respectively, we arrive at an average of 134 lbs., which 
Iwill represent the average weight of home-bred pigs of all ages 
killed in the United Kingdom. 
I We are now in a position to apply these numbers and 
weights to Table (B). Beginning with the year 1871 : — 25 per 
(pent, of the 9,347,789 cattle recorded in that year = 2,336,947, 
find multiplying this number by 600 lbs., gives us 625,968 tons 
)f beef and veal as the produce of oiu- (;attle last j ear. Similarly 
VOL. VIII. — S. S. M 
