Breed of Pigs. 
73 
weight, reverting broadly speaking to the conditions obtaining 
prior td 1893, curers relying that having revolutionised the 
strain of breed as well as the feeders’ ideas as to what was 
good and what was bad feeding-stuff, they would continue to 
find pigs yield a sufficient proportion of lean to fat to meet 
their needs. Thus it will be seen that the question of breed 
has played an important part in deciding the methods upon 
which business is to be carried on between feeder and curer. 
Whilst on the subject of breed I ought to emphasise that 
one of the parents should always be pedigree and that pigs 
from Berkshire sows by large Yorkshire boars are pi*e- 
eminently suited to the requirements of the bacon curer. 
Pigs bred in this way can easily be made eight score in 
weight by the time they are six to seven months old. The 
accompanying photo, taken a little while ago, shows two such 
pigs on my own farm, bred by myself. These pigs were killed 
when six months and ten days old, and averaged 8 score 2 lbs. 
dressed weight. I should also mention the significant fact that 
the best breeds of pigs predominant in England are universally 
recognised as the best breeds in the world, as is proved by the 
fact that all foreign countries come to England for their 
pedigree boars and hilts, of which very large numbers are 
exported by breeders everj' year. 
I will now turn to the equally important question of 
Feeding Materials, 
and whatever secondary articles are used I trust that by this 
time everj' one is convinced that barley meal is the one and 
only food to form the basis of the pig’s diet. The best 
