SWINE, niSTORY AND BREEDS. 
347 
provement in all our modern breeds, both in England and America. In 
England its prepotency has been strongly felt in all the breeds and has 
transferred the long-legged, coarse-boned, elephant-eared, and big-headed 
rwine of Old England into the deep-bodied, broad-necked, short-nosed, 
compact, and early-maturing Berkshire, Essex, Suffolk, Small Yorkshire 
fend other representative breeds, which have been further improved by the 
CHINA sow. 
infusion of Neapolitan blood, reducing the hair, hide and bone until now 
but little more is tcS be desired . And i:i our own covihtryit has given us 
the Poland-China, Chester whites, improved Chesbires and New Jersey 
reds, 4 — breeds which may compete most favorably with any others in 
the United State *. 
English Broods — The Berlishircc. 
This now magnificent breed has been bred in Berkshire, England and 
in adjacent countries from a very early day. Their origin is thus report- 
ed : The family of hogs in Berkshire, England, which was the foundation 
of the present improved breed, was of a sandy or buff color, about equally 
spotted with black ; was of a large size, a slow feeder, and did not fully 
maturo till two and a half or three years old. But as such it was very 
highly esteemed for the proportion of lean to fat in its meat, and for 
the superior weight of its hams aiid shoulders, thus rendering the whole 
carcass peculiarly fitted for smoking, for which purpose it was said to 
