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VOLUME XXXVII.—No. 4. NEW YORK, APRIL, 1878. NEW SERIES—No. 875. 
Those who have not traveled in European coun¬ 
tries, can hardly realize the strongly marked and 
peculiar distinctions, which exist between localities 
i that are very near together. “So near,and yet so far” 
apart are these different localities, that the stranger 
is surprised, if not bewildered. Thus in the geo- 
: graphically small country, Great Britain, which has 
but a little larger area than the State of New York, 
| there exist not only many different languages, dia¬ 
lects, customs, and habits, hut a very large variety 
of domestic animals. Several different races of 
horses, no less than nine distinct breeds of cattle, 
more than that number of breeds of sheep, and an 
astonishing variety of black, white, spotted, large, 
and small swine. A state of things like this could 
not occur in America, and it is owing to the pecu¬ 
liar character of the British people, slow to chauge, 
strongly prejudiced, obstinate even in what they 
think proper, and averse to travel and removal, that 
this curious condition of things exists. Here we 
are apt to change, fond of new' things, and in fact 
anxious to discover something new, and always 
ready to overthrow all our plans, and to try experi¬ 
ments in some new direction. Thus, with us, in a 
few years a breed of animals, which may become 
popular, spreads here and there over the whole 
country, and becomes generally distributed. Our 
people move frequently from east to west, and car¬ 
ry with them some old ideas, but rapidly appro¬ 
priate those which they find current in their new 
homes, while in England there are herds and flocks, 
which have been kept continuously for a century. 
It is to this peculiar character that we owe the dif¬ 
ferent breeds of pigs that have been imported from 
England ; the Essex, Berkshire, Suffolk, Yorkshire, 
Lancashire, and others. Doubtless we have become 
possessed of the best of English swine, although 
there are breeds or varieties of them which are still 
generally unknown with us. Among the latter is 
that which forms the subject of the above engrav¬ 
ing, the Black Dorset. This is undoubtedly very 
nearly the same, in all practical respects, as the 
well known Essex breed, ■which has become so 
popular in this country. The origin of the Black 
Dorset is as follows :—About 30 years ago, two 
black sows were procured from Turkey by an Eng¬ 
lish gentleman named Coates. These were bred to 
a Chinese boar, and the progeny were, in turn, bred 
to a Neapolitan boar. Since then, the blood ofJMr. 
i so much like the Essex, that the difference is 
1 only evident in the name. They have all the ex- 
! eellent points of the Essex, with perhaps a tendency 
| to greater size ; having been brought to weigh 300 
lbs. at 9 months, and 600 lbs. at 18 months. From 
! the Neapolitan they inherit a fine hide, and thin 
hair, with the consequenttendemess and impatience 
of cold and rigorous weather. As with all rapid 
feeders, the flesh is soft, and the fat oily, when 
forced to their utmost growth ; when moderately 
well-fed and grazed for a season, or subsisted upon 
the waste of a dairy, the flesh is of superior quality, 
and not over fat. The original breeder of these 
swine is still living, and has been awarded a prize 
annually in twenty-four out of twenty-five years. 
