300 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
BERKSHIRE. 
£ 3 ^ 
BEDFORD OR WOBURN. 
IMPROVED CHINESE. 
Fattening Hogs. 
For the purpose of giving our readers a clear 
idea of the breeds of swine, and of the difference 
in their appearance, we present engravings of a 
number of them together. The original wild boar 
speaks for himself. Killed at the proper season, 
and when not too old, and where nutritious, wild 
roots and mast abound, the hams and side pieces 
of the wild hog are highly relished. In ancient 
times this was the principal animal food of the 
inhabitants of European forests. 
Land-pike and Alligator may be called the disim- 
provcd or Ishmaelite sorts, which abound in road¬ 
side ditches and along the fence—often the wrong 
side of it—to the great annoyance and injury of 
the good farmer and Ins crops. These are gen¬ 
erally bred and owned by people as Ishmaelitish 
as the animals themselves 
The cut of the Chinese is a good representation 
of those usually imported into this country. The 
objection to them is, they are too small, have too 
much belly, and are sway-backed. Their merits 
are, they mature early, are very prolific, and keep 
and fatten easily. They also make an excellent 
cross on the common lean breeds of swine—the 
progeny usually possessing the merits without 
any of the defects of either parent. 
The SufFolks are very fine in all their points; 
of medium size, mature early, fatten easily, and 
make pork of the best quality. Their color js 
pure white, and they have little hair and no bris¬ 
tles. This breed is supposed to be formed by a 
cross of the Chinese white boar on the common 
white swine of Suffolk County, England, and then 
further improved by careful selections, and breed¬ 
ing these together. 
The Essex breed are about the same size and 
form as the SufFolks. Their color varies from 
very dark copper to black. They are supposed 
to have been formed by a cross of the black Siam¬ 
ese hoar, with the original black stock of Essex 
County, England. Some prefer the Essex as 
more hardy than the Suffolk, hut our opinion is 
that their merits are about equal. 
The Neapolitan are much like the Essex in 
shape, only finer, if possible, with scarcely a hair 
on them—the skin a dark, rich purple The only 
really choice ones we ever saw in this country, 
and which fully answer to this description, were 
imported from Italy by Mr. Chamberlain, of Red 
Hook, Columbia County, N. Y. There are many 
spurious things called Neapolitans, as well as 
other breeds, of which our readers cannot be too 
suspicious. 
The pure Woburn, as bred by the late Duke of 
Bedford, on his estate at Woburn, 40 to 50 years 
ago, has been extinct for some time. One occa¬ 
sionally meets a pig in this country of pure white, 
or white with large patches of dark ash color or 
brown, called “ Woburn,” hut we have no idea 
that they have much, if any, of the pure English 
blood in tliem. 
We now come to the Berkshire, which is a 
favorite farm stock. They are of dark copper, 
purple, or black color, interspersed with a little 
white. They vary from medium size to pretty 
large, according as they are bred. They have 
been so well known for twenty years past in this 
country, that it is unnecessary to describe this 
meed more fully. They are hardy, prolific, and 
mature early. Their great merit is, their uncom¬ 
monly thick, lean, tender, juicy hams. We know 
nothing equal to them in any other breed, and they 
are particularly cultivated for this good point, at 
the West. 
The largest breeds we know are the Leicester¬ 
shire and Lincolnshire swine—particularly the 
latter. Though rather coarse, they are very thrif¬ 
ty, and are highly esteemed on Southern planta¬ 
tions. We have seen occasional specimens 
whose live weight, well fatted, was over 1,200 
lbs. If propeily fattened, they often dress, at 18 
to 20 months old, from 500 to 700 lbs. 
The Chester breed, of Chester County, Pa., are 
much like the above, except they are usually 
finer; and we have seen similar in this and the 
Western States. 
Hogs, we said, not land-pikes, with noses aa 
long as hand spikes, and legs like a deer. We 
should as soon think of trying to lay flesh upon a 
lightning rod, as upon one of these animals, that 
sometimes infest a farmer’s sty. The best use 
yon can put such brutes to, is to sell them to the 
bristle dealers, reserving the noses for top riders 
to a rail fence ; that is, if you are situated as 
