46 
“If sows were not allowed to breed until they had reached maturity,, 
a healthy vigorous offspring would be the result, receiving sufficient 
nourishment from the mother to beep them in a thriving condition until 
old enough to take to other food. 
“In crossing, care should be exercised to supply any defect in one 
animal by a union with another, possessing the quality wanting in the 
first. By following a judicious system of crossing and breeding from 
full grown healthy stock, there is no difficulty in keeping up a good 
breed of hogs. 
John W. Gray.” 
S. B. Edward’s Statement : 
“ The pigs exhibited by me and which received the premium were one 
pair of the improved Suffolk and one pair of the Essex breeds, and were 
brought into this State by me last spring, and were from the imported 
stock of L. G. Morris, Westchester county, N. Y. 
“ During the fifteen years that I have resided in Wisconsin, I have 
tried the different breeds that I could obtain here, to wit: Native, Sus¬ 
sex, Leicester and Suffolk. 
“ Of the Native breed it is not necessary to speak. 
“ The Sussex I consider too coarse, and too long in arriving at matu¬ 
rity to be profitable or satisfactory. 
“ The Leicesters I kept for several years and found them profitable, 
and considered them the best with which I was acquainted, until I tried 
the Suffolks. This latter breed is white, of medium size, with very little 
hair, thin soft skin, light bones and fine meat. They are remarkably 
easy keepers, and can be made to weigh from three to four hundred 
pounds with less feed and expense than any other breed I have ever 
tested. 
“ The Essex I have not had for a sufficient time to speak of from my 
own knowledge, but should think they are similar to the Suffolk in keep, 
size, &c., but are black and rather more perfect in form. 
“ Hogs should be at least a year old before used for breeding purposes, 
as if bred from, before arriving at maturity, the offspring will be less 
strong and diminished in size, I do not breed in and in, as I believe 
