VOL. LXVII
INDIANAPOLIS, JUNE 8, 1912
NO. 23
Which Breed of Hogs is Best?
Prominent Raisers Give the
Good Points of Their
Favorite Breed.
EACH     KIND     HAS     SPECIAL    AD-
VANTAGES.
Every hog raiser believes that the
breed he is raising is the best, or at
least is best suited for his individual
conditions. Each breed has advantages in its favor and    	
each hog man emphasizes certain of
these advantages more
than he does the others. For this reason
there is a difference
of opinion as to which
Is the one best breed.
The following are the
views of prominent
hog-men on the particular breed that they
consider best. A comparison of these views
will aid every hog-man
to have a broader view
of the hog industry in
general.
bone and flesh formation in a profitable proportion to finish at weight required from 150 pounds to 300 pounds
and over as young as possible, and developing flesh on the choicer cuts of
body        as prominent as        on
cheaper ones, each portion
of body proportionately developed.
Observation has convinced us the hog
with each point well developed is often
overlooked for the hog with an outstanding point or two. The type we
have in  mind  is the one well and  pro-
ing   of   their   breed   more   new   herds
would  be  established.
THE BERKSHIRE.
Prof. C. F. Curtiss, in his article on
"Berkshire Excellence and Progress"
says:
"The Berkshire is unquestionably
the oldest and most widely disseminated of the modern popular breeds of
swine. The breed has stood the test
of ages and proven Its adaptation, in
practically every agricultural region
on the globe. Its outstanding excellence is universally conceded. Berkshire type and quality have been a potent factor in shaping the standards
of   many   of   the   other   breeds;   either
THE   CHESTER
WHITES.
I is claimed that in
1813 a bunch of white
hogs were unloaded
from an English ship
which landed at New
Castle, Delaware, and
they were greatly
admired and sought
after on account of
their size and as a
consequence were generally distributed over
the country. At that
time they were known
in England as the
Cheshire hog.  They are
described as being very      	
lengthy, long legged, with large head
and ears, curved and narrow back,
sides flat and deep and pure white.
An account of one hog weighing 1,410
Pounds gross dressed, 1,215 pounds
net, is given In the history of this
Popular  hog.
Next we read of a pair of pigs being
brought to this country in 1818 for
Captain James Jeffries, of Pennsylvania. They then spread in Chester
and Delaware counties of Pennsylvania
and are there said to have had their
origin. Since that time many different types of Chester Whites have been
bred, and many Improvements in the
breed have been made. Up-to-date
breeders and enthusiasts have taken
Ereat pride in fitting up herds and
showing them at the leading fairs and
expositions, and at the recent International a Chester White barrow succeeded In winning the grand championship over all breeds.
W. t. Farquhar, one of Indiana's
breeders, and Judge, says, in an article
°n "Can we have one profitable type
of Chester?*':
We  want  the  animal  that  can  ap
Propriate  his feed  so as to  keep  the
The Berkshire Barrows exhibited at
the International during the past 12
years, have carried away the highest
honors oftener than any other breed.
This fact alone ls convincing proof of
their excellence.
Secretary Springer, of the American Berkshire Association, gives the
eight following reasons why Berkshires are preferred:
Great muscular power and vitality
which render them less liable to accident and disease than any other.
Activity, combined with strong digestive and assimilating powers, hence
returning a maximum quantity of flesh
nnd  fat  for  food  consumed.
The  sows  are   unsurpassed   for   pro-
       lificacy  and   are  careful     nurses   and   good
sucklers.
Their pigs are strong,
active and vigorous at
birth and consequently less liable to the
mishaps so common
to them when very
young.
They can be fattened
for market at any
age, and yet, if desirable fed to any
reasonable w e.,1 g h t .
from 600 to, in some
Instances,   1,000  lbs.
Their flesh is of the
highest quality of
pork, containing a
larger proportion of
finely marbled lean
and fat than that of
any other breed.
Power of the boar •
to transmit the valuable qualities of the
breed to his progeny
when crossed with
others.
Unsurpassed uni
formity in   color     and
markings.
Pasturing Berkshires on the Sheffield  Farm.
portionately developed; ln all can we
do this and maintain size and profit.
Let us consider champion pen of
Chester barrows at International last
December. They were 17 months and
9 days old. Three weighed 1,490
pounds nearly 500 pounds apiece.
These barrows were near the type we
have in mind. They had the weight
to meet the demand for heavy weights
sold at a premium on market. We
venture these barrows could have
been finished at six months or less at
200 pounds weight. Sold at the top if
that weight had the call other barrows
In the show had more weight, heavy
boned, showing prominent development in shoulder, long thick neck,
heavy on back in front when sold on
market got an 80 pound cut, had apparently no better feeding qualities. It
occurs to me, Brother Breeders, the
profit lies largely on what part of the
body the  hog puts the feed."
The Chester White barrow that won
in Chicago weighed 352 pounds on foot
and dressed 304 pounds. There Is no
doubt but that the Chester Whites are
a profitable hog to raise, and if the
breeders would do a little more boom-
by imitation    or    by    direct resort    to
Berkshire blood.
While this Is an enviable record It
does not warrant a feeling of security.
Breeds do not hold prestiage by tradition or sentiment. The laws of
practical results are inexorable. Berkshires, like all other breeds, must
stand on their own merits; and win
on actual merit or give way to their
rivals. The Berkshire history is a
history of progress. Yet there are
many who remember the old-time
Berkshire as a small, nervous, slow-
maturing hog. This conception does
the modern Berkshire an injustice.
It is an old prejudice hard to overcome. They have grown to be one of
the largest of all of the modern breeds
and while active and good rustlers
their quiet, mild dispositions make
them easy feeders and they mature
early. The modern demand for firmer meat of finer texture and quality,
free from coarseness and excessive
fat, makes the Berkshire a prime favorite with the butcher and packer.
It Is doubtful if any breed meets the
general market demand in so high a
degree."
THE     POLAND
CHINA.
No breed of hogs is
so  well  and  favorably
    known  as   the  Poland
China. A breed of hogs that has
made good in every way. The origin
of this breed dates back nearly one
hundred years, for in 1816 the Shakers, of Warren County, Ohio purchased at Philadelphia a boar and
three sows, represented to them as being either imported Big Chinas or direct descendants from Big Chinas. In
after years other China hogs were
brought into this section of Ohio. This
taken from volume of one of the Ohio
Poland China Record, the first book
ever published which kept a record of
these hogs.
The hog was known for some time
as the Warren County hog, but In after years the name Poland China was
adopted. Originally the hog was
black and white spotted, but today
most of them are solid black with the
six  white  points.
They are very prolific and quick to
mature. The prominent characteristics are: good length, short legs,
broad straight backs, great depth of
body, flanking well down, very broad,
full hams and shoulders, drooping
ears, short heads and wide between
Continued on page 4.