MA R 24: 1917 BREEDS OF SM HS 7 1, F. ' . A SH B ROOK A n ima l H us b a n d ry D ivision FA RMERS ’ B 'L L ETIN 7 65 ' N ITED STA TES DEPA RT MENT OF A 'RIC'L T'RE C o ntrib utio n from the B u rea u of A n imal I n d us tr y A . D . MEL .EN ief , Ch S ' as i n to n D. C. g , Ma r c h 1 9 1 7 h , H ERE a re di wi n d two stinct types of s ne , the lard a the bacon types . Swine of the la r d type fa r outnumber those of the bacon type in the United Sta tes . The lar d type f rr is pre e ed by the people of this country , consequently the of f a majority eeders produce the r pid fattening, heavily fleshed lard type . The bacon type is not raised e xtensively in the United States . The production of choice bacon is more genera l in those countries where the feed of the hog is more varied a nd i where corn s not relied upon a s the principal gr ain for hogs . ’ The principal breeds of the la r d type a r e the Pola n d- China - u hi . Berkshire , Chester White , D roc Jersey , and Hamps re The principa l breeds of the bacon type a r e the Ta mworth and the Large Yorkshire . There is no best breed of swine . Some breeds a re superior t i a n d r to others in cer a n respects , one breed may be bette adapted than a n other to certa in local conditions . This is a matter which the fa rmer wil l have to decide for himself. In for ri of w r mation concerning the va ous breeds s ine , thei origin , a a a a a n d i is gener l ppe r nce , development , adaptabil ty given in the following pages . MR' 2 4: IH II B REEDS OF S' INE C O N TEN TS . Page . oosin a e e la of h o — o n in ue Ch g br ed 3 Th rd type g C t d . la ifi ca ion of win e 3 e am s i e C ss t s Th H p h r . e la e f h o 4 e a on e f c o h o . Th rd typ o g. Th b typ g e Polan - h na 5 e amwo Th d C i . Th T rth The Berk sh ire 6 The Large York shir e 7 Min or breeds of hogs The Chester ' hi te 9 CH O O S I N' A B REE D. ' H E is ? a n question , Which the best breed of swine can not be T w s er ed by naming any one breed . Some breeds are superior to others in certain respects , and one breed may be better adapted than ' ' c . t another to certain lo al conditions In general , the bes hog is his . the one the farmer likes best , provided it is what market demands t He will not make a mistake , however , if he makes a selec ion from the breeds already established in his l oca l itv . This is a matter which the farmer will have to decide for himself . After the farmer has d ecided upon the breed of hogs which he nd believes to be the best a most profitable for him to raise , he should ' stick to that breed and endeavor to d eveIOp it to its highest possible standard . It is impossible to get the mos t out of swine breeding by continually changing from one breed to another . There is adequate room , and market , for the different breeds of hogs, but it would not be profitable for one individual to try to r ai se several and bring them to perfection . CL A S S I FI CA TIO N O F S ' INE. There are two distinct types of swine which h a ve been developed by different methods of breeding and feeding for certain market requirements . They are the lard type and the bacon type . Swine of the lard type far outnumber those of the bacon type in the United . m States The former is often called the A erican type of hog, because in this country it h a s reached its highest development . The people of the United States generally prefer this type of hog for their purposes ; consequently the maj ority of feeders produce the rapid r es on fattening, heavily fleshed lard type . Corn which is largely p sible for this type of hog, is deficient in protein and ash , and has a tendency to prod uce fat at the expen s e of lean meat . ° — — 5 6 09 0 Bull . 7 6 5 1 7 ’ 4 FA RM ERS B ' L L ETI N 765 . The bacon breeds of hogs a re n ot r a ised in very large n umbers in the United States . Where corn is not relied upon as the principal grain for hogs, the production of choice bacon is more gener a l than s o- in the corn belt , even though the called lard b reeds are used . As e the markets becom more discriminating , breeders will pay more f o attention to the production of quality , and with the demand r greater excellence in meat the American or ' lard ' breed s doubtless will be modified to play a large pa rt in its supply . TH E L A RD TYPE O F H O'. w The lard hog is low set and compact , ith a very wide and deep . - n ot body The shoulders should be full , although coarse , with full hind quarters and hams carried out straight to the r oot of the tail — - F m 1 . Pol n na o . a d Chi b ar ' a n d thickl y fleshed down to the hock . The flesh should be thick and evenl y distributed throughout the body . The size and weight are . F largely determined by market conditions ormerly , very heavy 17 5 250 hogs were in demand , but at present pigs weighing from to pounds ordinarily command the highest prices . The lard hog does not show the quality and density of bone that prevails in the bacon breeds . - The principal breeds of the lard type are the Poland China , Berk o - . R a c shire , Chester White , Dur c Jersey , and Hampshire anked a n cording to their numbers d popularity , the breeds of swine most largely r a ised in North America in the first decade of the twentieth - - century are the Poland China , Berkshire , Duroc Jersey , and Chester ' t . O f ite these , the Berkshire is directly of English origin , while the other th ree may be termed American breeds . E D or ' BR E S S INE . 5 A - THE POL N D CHI N A . - The a V - in Poland Chin hog originated in the Miami alley Ohio , i ch efly in Warren and Butler Coun ties . At present there are two — - hi is distinct types in this breed the large type Poland China , w ch a l - large , pro ific , heavy boned animal , and the highly refin ed quality strain or show - ring type . The aim of many breeders for a number s of years has been to develop quality , early maturity , and smoothnes of form . Some of them , however , have recognized that this type of Poland - China wa s being produced at the expense of size and . - (if wa s a fecundity The Poland China early days large , rugged , t prolific , spotted hog , and , excep for the color , breeders of the large type are simply holding to early standards . They have disregarded the fancy type and are breeding hogs which have size and fecundity . 2 — Pol an - ina o FIG . d C h s w . The development of more size and bone in the breed is a topic very r a nd over r efin ed widely di scussed in ag icultural papers , the type seems to be falling into d is f a vor with the general farmer . a 1 In general appearance the Poland Chin 5 compact , symmetrical , full and round , smooth , and inclined to massiveness in build . The — is k . color black with six white mar ings the face , feet , and tip of tail The face is practically straight an d the ears droop over about one - fourth to one third from the tip . The body is smooth throughout , a y with thick , broad , he vy sides , which are somewhat short but ery ’ . Th the ha ms deep e hind quarter is thickly fleshed , and are very . wide and deep , extending well down on the hocks The legs are short and the bone fine . Poland - Chinas stand remarkably well on their feet . A broken - down pastern is exceptional in this breed . ’ A M 6 F R ER S B ' L L ETI N 7 65 . The Poland - China is not surpassed by any breed in producing a n rca s a - fi is hed ca s at n early age . The meat of the Poland China. finds a i re dy sale on the ma rket , but t has been criticised for carrying too much f a t in proportion to lean .