Nebraska advertiser., 1860-05-31
AGRICULTURAL.
hiking Hogs.
80 tke Norlhpeslsrn Farmer


The blood of the Suffolk should be
infused more generally into the common
breeds, especially the larger kinds A
mixture Of the Chester While with the
Suffolk, would make more valuable an
imal for pork than either"
This is an extract from the report Of
the Wisconsin State Fair Ii is com
mon conclusion with fsrmers. as we'll as
with many agricnltnral hackers. that the
progeny of large and small breed Of
hogs should be exactly intermediate, Or
more definitely, portion of the larger
size of The one, and the fauening prop
critics of the other. would be combined in
the cross breed. 1t is time such notions
were dispelled, as great loss of time,
and often a waste of means, is the una
voidable result of these erroneous opiri-
lens. That like produces ike, is the rule
of breeders; but it does not follow that
widely dissimilar breeds should produce
dissimilar offspring-thaf is, not like
either. In mixing Suffolk with a large
breed, as the Irish Grazier, we have uni
formly found part of the pigs possess
ing the form and fattening qualities of
the Suffolk, and seldom, if ever, increas-
ed in size, form, and other characterics.
of the Grazier, without an apparent trace
of the fattening properties of the Suffolk
In short, mixing large and small breeds
of hogs, we have found very much like
mixing oil and water.
1t is understood that most of our I'M
proved breeds of hogs have their origin
in the introduction of the Chinese hog iti-
to England; but we apprehend this I'M
provement has been effected more by iu-
dicious selection, than by crossing hence
the slight improvement IN size of the
small breeds over the Chinese hog. A
little reflection will convince any one that
if mixing breeds of hogs was easily ac-
complished as it is vaguely believed to be,
we should long ago have had exactly one
breed that everybody wanis-attaining
very large size in very short time, with
very little corn. W. much prefer the
Suffolk. believing they will always show
a greater return for amount of food con-
sumed than any Of the larger breeds, and
henceforth design breeding them pure,
S. ne can taus Feiy on epiforsaiss iA a.ll
ihe pigs
Ire Ne to depend ia crosses. We
would breed a pure SUFFOLK 10 commin
stock, or any of the larger breeds, and
at six or eight weeks old, select such of
the pigs as possessed the Suffolk form
and disposition to fatten, and either make
roasters of the others, or sell them to an
ti-book farmers for "stock pigs" This
system would require one to keep more
breeding hogs than otherwise would be
necessary TO supply the requisite number
of hogs for the annual feeding, bul would
pay, as such hogs with far keeping are
always ready for the knife, aud if kept
as long as the larger. breeds must be kept
will attain to reasonable weight, and at
comparatively sWall cost. WED
.MuScaline, Io,pd.
From our experience with hogs, we ad-
NIT that cross between two breeds so
dlssimiler as are the Suffolk aud Irish
Grazier. would be very likely TO result
as stated by our correspondent. The
! Suffolk and Irish Grazier are extremes
the former a very fine hog, and 'he
latter very coarse hog Not so, howev-
er, with The Suffolk and Chester White
mo such difference exists between these
two breeds-both are fine, with strong
resemblance. We have never crossed
the Suffolk with another than first rate,
common stock, and half bloods. The re-
suit has been in most cases, thorough
almalgamation, and great improve
ment over the common hog.
If the Suffolk were generally dissent
mated. we should not advise crossing with
any breeds to any great extent; but who
will rear Suffolk pigs for pork making,
so long as they command $40 each at SIX
or eight weeks old. The fact is we must
work away on the Improvement of our
common hogs. and those of lower prices
than the Suffolk at present.