Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-03-10
HOGS.
To the Editors of the Union and

To the Editors of the Union and American
have just visited the farm of Mr.. G.
c. Bel, President of the Robertson
County Mechanical and Agricultural As
socistiop. Having seen his fine Berk-
shire hogs imported direct from Europe,
and also his pure American Berkshire, 1
feel little hOgglsh, and will therefore be
excused for writing little for your ex-
cellent paper about this invaluable do
mestic animal.
The finest hogs row in the world are
uuquestionably in England, her noble
men having made them a specially in
their farming; the most popular breeds
being the Berkshire, the Essex and the
Yorkshire. From the Yorkshire, no
doubt, the Suffolk, the Chester, and the
Cheshire of America have been derived.
The finest and purest Essex are from the
old English Essex sows, by Ne
apolitsn boar, imported to England
from Italy by Lord Western, a wealthy
nobleman of England. This breed has
been brought to its present purity and
value by the exertions of Mr.. Western
and tenant of his, Mr. Fisher Hobbs.
They have been an admirable success in
this country. They fatten at any age, are
healthy and hardy and yield much flesh,
and but little offal to their apparent size.
They have thin hair and are invariably
black.
The Berkshire hogs being by far the
most popular in this country, we propose
giving your readers a more extended no.
tice Of them than of the breeds above al
luded to.
The old original Berkshire has existed
for centuries in England. 1t is long
haired, with pendulous ears, its head
long, and its bones large, and it has Ca
pscity for great size. This hog probably
was the progeny of an English SOW by the
wild boar. This breed was greatly improv-
ed by a cross from the imported Chinese
hog, which was called the improved
Berkshire. The world is greatly in
debled to Lord harrington, who died in
1929, for this popular breed of hogs.
Mr.. Ssdler, one OF the most successful
hog breeders in England, traces his hogs
back directly to the herd of this dis
tinguished nObleman. The Berkshire
hog imported to this country is mixture
of the old Berkshire, the Chinese, the
Essex, and the Neapolitan. 1t is in color
a black, with the exception of a white
spot in the face and white feet, and the
end of the tail being also white. You
might see hundreds together in England,
and the above would almost without ex-
ception be the color. If you see a hog
black all over, or covered with spots,
take it for granted that he is not pure
Berkshire; and be he ever SO fine, do not
think of keeping for breeder. The hair
of the Berkshire is generally thin, though
sometimes pretty thick, and when this is
the case, it is long and very fine and
beautifully glossy.
They have a short head, and dished face,
short legs and straight back. They are
wide across the shoulders, very deep
through the body with large hams and
short neck. They fatten easily at any
age, and will at twelve months old weigh
with fair treatment three hundred pounds
or more.
The cross with good common sows is
just as good, (and perhaps BETTER for the
pen as the pure Berkshire, but none but
the pure boar should be used for breeding
purposes.
The hogs of Mr.. C. C. Bell, Owned by
himself and Messrs. l. E. and A. ]. Bell
of Robertson county, started from Eng
land in November, 1870, and were about
feven weeks in reaching their destination.
They are four in number, one boar and
three sows. They were raised on the
farm of Sir VIM. Thockmorton, near
Liverpool, aud are direct from the swine