The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-02-16


berkshire hogs in Maury County. Al
Inhibition about eighty head OF Berkshires
besides herd of twenty-five fatted
hogs. and they were mentioned as being
equal in quality to anything ever ex-
hibited in Kentucky. Marry certainly
has every facility for breeding as fine
and as pure as any section of the conn
try, either in Tennessee or kentucky"
We heartily join the ,Agricaitarist in
its closing remarks upon this subject:
I'VE Should encourage home breeding
of blOoded stock, in preference to send
ing hundreds of miles for it, as a matter
of economy and State pride. The men
who invest their money in good stock
with a view of improving our native
breeds, should receive the support and
encouragement of cur people"
The following article, which appeared
in q recent number of the Tennessee
Agriaaiturist is from the pen Of our
fellow-citizen, II. 7. Ledbetter, well
known breeder of Berkshire swine. He
touches upon a very interesting subject,
and his extensive experience makes
his opinions and convictions valuable
and Trustworthy.
EDITORS AoRICULrURIsT,
GENTs:--In the last number of your
very excellent paper i notice an article
copied from the Rdasas Farmer, on the
Berkshire hog. In this article the Berk-
shire hog is graphically described as to
form and color, as we'll as the quality of
his flesh. And like the things in the
beginning OF the Creation, he is pro-
notincad not only good, but very good.
But notwithstanding his many excel
lent qualities. as a pork hog there is
another presented for our admiration,
prominently superior, especially in
size. This article advocates hog the
result of a cross between the Berkshire
boar and large sOws of the Poland China.
In the first place think many breeders
are very much mistaken in the size to
which the Berkshire hog attains when
we'll cared for. In fact, / confidently
assert that in Middle Tennessee there
are very few, if any hogs, that will OUT
weigh the Berkshire. know VIC some
times find hog that looks some larger
and great deal cOarser, but when put
on the scales the Berkshire generally
comes out ahead. This teaches an i'm
po-tant lesson, which is, that the Berk-
shire has a smoother outline and less
ofIal than other Breeds. ! need not say
that the writer of said article accords to
the Berkshire extreme size and develop
ment in the valuable parts; such as
hall and sides. But to retIrn to the
question of size, am frank to acknowl-
edge that sows of large troeds, such as
Grazior, WOburn and Poland China Gi
indeed the Poland China be a breed
bred to Berkshire boar, will bring pigs
that will grow more rapidly, that is the
bone, than the pure Berkshire. But
they, at tho same time, consume a cor
respcndingly larger amount of food,
and are of later maturity. Admitting
however, that these crOss-brod animals
their superiority Tor breeding pun poses;
not by any means For, suppose you
couple aGrazier SOW with Berkshire
boar, and the offspring should prove all
that any one might desire, then you
have no assurance that these hvbrids
would reproduce themselves, for the
fact, that the type established in the two
breeds is broken and deranged so that
you might, in the next generation. get
some Old absOlete breeds that were lug
ged in to make up the Berkshire or Graz
zier hog; this brings en- Out-crOp in
obedience to the law of reversion, No
one can tell exactly what would lie the
results, as the,uatural tendencies ofstock
without a continual effort on the part
OF the breeder, is to degenerate. So, ac-
eording to this mode Of. reasoning, cross
bred animals are of no real use TO breed
ers proper. But if one should couple
two pure bred animals of different
breeds, and tide result should be, if pos
sibie, models of perfection instead OF
expecting these animals 10 reproduce
themselves in their offspring, it would
! be proper TO go back to the same breeds
for breeding animals, in order get TO the
same results. Hence the great neees-
sity OF pure bred animals for breeding
stock. And without pure bred sire
there can be no real excellence; and all
the excellence of cross bred animals is
due to the purity of the blood of their
ancestors. X. II. LEDBETTER,
Columbia, Tenn, Jan. %, 1872.