Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-05-21
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
What Swine to Keep.

"0Ut S"1uo - Mccps
We are often asked, says the Ohio
Farmer, to give our opinion as to the
best breed Of swine to keep for general
purposes, but this we cannot give
with general application no more than
could be told what breed of horses, cat
tie, or sheep to keep; the whole matter
hinges upon the circumstances of each
individual. Chester Whites, Berk-
shires, and Poland Chinas stand at the
head among the largest breeds, while
the Essex, Sufolks, and Lancashire
are the best among the smaller. The
Berkshires fatten easily, are small eat
ers, quiet in habits, grow to good size,
and mature early. The Poland China
is somewhat smaller, being cross be-
tween the Berkshire, Poland, Byfefd,
etc, and the only objection which can
be raised against either of these breeds
is color. The Chester Whites have an
advantage in this when black haired
dogs are objected to. Whatever breed
is kept, we advise our readers to avoid
the common stove-pipe or slab-sided
hogs. Joseph Harrison has made some
close calculations on the profits of good
and inferior swine on the farm, and
says that to assume that a rough, coarse,
savage, iu-bred, squealing mongrel will
require one-sixth more food to run his
machinery" than quiet, refined, we'll
bred Berkshire, Essex or Suffolk pig,
will not beconsidered extravaganza; and
yet it undoubtedly follows that for the
food consumed quiet pig will gain in
flesh and fat twice as fast as the other.
If in addition to this he will eat twenty
five per cent. more food, he will gain
four times as fast. The two great aims
of every pig breeder should be to lessen
the demands on the stomach for offal
or least valuable parts, and for unnec-
essary activity on the one hand, and on
the other to increase the power of the
stomach and digestive and assimilative
organs as much as possible. The farm
or who raises swine for the market
should select such as gives the greatest
amount of flesh for the food consumed.
and he will find good profits from any
of the three large breeds named. Ii
simply raised through pen feeding and
for family use, we should prefer one of
the smaller mentioned.
The Berkshires have long and Justly
been favorites among the farmers. In
selecting it may be well to observe some
of the characteristics of this breed as
given at the Swine Breeders Conven-
ton. The face should be short, fine,
and well dished, broad between the
eyes, ears generally erect, but some
times inolining forward with advancing
age, small, thin, soft, and showing
veins: jowl full neck short and thick !;
shoulders short from neck to middling,
deep from back down; back broad and
straight, or very little arched. Ribs
long ribs, well sprung. giving retundity
of body; short ribs, good length, giving
breadth and levelness of loins; hips,
good length from point of hip to rump !;
hams, thick, round, and deep, holding
their thickness we'll back and down to
the hook; tail, fine and small, set on
high up; legs, short and fine, but
straight and very strong, with hoofs
erect, legs set wide apart; size, me-
dunn length, medium bone, fine and
compact; Offal, very light.