Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-07-02

and will breed as true as any other
I'd. They are large, docile, and fat
ten easily.
Sd. They fatten at any age.
4th. They produce better ham
and more lard than any other breed
5th. They are exempt from mango
9th. They produce more pork TO-
the same amount Of feed than an,
other hog.
The points against the Berkshire
he makes us follows:
LIST. Several parties told him thai
they were not as good as the Poland
Chinas.
I'd. They are small, breechy, rest
less, and hard to fatten.
Sd. They are liable to mango.
4th. They eat twice as much as
the Poland China, and are but hall
the size.
Let us return and take up the
points claimed for the POland-Ch
hog.
The first three points 1 think are
well taken-the 4th point is not cor
rect. The value of the ham lies in
the large amount of fine muscle OIL
lean meat it contains. The Poland
China has large amount of loose fa1
about the ham which gives it an ap
pearance of size and value that il
does not possess when trimmed fol
market. In yield of lard they are
much inferior to the Berkshires in
proportion to size. AS to the fifth
point | should say the Poland-China
Is reasonably free from mango under
fair treatment. AS to the 9th claim
it has never been shown to be true i'll
single test case in the United States
and it never can hold true as against
any of the improved breeds, Berk-
shires, Essex, Suffolk, Yorkshire, etc.
The Poland China is good and
profitable hog, but it is useless to
claim for him things that cannot be
maintained.
AS to the points made against the
Berkshircs, 1 think friend Gilmore
simply intended them as 4 good joke
to have little friendly sparring with
some of his neighbors. In regard to
what parties stated to him we will LET
it pass as kind of flourish of trum
pets, and come to the real question in
the second point-that the "Berk-
shires are small, breechy, restless and
hard to tatten." There is nothing
like few facts and a pair of scales
to determine some Of these questions
If Mr.. Gilmore will select the largest
Poland-China hog on his farm and
place it Oh the scales, DR.. Traer and
| will select from our respective herds
of Berkshires several animals that
will better his animal at least lOO
pounds. In other words we are will
ling to weigh Berkshire herds against
our own Poland-Chinas or our neigh.
bors.
The Berkshire has never been class
ed in England as small hog, (see
report of last Royal Show, at Bed
ford, EnglandD, from six to nine hun.
dred pounds is not an uncommon
weight.
A sufficient answer to the charge
of being restless and breechy, is the
following: have Oh my place about
200 rods of movable fence, just 81
inches high, used for small yards and
dividing pastures; in three years there
has been but one instance of Il Berk
shire breaking through it or climbing
over it, though it is made Of pine
strips four inches wide.
The Poland China has not done
quite as well. In ability to resist
mango, mud, etc, there is not much
difference, but my experience is favor
able to the Berkshires.
Careful and repeated experiments
made by me for several years with
both breeds, have led me to the fol
lowing conclusions:
LIST. The Berkshire possesses 4
much higher vitality and hence arc
less liable to disease than the Poland
Chinas.
I'd. Fed the same amount of feed
they weigh heavier.
Sd. They average to raise 20 pei
cent more pigs.
4th. Turned upon clover, without
grain, they keep their condition bet
ter than any known hog.
9Th. Their meat is finer grained
swecter and tirmer than the POLAND
China.
Ii Poland-China and Berkshir,
pigs are fed together, the Poland
China will generally be the larger
if fed separately and the same amour
the Berkshires will outweigh them
The reason for this is, that the Pc
land-China eat more rapidly than thu
Berkshires, and hence get about two
thirds OF the food when fed together
All other things being equal our rule
is to feed the Poland China twent,
per cent more food than the Bcrk
shires to keep them in the same con
dition.-S. Il. Knupp M Fine Stool
GUsette.