Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1876-09-07
LIVE K
THE ORIGIN OF. THE BERKSHIRE HOG.

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recently, offered in the spring of 1875 a
premium of 500 for the best essay on this
breed of swine-and that written by Mr.. A.
b. Allen was awarded the prize. Mr.. AL
len in his preface says his information IS OBJ
tanned from personal researches in England
and this country, as well as from his own
long experience in the breeding and man
agement Of this description of swine. We
quote from Mr.. Aliens essay his account Of
the origin of Berkshires:
Tradition, and the earliest published ac-
counts of what has long been particularly
distinguished by the name OF Berkshire
swine, represented them, down to about a
century since, as among the largest breeds
of England, weighing, full grown, from 700
to 1000 pounds, or more. The "Complete
Grazier" describes one, in 1907, as weighing
one hundred and thirteen stone ~(94Opounds).
This was exhibited, with others, by Sir Will
liam Curtis, at the cattle show of Lord Som
erville, in that year. johnson, in his Farm
er's Encyclopedia" London, 1912, says that
they weighed at that time from fifty to one
hundred stone (400 to 800 pounds). The lat
ter of these, doubtless, were of the improved
breed.
Originally they were represented as being
generally Of a buff, sandy or reddish-brown
color, spotted with black, occasionally taw-
ny Or white spotted in the same manner.
They were coarse in the bone; head rather
large, with heavy flop ears broad on the
back deep in the chest thick and heavy in
both shoulders and hams we'll let down in
the twist bristles and long curly hair, with
rather short, strong legs. Their meat was
better marbled than that of any other bre ed
of swine in Great Britain-that is, had a
greater proportion of lean freely intermixed
with tine streaks of fat, which makes it
much more tender and juicy than it would
otherwise be. They were consequently,
from time immemorial, preferred to all 9TH
er swine there, for choice hams, shoulder
and bacon. They were slow feeders, and
Cid not ordinarily mature until two and a
half to three years old.
1t is thus that I find the Berkshire
hog figured and described in the earliest
English publications to which I have been
able, thus far, to obtain access. But in the
second volume of the magnificent folio edi-
ton, illustrated with colored plates, now ly-
ing before me of " The Breeds of the Domes-
tic Animals Of the British Islands, by Prof.
David Low, published in London, in 1912,
is a portrait of a Berkshire as I have des-
cribed above, except being Of rounder body
and somewhat finer in all his points, with
ears like most of those of modern breeding
medium in size, and erect, instead of fop-
ping. This portrait is Of a sandy or red
dish-brown color, spotted with black: the
feet and legs for nearly their whole length.
white, slightly streaked on the side and be-
hind with reddish-brown. It, of course, rep
resents one of the old breed considerably
improved, aud marked as I occasionally
them in all my visits to Berkshire.
down to 1867. But the pigs which l saw
thus marked We're of the same size and shape.
and as fine in all their points as the general
run OF the black, slate, or plum colors of the
present day.
Tradition tells us that this was made by q
cross OF the black. OF deep plum colored ST.
amese boar, on the old unimproved Berk-
shire soWs. Other traditions assert that the
black and white spotted, and even pure
white Chinese boar was also sparringly used
20 ASSIST III the same purpose. I can well
Delleve this; for | often saw swine in Berk-
SHIRE spotted, about half and half black and
white, In addition to the reddisi-brown. or
Du1t and black. The produce of the above
cross or crosses was next bred together. and
Dy Jud-cio1s subsequent selections. the i'm
proved breed. aS we now find ~ ho