Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1877-11-01
I'll 7 {, STOCK.
BREEDS.

breeds of hogs as follows: Breeders OF
stock know well that animals not only
bring forth young after their kind, but prop-
agate peculiarities Of individual form and
development of peculiar parts i'll indivldu-
ais. In sDarsely settled countries, q large
portion OF which is covered with forests, in
which hogs can live almost entirely upon
natural products, large, active herds, re-
curing " or three years to mature are US
ua!ly preferred, as the expense Of keeping
is small, aud these breeds continue healthy,
and grow upon a scant supply OF food. AS
the countries become settled, and the tor
ests are cleared, smaller, more compact,
less active and early maturing breeds be-
come a desideratutn, since their GOOD must
consist mainly OF artificial, and hence costly
products of agriculture. The old English
hog was large, narrow and long legged,
and difficult to fatten before two years Old.
This answered very we'll for roaming the
forests, but was unsuited for incloscd pas
lures. China and Italy, more densely in
Aabited, reared small breeds which fattened
readily at any age. These were introduced
into England to modify the coarseness of
she native hog.
The cross of the small boned, dumpy
Chinese and Neapolitan hogs upon hclalge
English HAS given us such admirable results
rs the Berkshire and Essex. The size of
the improved breeds depends upon whether
the preponaerance in the cross was given by
the large or the small parent stock.
The breeder has an ideal of the form and
character OF stock desired. and by carefully
selecting both sexes for Il number Of gener-
:tions, with special reference to the effects
In view, finally secures the peculiar type
combining the points desired. He then Sc
lects with great care his breeding stock
from those in which this type is transmitted
with the greatest exactless until its trans
b mission to offspring is inyariabla, The
breed is then established, and its offspring
is called thoroughbred. There is no such
thing, according to Mr.. James, as an origi-
nal pure breed Of hogs outside OF the wild
stock. All Of the present breeds are results
of various crosses, conducted with definite
object i'll view.
Some portions of the carcass being more
valuable than others, breeders select ami
mails having these valuable parts well de-
Feloped for breeding purposes. Defects on
one side are neltralized by unusual devel-
opmcnts on the other, and thus symmetry
is secured, and breeds possessing the most
desirable qualities are established.
The paper concluded with the following
classification which embraces every variety
of the hog family:
Flrst-T:orougl,bred, or such as have
been bred in a direct line sufficiently long
to establish i fixed type, which is perpetn-
uted uniformly in each successive genera
ton. To this class belong the Berkshire,
Essex, Poland China, Chester White, New
Jersey red, and others of less note.
Second-Cross-bred, or the offspring of a
thoroughbred sow OF one breed by a. thor
oughbred boar of another.
Third-Grade, or the result of a cross Of
the thoroughbred or bross-bred Of either
sex with any other than thorough or cross
bred.
The third class he divides into high grade
and low grade. The first are those having
Il preponderance Of pure blood, such as the
cross OF u thoroughbred boar or a half blood
SOW, resulting in three-fourths, and the
nextcross of thoroughbred on the latter Civ
ing seven-eights, the next tifteen-siXteenths,
etc' Low grade embraces half-bred and
those below, resulting from crosses OF
grades.
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