St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1890-10-11
THE FARMING WORLD.
ABOUT HOGS

Maturity and Coed $50 the Fosotl
Sssght AfSss ~ Drssasrs.
A correspondent writes: 1T Il gen
orally conceded that the most profitable
weight at which hogs can b sold on the
general market l. about two hundred o.
two hundred. and twenty-five pounds.
Why, then, do 80 many fesders:prefeR "a
buy - breeding stock Berkshires that
at maturity viii weigh from four hun
lred to seven hundred pounds? What
assd to be known - the small-boned
Berkshire made . two hundred to three
huadred-pound hog at maturity and I
would expect him to be more In demand
than the large Berkshire, but for some
season he is not Can you explain?"
There was . time when the small
boned, fox-eared Berkshire was fairly
we'll thought Of That Was when swine
growers were less impressed than now
with the importance Of making pork
without carrying their feeding and fat
tsning stock through the winter. How
ever we'll the small-boned Berkshire
pig might b fed and cared for during
his first summer he could not be made
TO reach a0Drchantable sise until after
he had gone through one winter. On
the ether hand, Berkshire pig Of the
large improved stock will grow 70 two
hundred pounds or moro in eight or
nine months Coming early In March
or April he goes to market the follow
ing November or December. The cost
Of keeping over winter 10 saved, and the
quality Of the product Is superior to
that msde from hog eighteen to TWEEN
y months old ee
For like reasons the large Bronze
turkey has rapidly grown in favor; not
because Of any special demand for use
on tho table Of turkeys weighing twen-
ty-dve to forty pounds each, but be-
cause it is from breeding stock Of these
weights that young turkeys Of fourteen
70 twenty pounds can be reared and
made ready for the Thanksgiving and
Christmas markets. A young well-fed
turkey Of one summers growth. flargs
enough, 10 preferred to the older, tough
Or bird Of two summers with ono season
Of snow between
But there is another reason Why the
small-boned Berkshires have become.
- 1t were. extinct Looking into their
early history we ind them reputed Ia
have come from . cross Of the Italian
hog on the large improved Berkshire
e2istine in England moro than sixty
years ago There seems to b no doubt
but that about the time-in 1880 or .
few years latef-Lord Weseern was
using the Neapolitan hog - cross On
the old Essex hog. The Neapolitan
was being used also ON other hogs than
In England; among them the large. i'm
proved Berkshire. already well-es-
tsblished breed. noted as the producer
Of larger proportion Of sweet tender.
we'll .marbled meat than any other bfeed
Of swine then known.
The cross Of the improved Berkshire
With tho Nespolitan gave . hog oR less
size. but with . greater tendency 10 fat
ton whom young and to lay ON fat sepa-
rate from the lean. He was classed with
tho ao-called middle breeds In England.
and has by many writer's been confound-
Cd with the true improved Berkshire Of
earlier origin. He was not. however.
the hog to make the name Berkshire
famous wherever ON the one hand tho
choicest hams shoulders and bacon
were in demand. or on the other Wig
orous, hardy. grazing and good-feeding
hog was required. =.
. Tho Neapolitan crossed on the old
Essex hog was success, - seen in the
modern improved Essex swine. though
. failure whom crossed ON the large tm-
proved English Berkshire. What in
these days are said. here and there. to
be smsll-boned Berkshire. are usually
the result Of the mating together Of
young animals. or Of such - arc too
nearly related. followed BY neglect and
poor feeding Of the pigs whom younG.-
Phil Thrifton. in E.eedcr's GsxettA