The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-09-05
SURVIVAL OF THE F|TTEST.
The Development Of the Pig From
the Wild Boar to the
Berkshire.
The Ugly British Porker Crossed
With Those From China,
Siam and Malta.
How the Fashion Has Changed Among tic
Fanciers-The Leading Breeds In
Old England To-day.

How the Fashion Has Changed Among the
Fanoiers-The Leading Breeds In
Old England To-day.
The development of the pig 10 . triumph
of art over nature, says the Saturday Re-
view. NATURES pig. the wild boar. is not q
very calmly animal; NATURES pig, again,
simply domesticated and fattened, in the
form of a common pig, Ia little better ssthan
a necessary evil; bat nature pigs from diff
fsrent quarters of the world, mixed to-
gother, remixed. and judiciously blended
by tho scientific breeder. eventually produce
a creature which is a JOY, If not exactly a
thing OF beauty. forever-or, at least, until
it is made into bacon. 1t ia absolutely pain
full to a man who knows what a pig ought
to be, maybe, and often Is, to hear people
who should know better say that they "hate
pigs" Such people have no eyes for form.
or they would not talk thus of animals
showing the graceful curves of the best
breeda of Rerkshires, Chinese and York
shires.
Undoubtedly the British pig of
the end of the last century must
have been an ugly, ill-favored-
looking brute-indeed, many of his mod
ern representatives are little better-but by
degrees there came importations OF Chinese,
Siamose, Maltese, and Neapolitan pigs,
which, if not altogether satisfactory in
themselves, brought Corrective influences"
to bear upon our native monstrosity. The
native monstrosity, again, acted as a cor
rective upon the alien, and SO we went on.
1,onl,ro croanippr oalartiuu nffoCfinr the
survival of the %tittest, and the curing of the
less fit, until We obtained those glorious
pigs which are only so far short of perfcc-
ton as to make us Jealous III the hope OF
some day attaining to 1T.
1t is notifying to the Englishman to
know that, while he was still content with
II great, leggy pig, the South Sea islands,
on their discovery, were found to be
we'll stocked with a small, black,
short legged pig. As to the Chi
nese, they have been far ahead of
us for centuries, and in most of the prov
inces Of China pork ia, at present, much
moro abundant than mutton. 1t is some
consolation to reflect that America has
boon behind us, and that the pig ia not
indigenous to North America, although his
first cousin, the peccary, is II native of
eoAUA AAo LIN
have made up for lost time, and we have
nothing in this country that Gun vie with
the great piR-meat factories of Chicago. In
respect to the treatment of pigs IN other
parts of the world, it ID sad, when we look
vt our own refined and well-cni editor ia
~vorites, to remember that in some parts of
India femi-wild pigs are allowed to work
their own sweet will in the streets as 5scav-
engers. In short, they take the place of
drains, and thsy go where they, please in
~~.rz-A nnE-A f~, ,,~l~J, luo Tho Ian at do.
sire to eat such evil livers. Yet it is OF faith
among pig ~fanciers that their pet is natu-
rally q clean animal; that he only rolls in
mud for hygienic purposes; that he hates
u dirty sky, and that, If left to himself, he
would feed limos exclusively on chestnuts,
acorns and trut1es.
A change Of fashion has taken place OF
late in the modern British pig, not through
the taste of the farmer, but through the
more practical if less Artistic demands OF
the bacon curer. The fact. is that curing
has been ravolutionized. Formerly the
lean of bacon and ham used to be hard,
unpalatable and fearfully and wonderfully
salt, while the fat, as fat, was good enough;
now, under the system known as mild
curing" the lean is excellent. it may east
ly DO understood, therefore, that during the
dark ages of bacon curing the chief object
OF the pig-fattener was to produce the larg-
est possible amount of fat to lean, whereas
mt present it is to produce the groatest pos
sible proportion of lean to fat. There have
been changes, again, IN the ,aeal
brought about by the alterations in
the prices given per pound IN the
market for certain portions of the pigs car
cass. For instance, the shoulder and neck
are now about the least valuable parts OF
his body, consequently the immensely de-
vsloped chests and shoulders, which used
to exotic SO much admiration, are now
odious to the eyes of the practical breeder.
Without entering into the details OF ''sides
Of bacon" such as Urine streaky.,' thin
streahy," middle OF gammon," fore
about seven distinct prices for the seven
teen different parts of the "sides," to say
nothing of the head and t%rotters.
If We were asked which modern breed WAS
probably the most direct d~escendent of the
aboriginal pig of this country, " should
be inclined to say the Tamworth. This
breed has been steadily increasing in favor
during the past few years. Ih common
idea of a Tamworth's color is dull
red, with black Spots; but it varies
from a deep. rich red to a brick dust
color. The uncult waited Tamworth il
hardy, ugly, leegy, long-nosed and slow in
growth; the improved Tnmworth is also
hardy and long in the nose. but he puts or
lean quickly and fat slowly, which makea
him the pig of the period for curing on the
IuouGIl SySOeIu. III DldSh y
still a very popular pig, and for many years
no Was generally liked better than an,
other, although he had to make Il hare
struggle to overcome a strong prejudice
which existed in certain localities against
his color. This pig, as well rs the Essex
was improved many years ago by q cross Of
Neapolitan blood. The probability thai
the Berkshire breed has been black for {
very long period has been questioned
Black pigs with white points can be traced
back for seventy years in Berkshire; ye
it has been confidently asserted that thu
pig of the district used to be tawny
with black spots. At any rate, crosses o
Berkshire with white pigs frequently pro
duce offspring with a certain amount of red
which shows that this breed. like the Tam
worth. originally sprang from the old rec
pig of the country. The produce of Il Berk
shire SOW by a white boar is almost Away
white. but, curionsly enough, dark color
often appear in later crosses. The chic
faults to DO guarded against in buying Berk
shires ara light tanks, short, dropping
quarters, some appronch to leRginess, nm
duly coarse hair, and deeply turrowed skin
They should not be marked with whit
except IN the nose. forehead. tip of the tail
aud feet; but If they have no white upol
them Mt all it is probable that they have
cross of Essex blood in them.
The Essex is quito black and is SOM
thing between the Berkshire IL small
Yorkshire in shape. 1t ia not very vel
known. He is a very good pig and show
considerable braelinp II hnA afkan baa,