The Red Cloud chief., 1900-10-19

Wnicn they have been imported. Be-
yond all question the Berkshire 10
more widely difused In America than
any other breed of swine. Berkshires
are found more or less numerously In
every state and territory OF the Union.
They turn the skim milk of New Eng
land dairies into most delicious pork.
In all the Mississippi basin they aid
The farmer In marketing his corr with
added profit. In the sunny south they
help the planter to dig his peanuts.
And In the Rocky Mountain valleys
they revel amid alfalfa and pea vine
pastures such as can be grown 30 we'll
nowhere else. England Is no longer
distinctly the home OF the Berkshire.
1t Is only the place where they origin
ated and were first improved. The
seat OF Berkshire empire has shifted
from England to America. and II Is
"A kingdom that Is likely to remain
until time shall be no more. There
are good reasons for believing that In
more than n state in the Union,
there will loon be more pure Berk-
shires tina In all England. And this
dinusion, plenteous as II Is now, is
only the advance drops OF a shower of
increase that will bring with II bene-
diction to the various states In pro-
portion to the coplousness with which
1t falls upon them. Already no fewer
than 47,543 animals have been record
ed In the records Of the American
Berkshire Association, although the
said association was not organized
until 1876. At least 5000 animals are
now being added every year to the
number on record, This OF course does
not include the animals recorded in
other records on this continent, as for
instance the Canadian. The relative
Increase at the present time Is most
rapid In the states of Texas, Missouri,
Illinois, Tennessee, New York. In
diana. Pennsylvania. Kentucky, Kan
sas, Iowa, Massachusetts,, New Jersey.
Ohio. Louisiana and Michigan, and
substantially In the order named. In
nearly all OF these states they are
reared In large numbers both in the
pure and In the grade form. thus evil
denclng their proved a~daptability 10
II wide range Of conditions very dis
similar in character. Unlike some of
the other useful breeds OF swine they
are not punched In a few of the states,
nor are they hived as II were In some
sections only Of these states. 1t would
not be quite correct perhaps to say
that Berkshires thrive equally well In
the s~emi-tropical south, the variable
center and the cooler north. But the
fact 10 very significant that the most
rapid ratio Of Increase In Berkshires
today In America Is found In the
states OF semi-tropical Texas. variable
Missouri and cooler Ontario. The first
Is the land OF the peanut, the second
Is The realm of corn and the third Ia
the domain OF field roots. It has al
ready been stated that they are bred
in every state and territory In the
Union. And frcm each Of these they
are now on record In the registers OF
the American Berkshire Association.
with the single exception Of the state
OF wyoming. And nearly every state
and territory In the Union is repre-
sented on the official board of the as
ISOLATION. 1t Is very questionable II the
records OF any other swine breeders
association In the United States can
tell a similar story.
In Canada the Berkshire has be.
come even more generally diffused
than In the United States. He is the
pig of the Dominion. His descend
ants in the pure form are nearly as
numerous as those OF all the other
pure breeds combined, and In the
graded form they are much more nu-
merous. Up to February. 1898, l1,O52
Berkshires had been recorded in Can
ada against 1887 animals of all the
other breeds combined. And Berk-
shire grades In Canada are much more
numerous relatively than pure Berk.
shires.