Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-04-21

oiit in North Carolina the Berkshires
are by no means the least. Their
feeding, breeding and housing are prob.
ably conducted on the most complete
and up-to-date system of any estab.
lishmcnt in America. This branch of
breeding has secured much of Mr..
Weston's personal attention; the ar.
rangements of the buildings are most
complete, and they are laid out with
an eye to economy in building as we'll
as In the saving of labor, which is
characteristic of all the farm build.
ings as well as in the saving of labor,
buildings which Mr.. Weston has plan
ned says the Country Gentleman. Mr.,
Weston is particularly fortunate in
having R. Gentry over this depart.
ment for he knows the latitude and
longitude of Berkshire from "a" to
z; more essential still, he is a care
full handler and a good caretaker,
which together make an allaround
man. The breeding records are kept
with the greatest care. The careful
preparation of food and the allotment
of the same to the individual needs of
each animal are all worked out to a de-
gree seldom met with in the best con
Quoted piggeries in England.
Bitmore farms, it must be remem-
bered are operated for the practical
demonstration of advanced agriculture
a sort of experiment station conducted
On private capital. Young men go
there for training in all the different
branches. Nothing would probably
please George Vanderbilt more than
to know some practical farmer who
had visited Biltmore and learned some
thing to his advantage. That is one
of the prime objects of the enterprise.
Let no one imagine, however, that the
buildings are so elaborate that only 8
millionaire could reproduce them, or
that the care and feeding of the swine
eats up all the profits. If the visitor
is not able to conduct his own breeding
operations on such an extensive scale
he can at least learn much to his ad
vantage, and in all probability find that
at Biltmore the business is conducted
more economically than he ever sup
posed it possible.
Let us get back to the Berkshires
The writer was formerly a breeder OF
Berkshires, and has of late years visit
ed the principal breeding establish
ments in England and on the continent
and knows how difficult it is, even il
England. where there are thousands Of
Berkshires to choose from, TO find am
imals with plenty of bone and size
and also with quality. Any one can
breed pretty little pigs with quality
to spare, or big coarse things, but 6
combination of size and quality, will
bone enough to carry weight. does
not grow ON every bush. In some Of
the ldest piggeries in England, Sir
and in breeding in favor of some par
ticular strain or family has produced
in these later years lot of animals sc
reduced in bone that they haven't
enough left to carry 200 pounds OF
meat, to say nothing of 70G- No one
admires quality more than the writer
but he protests when it is advanced al
the expense of bone. This point has
evidently been made a special feature
in the selection of Berkshires for the
B.ftmore herd; the writer does mot
think it too much to say that there is
not to be found in any other Berkshire
herd such good bone, feet and legs as
are found at Biltmore. So much for
the underpinnilg, the foundation, of
these hogs, which if wanting, is not
to be made good by any other quality
however excellent This must be the
view of all Berkshire breeders, anu
no one better than they will appreciate
what is being done in this direction at
Biltmore, for any one with experience
knows how difficult it is to find it, and
what careful selection is required to
maintain it.
This desirable condition of things
has been produced at Biltmore by first
selecting animals of individual merit.
Mr.. Weston's policy has been to buy a
good SOW or boar wherever found; he
has. therefore, not been led astray by
chasing after pedigree, buying scme-
thing because the blood was '1all the
rage The result is the same as in
the case of the witty Scotch farmer,
Cruickshaaks, who went down to Eng
land and bought good high-class
Short-horn Cow or bull wherever he
found them-some he bought of men
who had bred and would bred nothing
but the Booth family, and from others
who swore equally by the Bates
family. and so on. The collection
thus obtained was from some OF the
oldest and most fashionable herds OF
England. where pedigree stood ahead
of individual merit, and where, as in
some of the Berkshire herds in that
.ccuatry today, in-and-in breeding had
gone on until improvement had come
to a standsti11. and the owners were in
aome cases actually breeding back
ward. It is 50 easy for an old breeder
10 get into rut and grow conceited
with his own particular family
The result Of the Scotch farmers
investment on the lines of individual
merit. as every Short-Horn breeder
- a.xxrr