Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1904-07-15

Ao0 tAA6N AAA@ 49,
around hog on earth to-day. Farther
on / will tell you why they are. When
/ started into breeding pure-bred swine
six years ago, / studied up on the char
acteristics OF all the different breeds,
by a writer OF note, on the subject, ana
then selected the Berkshire as the
very best of them all. and my expert
ence since has prove that l chose
wisely and well. They combine more
! of the good qualities and less OF the
poor than any other hog. Certain
breeds have too much fat (grease)
with too little lean (meat), with weak
bones, crooked legs, walking on their
dew claws az soon IS they begin TO lay
on fat, with a loss of vigor and a ten
dency to disease.
On the other hand we have certain
breeds that are Of large size, strong
of bone and prolific breeders-aH good
points, but how about the poor POINTS,
The carcass contains too large q per
cent. OF bone to the meat; they are
hard feeders: slab sided: and the
meat is coarse grained n not OF the
best quality. Now l do not need TO
name any of these breeds; any judge
of hogs can recognize them. The FOL
lowing description of the Berkshir
viii plainly show their superiority over
any other breed. Face short and
dished; broad between the eyes; ears
| erect, small thin and soft, showing
veins; jowl full; neck short n thick;
shoulder short from neck, but deep
from back down; great breadth of
shoulders; back broad ana straight, or
very little arched; ribs long and
well sprung, giving ~rotundity of body;
the short ribs are of good length, Civ
ing breadth M leyelness Of loin; hips
good length from joint of hips to rump;
hams thick, round and deep, holding
their thickness well back and down to
the hooks; tail fine and small, set on
high up; legs shor and fine, but
straight and very strong, with hoofs
erect and legs set wide apart; good
size; good length; offal very light; hair
fine and soft; no bristles; skin pliable.
They make quiet mothers; are prolific
breeders: and both sire and dam con-
tinue as good breeders to an age rarely
reached by any other breed.
While attending the international in
1901, / saw on exhibition a very large
hog of the lard type; he weighed a
trifle over 1000 pounds: a mountain OF
fat. In the three days / was there /
never saw him rise, or stand on his
hind legs, though many tried to make
him do so. 1t seemed to give him pain
TO even rise on his forelegs. How
different 1T was with the imported
Berkshire" Commander, when he was
on exhibition as a 2-year old, weighing
IL wv 1fVON RCAAiORs a ~
about his pen with a majestic tread
and looked every inch of him, the con
quering hero that he was. Then after
leaving the show ring, he was the sire
Of many fine Berkshire pigs.
The Berkshire as bred to-day, repre-
sents the outcome of over $50 years
steady Improvement. While other
breeds have had their rise and fall,
claiming favor for awhile, were found
faulty n lost popularity, the Berk-
shire has stood pre-eminent, the model.
and the standard of comparison, as
well as the source from which many
other breeds were improved by out
crossing. One of the most important
outcrosses of late years, n one that
has produced a breed that has been
very popular throughout the corn belt,
is the production of the poland china.
In a history of his breed VS. find that
In the year 1915 the Chinese hogs were
brought into Ohio and bred to the
native stock OF the country. In 1885
Berkshire blood was introduced. and
in 1889 the Irish Grazier." In this
outcross we plainly see where the
Berkshire oar has the power to re-
produce his good qualities in other
breeds. One of the strong points of a
Berkshire is the power to produce pigs
of the same uniform color and mark
ings. The ''Old China hog, the
starter of the poland china breed, was
a pure white hog. The Berkshire has
made them a black breed, with general
markings very similar to the Berkshire.
This is the reason why the Berkshire
is the very best boar to use on the
common or scrub SOW.
The Berkshire is a ~rustler, quick and
active, ears erect, giving hirl an n
o~bstructed view of the surroundings.
In feeding with cattle, he does not get
run over and trod upon as some breeds
! do. In driving a wagon through his
feed lot, he can see every move that
is made and gets out OF the way, while
some other breeds would be run over
and killed. In the south where the
summers are hot, and hogs rustic a
| great e for a living, the Berkshire
Is the hog. In Missouri, when you
tell them you have a better hog than
the Berkshire, they invariably saw;
we'll, you must show me-" Butchers
say, the meat appears better on the
block, showing more lean. with less
fat. the layer of lean being deeper, es-
| pecially In the hams and loins, with
less fat on the outside. In the bacon
thicker streaks of lean are nct.caabie.
Other breeds of hogs, originated in
this country n fed generation after
| generation on corn alone, Inherit the
tendency to lay on too much fat, with a
loss OF muscular power, and weakened
| vigor, and as a result show q number
of unprolific sows. While another
breed has degenerated in strength OF
bone, and vigor, On account OF too
much fashionable breeding. and no
new blood 20 draw from. the Berk-
| shire has increased in size, has re-
tanned all his strength of bone and
vigor, and produces the very best quail
ity of meat OF any hog on earth to-day.
In his history of Breeds and Char
acteristics," Manning says of the Berk-
shires: In lean meat Ia the bacon
pieces, and in superior hams and
shoulders, this breed excells all others"
The following extract taken from a
recent issue of the Farmers Voice and
National Rural, Is worth reproducing
In this article. THE Ontario Agri-
cultural college, for the past five years
has been experimenting with a number
% breeds of swine for the purpose OF
studying the relation Of breeds, to
economy of pork production, The re-
suits below are averages of five differ
ent experiments on this point, running
through a period of five years. Dairy
products and succulent green foods
were consumed in addition to meal.
but us they were the same for ell OF
the breeds fed, they were not taken
into account when making the
lson. The number of pounds OF meal
required to produce 100 pounds Of pork
In the breeds under experiment follow
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