The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1907-11-21
SAYS pigs AMT PIGS"
British Sportsman Declares Swine Fam
lily Gets Little Credit


Sir Walter Glbey. wcIl-kuown Br.
ish sportsman, who lives Mt Cambridg
house, Regent park, London, has adde,.
picturesque point to a circular issue.
10y the District Butcher and Pork Butch
ors Trade association, deplorng the de-
generation of the pig. Sir Walter, who
IS STEPPED in the lore Of everything per
tanning 70 husbandry and hunting, las
just issued book entitled Pigs"
1t Is fact probably not usually KIT, wn
that the farm animal which now SCI IS
in the mud of the barnyard and il -
yeloped in fat for the winters XIII.
might have been developed along far
fcrcnt lines and become an intellcot'
and useful domestic animal, as yalua"
as a dog. Such, indeed was his deyelui
ment in ancient times.
While the butchers circular brings on
the grave fact that I2O,OOOOOO go from
England yearly for bacon, hams, lard
and pork. Sir Walters treatment Of the
subject is much more picturesque. Cen
turtles of domesticlty aud feeding have
not only diminished the length Of the
pigs snout but the length of his legs AK
well. In the old days, semi-wild swine
ranged over the English forests, travelling
great distances, and, with their long.
narrow bodies and pointed SHOUTS, pene-
tratcd the thickcst thirkct and uprooted
sense of smell that century ago they
were trained 10 find game and point II
as well as dog.
Writes Sir Walter: "Thc s,w's nose
was exceedingly good; sue stood well To
partridge, pheasant, black grouse, suipe.
and rabbit, but never pointed harrs' Sir
Walter also tells us how both wild and
tame swine m the days of their forest
ronmiug5, combined forces in beating off
attacking wolves and how the tame herds
would assemble for tlat purpose at z
blast from the swnchcrd's bugle. This
was true not only IN England, but in
France and Italy, In certain parts of
Italy pigs still do the work of shepherd
dogs, As to truillc hunting in France.
Sir Walter says: The pig roots about
from place To place, thrusting his suout
deep into the soil at intervals, while the
owner follows. When the pig scents
trufics it uttcrs cry, and is promptly
rewarded 10y a handful of grain"
Sir Walter states that some enormous
hogs were produced a hundred or more
years ago There was one of the Che
shire breed in 177i which turned the
scale at more than 1iIi pounds,
How have the mighty fallen -f fallen
away to mere go pounds or there
abouts! Sir Walter was shown a pig at
the Royal Show in London this year
which scaled about $40 pounds. II was
unconmony heavy for these times, he
says, when potential porcinc giants never
get n chance because farmers kill their
pigs earlier. Pigs have declined in other
respects also. That is to come to the
serious side Of the business.
Both Sir Walter Gilhcy and the pork
butchers give figures running into hun
drcds Of thousands showing the decline
in the number of pigs kept in the United
Kingdom and the pork experts point out
that Britain has now entered on a third
successive year Of scarce pigs.
Last year 1853 pigs were destroyed as
diseased or infected with swine fever. and
it is generally agreed that the decrease
in the number of pigs kept in the United
Kingdom is largely due to apathy and
neglect on the part of farmers owing TO
the hampcrug restrictions of the board
of agriculture. Sir Walter goes further,
asserting that the decline is also due in
great measure to Increased competition
from the United States and Denmark