The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1920-09-01
/ History Of Different Breeds Of Hog

and care and rigorous selection. Size
and strength We're important, for the
farmers drove their hogs to market.
Improvement through the use Of out
side blood apparently took place. be.
tween 1872 and 1850 and since that time
selection has been the leading factor.
Since 1877, when the first herd book
was published, no outside blood has
been used. A standard of excellence
was drawn up in 1872 and this stand
ard modified from time to time has been
Of great value in bringing about uni
formity of types in the breed. ialdw
OF the breeds used to produce the
Poland China, four the Byfield, Rus.
sian, Chinese and Irish Grazier, We're
white or practically so. The Bedfords
or Woburn were sometimes white and
sometimes sandy, the Polands red and
the Berkshire black with six white
points. From what little we know con-
corning these various sorts, it appears
that the Russians gave size, prolificacy
and good grazing qualities, the Chinese
gave refinement, quietness and a strong
tendency to fatten at any age, the Bed
ford and Woburn gave size and great
length The Poland stock had fairly
good fattening qualities and the Irish
GraZier stock gave good grazing quail
ties. The Berkshire apparently had the
most desirable conformation. They
We're the only black breed used and this
color became dominant.
The breed was known under several.
names until 1872 when the National
Convention of Swine Breeders adopted
the name Poland China. The big type
Poland China was large and rugged.
Matured boars of this type. would weigh
from 500 to 1000 pounds and over when
in good condition and the sows from
600 to 800 pounds and over. This type
had been evolved to meet the demand
for a more rugged and prolific Poland
1tonFor change from one type to the
other has been brought about simply
through the selection of the large. rug
ged typcrygfOr breeding. This change.
has not been made at any one time. but
gradually through several years of
breeding and selection. There have all
ways been number! of breeders who
emphasized the size and bone and these
Factors contributed largely to increase
the size in general.
The big type at the present is the
most widely advertised and in most de-
mand by Poland China breeders and
farmers, and is credited with both size
in both length and depth, bone and
larger filters than the smaller or medi-
Ilm type. i
The Poland China hog has been quite
generally distributed through the corn
belt. Poland China associations have
been in existence since 1873. There are
three associations recognized by the
department of agriculture, the Ameri.
can Poland China Record association,
the Chicago National Poland China as
ISOLATION Of Winchester, Ind, and the
Standard Poland China Record associa-
ton of Maryville, Mo.
HISTORY OF SPOTTED POLAND
CHINA SWINE
Spotted Polands, Black Polands, Big
Type, Medium Type and Small, in fact
all Polands. are descended from a hog
produced BY the mixing of at least six
separate and distinct breeds by the pio-
neer farmers of western Ohio.
The common hog that roamed at will
through the almost unbroken forests in
those days furnished the foundation
from which was developed what was