The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1920-02-24

800 49, |
time, like the ranging pig of today, |
was hardy and a good runner, des- |
! titute of fat and had long ears. When
cooped up in a small pen where plen-
! tv of food was set right under his !
nose this pig of ancient China grew
very sleek and fat. Relieved of the
necessity of foraging for food, he
also lost his long legs and began to
look much like the pig of today. There
is an oft told story about the de-
struction by fire of pig in an
cient China When the belated
owner reached the smoldering ruins
and affectionately touched the smok-
ing carcass of his pig he burnt his
fingers and instantly touched them
to his lips to relieve the pain. His
sorrow turned to joy at the taste.
This marked the introduction of
roast pig, which has been a popular
dish ever since.
China had its fat, numbering pigs.
Italy and India, by copying the Chi
nese in capturing wild swine and de-
mesticating them, developed fleshy
and nicely proportional pigs. The
Neapolitan pig today has small head
in proportion to the size of its body,
face dishing, forehead bony and
flat. snout rather long and very slen-
der ears small, thin and standing
forward nearly horizontally, jowls
very full, neck short, broad and heavy
body. long, cylindrical and with we'll
ribbed back, ribs arching, hind quar-
tiers slightly higher than the fore,
legs small with small joints, hams
and shoulders well developed and con-
tanning a large proportional amount
of lean meat, color slate or blush
plum, skin soft and fine and nearly
destitute of hair.
The pig of India has small head,
dished face, thin jowls, slender, erect
ears. small short legs, hams and shout
ders heavy, body compact and we'll
ribbed, color varying from jet black
to slate or deep-plum, skin thin and
elastic but firm, from symmetrical,
while the quality of the flesh is ex-
cellent.
The Chinese pig is white. Its chief
characteristic is a remarkable apti-
tude to fatten.
Early hog raisers soon learned that
by cross-breeding Chinese and Italian
pigs splendid type of hog combin-
ing the best points of each could be
produced. Healthy fattening quail
tiles were inherited from the Chinese
strain, while the Neapolitan contrib
uted excellence of flesh and improved
form.
|, Development of English Breeds.
In Great Britain there was an early
introduction of Eastern blood called
Chinese stock, and it is from the I'M
= ion of two strains, one derived from
, the European wild boar and the other
' from various Oriental species that
the standardized European and
f American hogs of today have de-
E scended. Experimental breeding in
2 England with carefully selected stock
n led to the gradual development of
. the chief English breeds, including
t the Berkshires, Yorkshires, Cherishes
e and Essex. The foremost breed in
e general popularity was the Berkshire,
which originated in the County of
Bucks. This pig is of large size and
), yields pork of great fairness and ex-
IL cellent flavor. The Berkshire, the
q ancestor of the Poland China strain
: is usually black in color, grows very
| rapidly anu Is Wei uNAOJ'
The English white breeds were led
by the Yorkshires, which reached a
larger size than any other kind.
With the arrival of the early Purl-
tan colonists in America hog rails
ing was introduced here, live pigs
being imported from England for
that purpose.
Pork was first cured and packed
in barrels in Salem, Mass, in 1910.
That was the beginning of the pres
ent great American pork-packing in
dustry.
Boston was the center of the pork
packing industry about 1890, al
though that interesting fact is rarely
referred to in Boston today.
Cincinnati opened a large pork
packing house in 1918, and in 1882
packing began in Chicago. By 1890
there were pork packing establish
ments in fifty-three American cities
and localities, and the total number
of hogs slaughtered and prepared
for consumption as food during that
wear in the United States was 22,-
211,O0O.
Bv this time the American hog, an
Improvement over all other known
types, due to careful selection of
strains for ross-breeding, had gained
recognition as the best on the market.
Ohio contributed the Poland China,
which has become one of the princi-
pal food products of the Mississippi
valley.
From imported Yorkshires the
Chester White was developed in
Pennsylvania New Jersey furnished
the Duroc and Jersey Red. These have
the advantage of great hardness and
are most prolific. They are rapidly
replacing whites and blacks in the
middle west. Among other favor
lite American strains are the Tam |
worth, Victoria and the Essex.
Iowa Leads in Hog Production.
The greatest hog producing state
in this country today is Iowa, which |
furnished 14,OO0,000 pigs for the
market during 1919. The other great
hog producing states are Ohio. Mis-
souri,. Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ken
lucky and Nebraska.
L Il l.