The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1920-09-01
HISTORY OF DUROC JERSEY
SWINE

Red hogs are mentioned by early
writers as being found in Guinea. Por.
tugal, Spain and England Youatt com.
ments on the value of the Guinea breed,
and also mentions the fact that Tam.
worths and sandy Berkshires were
known in England since time imme.
mortal. }&,. l5sE
Hon James B. Clay is said to have
imported a pair of+red pigs from Spain
during hisdreSidence as minister of the
United States,at Lisbon, in 1850. No
doubt some of his stock reached Ken
lucky and other southern states. AT a
meeting OF the National Swine lin In
dianapolis in November, 1872 the COM
tee appointed on the history ofHthe ;Jer-
sey Reds, through their chairman, F.
D. Curtis, of New York, reported that
"The positive. origin of this family is
unknown. They have been bred in por-
tons of the state of New Jersey for
upwards of fifty years, and with many
farmers are considered to be very
valuable variety. They are of large
size and capable of making a heavy
weight-fivei and six hundred pounds
weight being common. David Petit.
Of Salem, and d. H. Brown. of Wind
sor,; have grown them for many years
the former about thirty and the lat
ter about fifty They are exclusively
New Jersey and in some neighborhood DDS
they are quite uniform, being Of a dark
red color, but in some other sections,
they are more sandy and often patched
with white. They are probably de-
lscended from the old importations Of
Berkshires.
The DurOcs
Regarding the family of Durocs Of
New York, Col r. ID. Curtis in his his
tory of the breed in the first volume
|of the sister association s record has
this to say: The sDuroc family Of red
hogs was SO called by, Isaac Frink, "A
prominent farmer living in Milton 'Sar-
atoga county, N. II. The writer knew
him, and once when his guest was in
.vited out to see his hogs up to their
eyes in clover they we're in splendid
order and the owner, with becoming
pride said pointing to them, That is the
way to make pork In the spring of
1923 Mr.. Frink had taken a mare to
the noted stallion, Duroc, then owned
by Harry Kelsey in the town of Flori-
.da, Montgomery county, N. T., about
twenty-five miles away. There he saw
IA litter Of then red pigs. the production
of a pair of red pigs brought the year
before by Mr.. Kelsey, either from Oys-
ter Bay, Queense county, N. Y, or i'm
ported from England.
4 Mr.. Frink purchased boar and
took him to his home in Saratoga coun-
ty. The services Of this boar were
much sought after, as the crosses were
growthy and the pork Of excellent quail
ity. Mr.. Frink found it necessary to
give them name, which he did. calling
them tDurocs in compliment to Mr.. Hell
sey's famous horse. A great many of
the pigs were red and resembled the
boar, with thick, heavy shoulders and
hams. The offspring were long and
deep in the body, with Topped ears
and noted for their quiet disposition as
well ais rapid growth. The popularity
of these crosses extended all over the
country and they were sought after for
breeding. Red hogs We're sought for.
by others and in 1920 VIM. Ensign, Of
Wilburs Basin. in the same county as
Mr.. Frink, brought pair Of red hogs
from Connecticut and the next year he
got more from the same place. He bred