WHITE BREEDS OF PIGS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LIX, Issue 6875, 13 March 1883, Page 6

WHITE BREEDS OF PIGS.

(National Lin Stock Jrarnal.) [Bt W. QoDwnr, JFd».] Chester, Shropshire, ud adjoining district* hare long been possessed of a herd of whit* pig*, large in frame, coarse in hair, with long snouts, and more or lew pendulous Urge ears. This is a hardy breed, the mothers of which are generally very prolific and excellent; norsei. Indeed, where the object of the breeder is to sell the young as toon at posaible at it good price in the ordinary market, it is doubtful if any can suit his purpose better. But all pigs at one time or other huTO to be fattened, and though these pigs are as full of flesh as the Berkshires, it is almost impossible to fatten them till full grown, or at least very fully developed. The old Welsh were the pigs chiefly purchased by the labourers in my early days, and Lheir general inaptness to fatten was fostered by those breeders who, waking up to the value of their pig stock, tried, according to their light, to improve them. They selected those with the least hair for breeders, and, whether of their own or a neighbour's stook, a long-bucked {one, end consequently, when fully grown,; a long-legged and long-nosed youngster, was chosen as the future sire; thus the most objectionable characteristics of the breed! were perpetuated. When the poor cottager who had purchased one of this type had exhausted all bis resources, his pig that he had been hoping to fatten and sell as a baoonor, was an immense-framed store, in nice condition for some one with a long purse to begin to feed. The sa.mo course, but in more marked degree, was pursued by the breeders of these large whites, and as a proof of what, in untoward seasons, may be lost through keeping gush animals, I may narrate what happened to myself in 1866. In the autumn of that year, I was induced to buy a very fine sow of the above type with her seoond litter—eleven nice pigs, about seven weeks old. I thought her very cheap at £lO. At that time (1 had given up breeding for some years and had told off my stock) I had only one small store. Tho youg pigs in due times were weaned, and the sow was again in pig. In the spring of 1867 stores were exceedingly low, but I hoped that they would soon rise in price, and did not soil Tho next litter came twelve grand pigs. Tho first lot grew in length and height, but you might as well have tried to fatten a gate-poet. Tho next Utter were weaned, and now I was obliged to sell. Tho sow was again in pig, and in the autumn presented me with twelve more. Prices, if anything got worse and in November I cleared out. In twelve month* they had eaten the produae of half an tore of garden ground, the skimmilk from flvo or six oows, and tho refuse from the house, while the meal bill was above £23 more than all tho pigs (sow, three litters, and the store) were sold for, with the exception of onej of the last litter, which, when about eight weeks old, I killed for a roaster. He formed the pieet da risislanef at a dinner I invited tome of my friends to. When dressed, there was not a dripping-pan in the town that would hold him, nor a dish that he oould be served upon till he was cut up. In quality the roaster was undeniable, but in length an absurdity. Now, bad these pigs had one or two crosses of a breed with a deposition to fatten in them, it would have been both easy and profitable to make them into nice porkers, which always sell at a fair price. But they would noi do this, and at stores they had positively to bo given away t my loss altogether amounting to very nearly #6O. msaOYSD Mfa&ft »BM> WHWB. There are several families of this breedNorfolk, small Yorkshire, Suffolk, Ac—but in characteristic*, and most probably in origin, they may bo wgwded m on*. The chief feature* arn, (or should be) at follows:—They are built Hlioa remarkably level«»»», so that all tho bait specimens »*• »'«m»»6 porfeot parallelograms! back, broad and oven j equally broad aeroi* hips, loins, and shoulders, tail small, and almost, if »* set on level with back | legs short, with flesh of thigh and shouldor wmJf down to wet! head short and tbiok i ears small and erect | jowl heavy t nose brosd, short, and inclined upward*, foyehead ri«ing at a «>hwp anglo, and broad between the eyes j skin libra, and oovsred with profusion of &m silky hair. , . . I have b«i*n particular in the description, because to. thit breed is due all the best qualities o! the other improved Whites. *or the rest, thsy are careful and fertile mother*, and when judiciously oared for, good nurse*. They have great aptitude to f*tt«n, and are able to exist on the poorest foodj indeed, their great racelleno* i* that they can convert food of comparatively innutritious character into pork and bacon, whtrta* mo*t other breed* require what it f»* mo,a concentrated and costly. They are not quick grower*, and if highly fid, are apt when kept up in the sty to develop fat without due proportion of flesh, Whm they can bat* MeroiM, how

etw, aad Mfteicaojr ef food, «*!* SDodsraUly nutritious, they suite meat (either pork or bacon) of high quality. •onto few yaars rinee I sold ay brother a hog bred by ft deMOMknt of Peter idea'* noted Peacock, out of * sow from the floyal farm at Windsor. The boar was a true •melt breed in type, hot on a somewhat larger eoale than some are. Ibe bog ran about ft field the first sitx months of his life, and got mostly hi* own living. Afterward* he wee token up and treated ae I advise, till, finding him developing very rapidly, he was got up for *how a* a fst pig. He bid an easy wis, and when killed at about thirteen months old was 17 eootw 181b* weight, and IHio through the back. This was not bad for • smell breed. This breed is aim very hardy. X have had a boar make Us* bed of leave* under ft tree, and oome out of ft snowdrift froth ae a daisy.

. T«i tmnmna iaxoi man of the present day ha* rx*n built op from the coarse whito of Chester and neighbourhood, and the Small White juit described. It carries with it all the good qualities of lie stranger parent-th* fecundity, rapid growth, heavy flesh, and milking quelltl**, united with ft greater disposition to fatten, It has, owing chiefly to injudicious selection, lost the coarse hair of the one type, without gaining the more preferable coat of the other 1 and to the white pig, of whatever character, » Slentif ul coat u doubly a necessity. Hot only 1 it indicative of hardihood of constitution, but it it a protection against cold in winter, and against tho scorching ray* of the tun in »umm*r. Ho white pig is fit to grass without plenty of hair. In my opinion, few of the breeders of Large White pigs have advanced far enough along the road to improvement. We have, beside* paucity of coat, too frequently great coarse heads and long notes, and most are plain and ugly about the hips and romp. I should like to see more level lines and greater quality, a* indicated by broader and shorter head*. The winning pen of gilt* at the late Boyal Derby were the oett type I think I ever taw. At present, though certainly an improvement on the old long- notes, they are still difficult to feed when young, and it ahould not be hard to retain their fleih and rapid growth, and yet give them greater aptitude to fatten when young if required.

TED MIDDtX BBIIKD WHITXB, originally a ores* between the other two, combine the beat attribute* ot both, A grand breeder (the *i*tsr to Fetor Kden't celebrated Lady Lulu, brought me 107 pig* at eeven litters) 1 good nurse, and mother, they can be fed to kill at the smallest pork, or can be fed up to thirty or thirty-five score*. They ahould be a large edition of the Small breed in form, character, and quality, and, like them, they develop flesh more abundantly when exercise i* afforded. One great advantage of tbe three breed* lact named is that bring ail more or let* related, it is easy to mate them either for increased rise or quality. Exception i* taken that Middle-bred white* do not breed true to type—i.«., come follow the large in form and frame, and *ome the smaller • this is generally from injudicious mating. Given a boar full of quality and masculine vigour, and a sow of ample frame, both of true Middle breed characteristic*, and it will not need much selection in the second generation to have a herd as like as possible.