The Origin of Pig Breeds

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 71, Issue 4, 15 October 1945, Page 391

The Origin of Pig Breeds

r I 'HE history of the origin of pig breeds is an in--1 tegral part of the progress of the pig industry, and information on. particular breeds is frequently sought. In this article H. M. Peirson, Superintendent of the Pig Industry, Wellington, and I. H. Owtram, late Supervisor, Taira whiti District Pig Council, answer some of the questions more frequently asked, and though a great deal of detail cannot be given about each breed, the subject should be of great general interest to breeders and others connected with the industry.

f I 'HE pig was the first of the 1 domestic animals to be introduced into New Zealand, in 1771. For 50 years or more pigs roamed , the country in a wild or semi-wild state. They were hardy and prolific animals, and managed to maintain themselves and greatly increase their numbers. It was not long before pigs provided the staple meat supply of the Native inhabitants and the early settlers. The domestic pig in New Zealand is the result of importations over the past 50 years from England, Australia, Canada, and the United States, and it is - doubtful whether any direct relationship can be claimed to the original Captain Cooker of 1771. In New Zealand there are four breeds of pig in general use—the Tamworth, the Berkshire, the Large White, and the Large Black. As all these breeds originated in England, they will be dealt with first. There are also a few Duroc Jersey pigs, an American breed, here, and a few comments will be made about this breed too. By far the most prominent breeds are the Tamworth and the

Berkshire; in fact the first cross of these two breeds can be truly said to be the pig that is mostly produced in the Dominion. All breeds known today originated from the wild pig. This animal is well distributed over the earth, and varies to a certain extent in colour and size, according to the conditions prevailing in its natural habitat. Its colour varies from black and grey to chestnut, according to the natural colour scheme with which it has to blend. The actual origin of our pigs was the European wild pig, which is a rusty grey when young, turning to chestnut as it matures. The Tamworth The Tamworth, which is generally considered to be the oldest of all the breeds in use, is probably a direct improvement on the original wild pig common in England. As long ago as 150 years it was well known in the Midland counties, particularly Staffordshire, and takes its name from the town of Tamworth in that county. About 50 years ago, when the baconcurers in England started the cam-

paign against the then fashionable short, fat, and heavy-forequartered pig, which carried two-thirds of its weight in the fore-end, the least valuable part of the carcass, the Tamworth was selected by various breeders as the type of pig to cross with the short, fat pigs, to render the carcass of more value to the bacon-curer. One of the most successful of these breeders was a Mr. G. M. Allender, and another was Lord Auckland, after whose father the City of Auckland was named. About this time a separate class for Tamworths was provided at the Royal Agricultural Shows in England, and the modern type of Tamworth really started. It is quite possible that the pigs Captain Cook is credited with having liberated in New Zealand were of the old Tamworth breed.. The variations in colour seen in the Captain Cooker of today are due to all sorts of crosses with pigs of other breeds that have escaped into the bush. Actually there is not a great deal of information available about the improvement of the Tamworth. • ; :

The Berkshire

However, quite a lot seems to be known about the Berkshire breed. It will probably come as rather a shock to Berkshire enthusiasts today to learn that the breed, as known in England for many years, was a very large pig of a reddish brown colour spotted with black, and with large flop ears. In other words, it was as different as it could be from the modern Berkshire. The first step in the improvement of the breed seems to have taken place some time in the 1750’5. Tradition asserts that it was effected' by a cross of the black or deep plum-coloured Siamese boar on the old type of Berkshire that has just been described. ; Other sources state that a cross with a pure-white or spotted-white Chinese boar was used, and it is probable that ' both these reports are true. The progeny of the above crosses was then bred together, and by careful selection the

modern type was evolved. In view of the fact that the Siamese pig is described as {Slum-coloured and that in 1841 the most favoured colour among the best breeders in Berkshire itself is also stated to have been a deep rich plum colour, it is more than likely that the brownish tinge, or even deep chocolate colouring, which is sometimes seen in the pure-bred Berkshire today in New Zealand, is a throw-back to this so-called plum colour, and not, as is sometimes maintained, due to a cross with the Tamworth. One of the outstanding features of the Berkshire has always been its early-maturing properties, and this factor has been carefully preserved. About the middle of the last century the Berkshire breed became very popular in America and Canada, and large numbers were imported from England. Here the breed was worked on and adapted to the needs of the trade in these countries, first with a view to lard production, for which it was crossed with other breeds, and later for bacon production. As a result of this later development, the so-called Canadian Berkshire was produced, which is considered in New Zealand almost a distinct breed. This is probably not the case, as the Canadian type may be the product of careful selection within the breed. Photographs of some of the prize-winning Berkshires in England, taken 50 years ago, show a type almost exactly similar to the Canadian type, as it is known in New Zealand today, especially the head, which is definitely not of the extremely short and snubnosed type, which certain breeders in England made, or attempted to make, fashionable 25 to 30 years ago. In dealing with the use of the Berkshire in the United States, it is interesting to note that it was used to

improve the Poland-China breed in that country. The modern PolandChina pig is of the same colouring as the Berkshire, namely black with white feet, blaze, and tail tip. The old Poland-China was a black and white pig, and the interesting thing is that among the Maoris on the East Coast there are pigs which they call Kuni Kuni that correspond in type and colouring to the old Poland-China, and it seems very probable that they are descendants of pigs of that breed traded with the Maoris in the early days by American whalers operating in New Zealand waters. These pigs are of a very short, immensely fat type, and were highly prized by the Maoris, which would account for the way in which they have persisted. Large White, or Yorkshire The Large White, or Yorkshire, as it used to be called, and by which

name it is still sometimes referred to, is claimed to be one of the oldest breeds. The origin of this breed is to' be found in the white pigs that have been bred in the North of England for some hundreds of years. There were originally three more-or-less distinct breeds of these white pigs, namely, the Large White, the Middle White, and the Small White. About the middle of last century they became very much mixed up, but during the last 50 years the three breeds have been kept distinct, and the Small White pig has almost disappeared. There are some very amusing, not to. say astounding, reports of show results in these breeds about 80 years ago. One of these records that the same white pig in three successive years was awarded a prize as the best of its kind and year, in the three different breeds. The first year it. was a Small White, the next year it was a Middle White, and finally it finished its show career in the third year as a Large White. On another occasion a sow ’ received a prize as a Middle White, while -two of her sons were prize-winners in the Large White class. This will show to what an extent the breeds were mixed at this, time. The breeding of Large White pigs was, and is, exceedingly popular in the North of England, and it is impossible to pick out any individuals who were particularly responsible for its improvement. Large numbers were exported there under their own names, and were also used to produce various local breeds of pigs, namely Chester Whites, Jefferson County, and Victorias, to mention only a few. During the last 50 years Large Whites have become very popular in Northern Europe, and have been used extensively to improve the local breeds in Denmark, Holland, and the Baltic States. This is the world’s bacon pig. In

•every important bacon-exporting country either one or both parents are Large Whites. It is almost a universal experience that ; these pigs, kept under suitable ■ conditions, make more growth than any other breed. The Middle White is still popular in England today, but is not used as a distinct breed in New Zealand.

Large Black, or Devon The fourth breed that is in general use is the Large Black, or Devon, as it is sometimes called. This pig, with slight variations in size and characteristics, has been bred in the South -of England for many years, and was known as the Sussex, Hampshire, and Dorset, as well as the Devon, the name varying with the, locality in which it was bred. These breeds •differed mostly in size. All had more-or-less the same slate colour, and were almost devoid of hair. This last •characteristic varied a great deal, but

when any quantity of hair was present it was always very fine and silky. This same point is seen in the Large Blacks today. It is most probable that the colour and general improvement of the breed were due to the use of what was known as the Neapolitan pig. This was a pig that had been bred in Italy, particularly in the districts around Naples, for hundreds of years, and was probably a descendant of dark eastern swine imported by early Italian voyagers. Some authorities maintain that the pig used in the making of the Large Black was the Essex, or Small Black, but even if this was so, it is fairly certain that the Neapolitan was used in this Small Black breed. The flop ears originated in the original native breed on which the black pigs were used. Duroc Jerseys There is some interesting information on the origin of the Duroc Jersey breed. Red pigs had been bred in the State of New Jersey, U.S.A.,

for some 50 years in 1872, and went by the name of Jersey Reds. Their origin seems to be unknown, but was in all probability due to importation in the early days of pigs of the old Tamworth variety. These were improved by judicious breeding, and a particular family of them bred in Sarratoga County, New York, became known as Durocs. The origin of the name is not clear; possibly it was the name of a particularly successful breeder. In 1883 at a place called Elk Horn, Wisconsin, the Duroc or Jersey Red Swine Club was formed, and since then the breed has been known as the Duroc Jersey.

Evolving Local Breed

The time may come when there will be evolved in New Zealand a local breed of pig that fills the bill with regard to our climate, conditions, and feed supply. For some years now breeding experiments have been carried out with a cross between the Large White and Tamworth, in an endeavour to establish a New Zealand breed. While certain progress has been made, the experimenters have had their disappointments, as is to be expected, and it is for this reason that no information is available regarding the new Lincoln Reds. It seems highly probable, however, that from the results obtained so far a good deal more will be heard about this new breed during the course of the next few years.

KILLING YOUR OWN MEAT.

With 52 pages and 36 full-page illustrations, Bulletin No. 249, “Killing Your Own Meat,” gives most complete and easily followed information on killing and dressing. The booklet also deals with choosing suitable animals and making a cooler. Bulletin No. 249 is obtainable from offices of the Department of Agriculture, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. Price 6d.