apt to
attempt to palm off pigs as being older than they really are. It is most
annoying when you are anxious to purchase pigs of say six or seven
months old which are quite ready to be quickly fattened, to have pigs of
four or five months old which continue to make growth instead of flesh,
so that they are not ready for killing until two or three months after
they are required for conversion into bacon.

Although the object of the Council of the Smithfield Club is to prevent
fraud of a different character, i.e. the exhibition in classes limited
to certain ages of pigs of an age greater than that given on the entry
form, yet the following table showing the normal state of the dentition
of pigs at certain fixed ages will enable purchasers to discover whether
or not the seller has attempted to deceive him. It may at once be
admitted that there will be a limited number of cases in which the state
of dentition of pigs is abnormal, but after examining the teeth of some
thousands of pigs during the past sixty years, we have no hesitation in
asserting that more than half, at least, of the variations from the
normal are allayed dentition. It is claimed that a man of experience is
quite able to arrive at the approximate age of a pig by its development
and appearance; some few persons may have that instinctive knowledge
more or less fully developed, but this examination of the state of
dentition is of the greatest possible assistance in arriving at the
actual age of the pig, particularly desirable as it is in case of a
difference of opinion between buyer and seller.

The following are the conditions of the state of dentition to which all
pigs have to conform ere they are allowed to compete for the prizes
offered by the Smithfield Club at their annual shows:--

"Pigs having their corner permanent incisors cut will be considered as
exceeding six months.

"Pigs having their permanent tusks more than half up will be considered
as exceeding nine months.

"Pigs having their central permanent incisors up, and any of the first
three permanent molars cut, will be considered as exceeding twelve
months.

"Pigs having their lateral temporary incisors shed, and the permanents
appearing will be considered as exceeding fifteen months.

"Pigs having their lateral permanent incisors fully up will be
considered as exceeding eighteen months."

As the majority of the pigs bought of dealers by amateurs are young pigs
it may be advisable to