his there never was a
time when the consumer more strongly demanded small joints of meat, and
these of the best quality and with as little bone as possible.

Apart from this a very large boar is a mistake as it is invariably
awkward when serving--it can be used only for large and strong sows, and
its average period of usefulness is decidedly shorter than that of a
medium sized and compact boar. A large boar generally possesses an undue
proportion of bone, its shoulders are heavy, and its ankles round, and
feet large and spreading. Now these are all objections. The bone of a
boar should be solid, not porous; the ankles compact and the feet small,
and the pasterns short. The head should be wide so that the brain can be
well developed, the head inclined to be short rather than long, since an
animal with an extremely long head is certain to be deficient in natural
flesh.

On the question of the size and hang of the ears a variety of opinion
exists; pigs with long ears, and pigs with short ears are found
possessing good carcases. It is the quality of the ear rather than its
size and hang which seems to indicate the character most. A pig with a
thin and firm ear is usually of fine quality, whereas a pig which has a
thick, coarse ear is generally coarse in bone, skin, flesh, and hair.

The neck of the boar should be muscular as indicating constitution and
natural vigour; the shoulders fine and obliquely laid, the ribs well
sprung, the loin wide, the quarters long and square, not drooping, the
hams full and extending quite down to the hocks, and without any of that
loose skin which is far too common amongst the largest of our breeds of
pigs, and which is a sure sign of coarseness. The flank should be thick
and well let down, as this indicates constitution and lean meat, the
legs should be fairly short and set well apart so that the heart, lungs,
and other organs have plenty of room to perform their share of the work
of the pig. The skin should be fine and the hair straight and silky, as
well as plenty of it. Sparsity of hair is generally an indication of
shortage of lean meat, whilst curliness and coarseness of hair are far
too frequently associated with excessive fat and coarseness of meat.

With regard to the reproductive parts of the boar there are one or two
points which should receive special attention. A boar with excessively
small testicles should be avoided, as such a one is often barren. Again,
a boar with one testi