Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/706

624 also sent experienced men over to England to inspect all the noted herds of Yorkshire pigs and to purchase specimens; these last were bred from in Denmark, their breeding and fatting qualities were noted, and their product in the form of bacon compared. The result was a number of both boars and sows were purchased from one old breeder during several years; herds were thus established in Denmark, so that now only occasional boars are imported to secure a slight change of blood; and Danish bacon is fast approaching the value and quality of the Irish bacon. This last has certainly not made anything approaching the improvement of late years which has been noticeable in the Danish product; the Irish bacon had already acquired a high character, and the importation of the finest Large Yorkshire pigs from England has not been on a sufficiently extensive scale; the result has been a slight decadence instead of an improvement in the form and quality of the ordinary Irish country pig. The Irish bacon curers have apparently done their best to arouse their countrymen to the certain loss of the best English market unless the quality of the fat pigs is kept up; but the natural apathy of the people and the alleged desire of the Dublin officials to keep the trade in pure bred pigs in Irish hands appear to render null and void the loyal attempts of the curers to benefit the Irish farmers and themselves at one and the same time. How great the importation of bacon into this country is does not appear to have been realized. In an article written by one of our specialists, and published in a recent issue of the Journal of the Board of Agriculture, it was stated that 250,000 tons of bacon, valued at some twenty-five millions sterling, was annually imported. Surely our farmers and pig keepers are neglectful in allowing this enormous amount of money to be sent yearly out of the country principally for an article which we, with our fine breed of pigs and our wonderful climate, ought to produce at home. It does seem strange that you might almost count the English bacon factories on one hand; it is true that at one of our largest factories the finest bacon in the world is manufactured, but this only proves that we could produce a large proportion of the twenty-five million pounds' worth of bacon which Denmark, Canada, the States and other countries now send into this country.

The wild pig has long since disappeared from this country, nor is it largely consumed even in those foreign countries where it is still found. One of the chief uses to which it is put is the furnishing of sport. In India pig sticking is very popular, whilst in Germany, Austria and some other countries wild pig shooting and hunting is held in high esteem. Again, in Russia and Servia immense droves of pigs are kept in the forests, where they mate at their own pleasure and pick up their living unattended by man and even unnoticed, until the order goes forth for the slaughter of a certain number. The mere fact that none of the pigs have been operated upon, and their food having consisted