A Study of Hybrid Vigor in a Cross between Poland China and Duroc Jersey Swine »

Cross-breeding has been used for the purpose of recombining the best characteristics of two or more breeds in the formation of a new breed. This is a process that requires many years of continued selection. A second purpose in cross-breeding is to obtain immediate offspring possessing more desirable characteristics, such as greater size, more economical feed utilization, or more rapid growth, than are exhibited by either parental breed. Interest in cross-breeding for the production of market animals has been of long duration and at the present time is greater in the United States than it has been for decades. The recent success in the production of hybrid corn may have been a stimulating factor in this interest. The purpose of this experiment was to study the effect of crossbreeding on weight of pigs at birth, vigor, rapidity of growth, and economy of gain. BREEDS AND METHODS