578 boaed oP agriculture. 



out. It is almost impossible to obtain milk at some shows, and if accus- 

 tomed to it and can not get it, our hogs will not eat as they should and 

 will not be in prime condition to show. Eggs are a splendid food for 

 animals being fitted for the show ring; besides being a complete food, 

 they will aid digestion, will make the skin pliable and the coat glossy. 

 We keep salt and ashes before our stock all the time. We should use 

 judgment in our care and feeding; never feed more than they will eat 

 up clean. AVe want the fitting period to extend over several months; in 

 fact, fi'om infancy to the time of showing it should be a gradual and 

 complete development of all parts of the animal, and not a short crowding 

 period that is more or less liable to injure the breeding qualities. I con- 

 sider the matter of shedding at the proper time one of importance, and 

 very hard to accomplish in preparing the herd for the show ring. 



If the old coat is shed by the last of July or first of August the new 

 coat will be in full bloom about the proper time. A daily gi-ooming and 

 frequent washing with soap and water, with a little nitrate of lead dis- 

 solved in it, will add quality to the appearance of the skin and will also 

 aid in shedding the old hair. In the care and development of swine for 

 exhibition there are many details that must be attended to, such as keep- 

 ing the appetite in the best possible condition; feeding a balanced ration; 

 keeping the feet trimmed; see that each one takes a proper amount of 

 exercise each day, and so handle each animal that it will be at its best 

 at the time of showing. The developing and finishing of animals for the 

 show ring is a work of art and good judgment. There is a time, if 

 properly fitted, when every animal of the herd will be in full bloom. This 

 time should be when the shows are on, not a month before nor a month 

 after the shows are over. 



To hit the mark at the right time is an art that takes many years of 

 close observation and patience for we young breeders (and older ones, 

 too) to learn. 



MY METHOD OF CARING FOR SOW AND PIGS. 



W. A. HAET, NEW MT. PLEASANT. IND. 



Mr. President and Gentlemen— The treatment that can most profitably 

 be accorded the sow and litter depends very much upon the individuality 

 of the sow and the treatment she has received from birth to the time of 

 fai-rowing. If she be a cross, mean-dispositioned brute, that gi'ows restless 

 and irritable whenever approached; if she be a half-starved, undeveloped 

 sow that runs to a point at each end and to a hump in the middle; if 

 she be an individual that has been made to farrow a few litters of pigs 



