SWINE BREEDERS ASSOCIATION. 581 



ance of scours among the pigs, give the sow a tablespoonful of sulphur 

 or about the same amount of slacked lime in her feed each feed until 

 the trouble disappears. See that the bed is kept dry and free from dust 

 or draught. The addition of lime seems to be an advantage to almost 

 any ration. Use it in the proportion of about one tablespoonful of slacked 

 lime to each two hundred pounds of hog. The addition of lime to the 

 ration seems to grow a much stockier, stout built pig, and to develop 

 the litter very uniformly. Continue liberally feeding the sow and litter 

 up until the pigs are eight or ten Aveeks of age, when the sow should be 

 removed entirely out of sight or hearing of the pigs, and after about five 

 days she should be ready to breed for the succeeding litter. Such treat- 

 ment should produce more than one hundred strong, healthy, vigorous 

 pigs each year to each half dozen sows used in the breeding herd. 



PREPARING PIGS FOR THE SHOW RING. 



E. J. BARKER, THORNTOWN. IND. 



This is a very important matter to the breeder who follows the fairs 

 as an exhibitor. It is necessary to begin this preparation long before the 

 birth of the pig. That is, in the selection and proper mating of your 

 breeding animals. After having selected your brood sows, it then becomes 

 a problem— in fact, it is a science and requires careful study for a person 

 to know just what kind of a boar is best suited to mate with her. After 

 having fully determined upon the cross you are going to make, and your 

 sows are now safe in pig, it is not time yet to rest and let them take care 

 of themselves, but from this period forward until the pigs are driven into 

 the show ring there is constantly something to do, to keep the sow in a 

 healthy, vigorous condition so that the pigs, when they are farrowed, 

 may be large and strong. The care of the brood sow during the period 

 while she is supposed to be carrying her yound (i. e., in the winter season). 

 Sows and pigs having been discussed, we will now take up the subject 

 of preparing pigs for the show ring, beginning on them now at birth. 

 First, it is very important to keep all sleeping places and feed troughs 

 clean and sweet, allowing no filth of any kind to accumulate about their 

 quarters that can possibly be avoided. It is necessary to keep pigs thriv- 

 ing all the time in order to successfully compete in the show ring in this 

 day and age of competition. And in order to do this, you must very care- 

 fully guard against scours, as this is one thing that cuts .a pig down 

 quicker than most anything else. We usually have our pigs coming in a 

 pen to themselves and drinking a little new milk or warm slop by the 

 time they are three or four weeks old. From this time forward, give 



