39 



breed to which he belongs, and should have a bold, impressive carriage and general 

 appearance. There should be nothing effeminate about his appearance and general 

 make-up. Coarseness and roughness are not desirable, but if it came to a choice 

 between two boars, one of which was fine and effeminate and the other inclining 

 to coarseness, but strongly masculine, the writer's experience would lead him to 

 choose the latter, other things being equal. 



Use.— The age at which a young boar may be first used depends largely upon 

 his development. Some boars may be used to a few sows when not more than 

 seven months old without apparent injury. As a rule, it is safer not to use a boar 

 before he is eight months old, and to use him as sparingly as possible until he is a 

 year old. No hard and fast rule can be laid down, and the owner must use his 

 judgment in the matter. Excessive use when young is likely to shorten the period 

 of a boar's usefulness, and, since a boar will usually leave the best pigs after he 

 reaches maturity, the importance of saving him while he is young will be readily 



I^ig. 7. — Berkshire boar, championship winner at the Iowa State Fair. 



appreciated. Some good breeders will not allow more than one service a day, with 

 intervals of one or two days a week without being used in the case of valuable 

 boars. This is a matter which can be regulated better in large herds, where several 

 stock boars are kept, than it can where only one boar is kept and where outside 

 sows^ are admitted. The owner of a boar under the last named conditions will 

 require to exercise all his ingenuity to prevent his boar from being used too freely 

 during certain seasons of the year. In no case should more than one service to a 

 sow be permitted, and the boar should not be allowed to run with sows to which 

 he is to be bred. Excessive use is likely to result in small, weak litters, and the 

 aim should be to save the boar as much as possible. It is not good to use a boar 

 immediately after he has been fed. 



Exercise. — Probably nothing is more essential to the health and vigor of an 

 animal than exercise. In summer it is usually a comparatively simple matter to 

 provide exercise in a paddock or pasture lot, but in winter it is more difficult. A 



