72 

 616.-PIG BREEDING AND FEEDING. 



To manufacture a first class carcase of pork from an ill-formed 

 badly-bred pig is almost as difficult as " to make a silk purse out of a 

 sow's ear." The selection of the parents of the castrated boars and 

 spayed sow pigs which are to be fattened is. therefore, of vast 

 importance. Where possible, it is best to obtain the service of a 

 pure-bred boar, which should be of good quality and of a quiet dis- 

 position, fine in bone and hair, lengthy and deep in hack and hind 

 quarters, and with a comparatively light fore end. The brood sow 

 should possess as many of the above points as possible, with at least 

 twelve teats, placed as nearly as possible equi-distant from each other 

 and commencing close behind the forelegs of the sow. 



Many persons consider that the purity of the breed of the sow is 

 not so important, but. as with the boar, pig breeders cannot be too 

 strongly urged to keep for breeders only those young pigs which are 

 the produce of prolific, good tempered and free suckling sows. Far 

 too little attention is frequently paid to these three most important 

 points. Old pig keepers have observed that the produce of sows 

 that farrow large litters of even sized pigs fatten more quickly and 

 require less food for a given increase in weight : and it is also a fact 

 that the produce of the more usty and muscular sows, which are 

 usually in good condition, are better growers and strivers than the 

 pigs of smaller litters from weakly and delicate sows. Matured 

 sows will produce a greater number* of pigs, which are often 

 more thrifty in many ways, than will the young sows which are too 

 early mated with the boar. 



It should be remembered also that sows continue to produce good 

 pigs for several litters. Considerable attention is at the present time 

 being given to the system which is common in some of the northern 

 counties of rearing but one litter of pigs and then fattening the sow. 

 One of the reasons given for this plan is that the young sow when 

 fattened will take the place of a fat castrated male or spayed female 

 pig, and thus realise more per pound than would an aged sow when 

 fattened: also that in these districts the majority of the pigs are 

 fattened within a certain few months, and, therefore, it would not 

 pay to keep the older sows to produce only one litter per year. 

 Neither of these reason-- appears to have much force, since it is 

 generally acknowledged that the most successful pig feeder is the one 

 who has fat pigs to sell at all periods of the year, but particularly in 

 the months of* July and August, as the highest price is then generally 

 obtained for pork, whilst it has cost less to produce, since much 

 food is required to produce a given (|iiantity of pork in warm than in 

 cold weather. It has been proved in the United Stales that in very 

 severe weather the whole of th" nutriment contained in the food is 

 required to keep up the animal heal of the pigs, so that no increase of 

 weight is made. Of course, the cold in this country is not so severe, 

 but the loss sustained by low temperature and damp weather is far 

 greater than is generally believed by pig keepers. 



Again, a well-matured sow will rear at least 20 per cent, more 

 pigs at less cost per head than will most young sows with their first 

 litters : besides this, the proportion of runts or weakly pigs will be 

 smaller. 



