Live Stock Breeders' Association. 217 



Sig. or Dose. — Take 365 days in the year and rub on between 

 times. 



This prescription, if given according to directions, is war- 

 ranted to bring about success. 



Attention must be paid to details if one wishes to succeed in 

 the hog business, whether one is catering to the breeder or to the 

 market. 



A hog's history begins before he is born, and in order to under- 

 stand how to grow him to the best advantage we must first look to 

 the care and purity in breeding of his parents. In a large measure 

 the care and the feed of the mother will determine a pig's advan- 

 tages at birth, his chances for developing into a strong, vigorous 

 hog, capable of manufacturing corn and other grains into pork, 

 his efficiency as a meat manufacturing machine. The factor, then, 

 that will determine in a large measure success, will be the atten- 

 tion to details taken in the origination of our breeding herd. Shall 

 we breed from young or old animals ? Shall we breed from grades 

 or purebreds? 



While beginning our foundation herd it may be necessary to 

 breed from young and immature animals, yet it should be borne in 

 mind that the strongest and most vigorous young are produced 

 from animals that have reached maturity. Animals that have 

 reached their fullest development do not expend their energies to- 

 ward their own development at the expense of the offspring, but 

 rather to that of the offspring. The sole purpose of a mature ani- 

 mal in nature is the production of strong, vigorous offspring, and 

 their whole life previous to that time is spent with that end in 

 view. Can we, then, in our breeding operations be successful and 

 yet violate nature's laws by producing swine from young and im- 

 mature animals? In order to build up strong, vigorous herds the 

 practice of breeding from young boars and gilts cannot be con- 

 tinued. The practice of buying from six to eight months old boars, 

 because they can be bought cheaper, to use upon our herds for two 

 seasons, and then marketing the boar, cannot but meet with dis- 

 astrous results. If, then, a new boar must be bought, let it be 

 done, but at the same time the old one should not be sold. It costs 

 but little to maintain a boar, and his services in a herd will be worth 

 far more than will those of one young and immature. He should 

 be kept, then, as long as he remains strong and active. In con- 

 structive breeding operations it is almost absolutely necessary to 

 keep more than one boar. One of the greatest constructive breeders 

 in the world has no less than eight or ten boars in active service 



