EIGHTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK -PART X. 569 



body, even in width and smooth in the side. The length of body must be 

 obtained in the proper place, namely, from the rear of the shoulder to 

 the back end of the hog, with as much length as possible from the back 

 end of the rump to the front end of the loin. The shoulder should not 

 be overly thick nor the neck or snout be too long, but it goes without 

 saying that the ham cannot be too good. 



The young sows that you wish to use as brood sows should be sepa- 

 rated from the hogs you wish to fatten for the market. At least by the 

 first of November, and fed less corn and more oats, thus acquiring more 

 muscle and larger bone. It is very necessary that the sows have plenty 

 of exercise during the winter months. If they are prevented from get- 

 ting too fat they will be more liable to exercise themselves. 



The best time perhaps to have the sows farrow is from the middle of 

 April to the first of May, but if you see that you will not have feed enough 

 to keep your pigs in a good thriving condition until you raise some more 

 feed it is better to have your sows come in later than this, for a well fed 

 June pig win make a much more profitable pig than a starved April pig, 

 and he will be ready for the market just as soon and the chances are a 

 little sooner than the starved April pig. Now as farrowing time draws 

 near we should prepare to give the little baby piggies a warm, dry and 

 comfortable reception by having suitable dry and sunshiny quarters for 

 them. If you have difficulty in getting the sow into this place you have 

 prepared for her procure a bushel basket and place it over her head. 

 By so doing she will begin to back up, or perhaps whirl around a few 

 times. Now remove the basket and the chances are she will go in the 

 direction you wish her to go. If not repeat the operation, but by all 

 means be gentle with her. Do not get her excited, for you cannot be too 

 careful with her at this time. There should be no noise in the farrowing 

 quarters, as the sows at this time are exceedingly nervous. If the 

 weather is very cold do not leave the pen long at a time. The little pigs 

 should be picked up and placed in a bushel basket with some dry chaffy 

 straw in the bottom, carried to warm quarters for an hour or so and then 

 returned to their mother. Fortunate is the swine raiser if his sows far- 

 row at or near the same time, as this lessenes the chance of his having 

 many runts to contend with during the season. When the little fellows 

 are about four weeks old they will be large enough to eat a little and they 

 will eat shelled corn as soon or sooner than any grain you can give them. 

 There should be a small pen made for them to prevent the sows getting 

 their feed. If you have skim milk this is an excellent feed for either 

 pigs or sows, and I doubt if there is any better. But they should be 

 taught to eat oats while they are young, lest they refuse to eat them 

 when the cows go dry and the milk supply low. Good oats constitute the 

 best substitute for milk. 



The dam should be fed oats once a day while she is nursing the pigs, 

 but if you have plenty of skim milk she will raise her pigs very nicely 

 on that, and corn. The sow should be fed about the same kind of feed 

 a week or ten days before she farrows that you expect to feed her after she 

 farrows, thus avoiding sudden changes of feed, as this is fatal to little 

 .pigs. I have found it advisable not to give the sow anything to drink for 

 at least twenty-four hours after farrowing. At that time she may be 



