Pig Farming. 



83 



strongly descriminated against as l)reeders. In the case of both gelts 

 and sows, they shoukl always be distinctly feminine. Any tendency 

 to masculinity is undesiiable. as females of this type are more often 

 tliau not lacking- in either prolificacy or fecundity, or both. 



In the case of boars it is equally important to have them 

 decidedly masculine, as practical experience has shown that boars of 

 this type are far more prepotent than those showing effeminacy. 

 Boars should, in addition to other necessary qualifications such as 

 g-ood size for age, trueness to breed type, constitution, etc., be rugged, 

 and show a well-developed ])air of testicles. If anything, it is wiser 

 to err on the side of ruggedness than that of over refinement. This 

 does not mean that they should not show qiiality. (Quality should be 

 sought for in both male and female breeding stock, but to a greate]' 

 extent in gelts and sows, for the reason that females of this type are 

 as a rule not only more fecund, but are also better mothers. They 

 invariably have more milk, and are not as clumsy in rearing their 



•' Honingsberg Maiden.' a typical Large Black matron. In seven years she produced 

 li litters, or a total of IB.'i pigs. 



litters as the big rugged sow, particularly if her ]uggedness is 

 sufficient to consider her as being decidedly coarse. 



A medium coat of soft, straight hair is most desirable. Some 

 strains of Large Blacks may be found to be comparatively hairless, 

 whilst yet in other strains we find that the coat of hair is either 

 distinctly curly or ginger-tinted, in all of which cases they should be 

 descriminated against. A curlj'-coated condition is usually correlated 

 with coarseness, whilst the ginger-tinted condition is particularly 

 objectionable, because in breeding from individuals having this 

 characteristic, there is no doubt that one is likely to increase the 

 patches of ginger hair, and so get away from tlie true Fiarge Black 

 type in respect of colour. 



Yet another undesirable feature in so far as the coat and hair is 

 concerned, is that commonly known as a " Rose." " Swirl," or *' Cow- 

 lick," the objection being largely due to the fact that it detracts from 

 the general appearance of the animal, and practical experience has 

 sliown that it is apparently hereditary. In certain strains one finds 



