400 JoiiTiial of Agriculture. [lo June. 1910. 



very satisfactory progress in his work. He has a small herd of cows 

 that are well cared for, and the place is kept in neat order. Mr. Boyd 

 and his family, until recently, were also residents ot the city, and were 

 professionally engaged with brush and pallette. Under the imited hands 

 of the family, howeyer. the farm they haye owned for the last two and 

 a half years is now coming gradually into proper and profitable condition, 

 and the work has proyed congenial. By this, it is not to be supposed that 

 any and every one who may find that city life does not suit them should 

 turn to dairy farming, but rather that any who.se fancy does tempt 

 them to take up country life should not be deterred by lack of experience. 

 Many a city business man makes an exceptionally good farmer, for he has 

 not only no faulty teachings to hinder him, but. by following the adyice 

 freely giyen' by the Department of Agriculture, he can make best use of 

 whatever advantages are presented in his surroundings. 



RARE PROFITS FROM SOWS. 



/. S. McFadzcan. Dairy SufervisoT . 



Prolificacy of production is a most desiral)le (juality in all utility stock, 

 and as this trait is largely hereditary it is from highly productive stock that 

 breeding animals should be chosen. As an instance of this principle of 

 hereditary fecundity in pigs, the following facts are related: — 



Mr. J. Williams, Warburton-road. Seville, has a breeding sow, a grade 

 Berkshire, which farrowed 10 1 pigs within four years and reared 91 of 

 them. A young .sow was purcha.sed from him by Mr. John Smith, Avon, 

 Ea.st Warburton. This .sow had her first litter of eight pigs on loth Sep- 

 tember. 1908. These, when fit, were sold as baconers for ;£,2o os. id. 

 Concentrated food, such as bran, pollard, and biscuit refu.se. was pur 

 cha.sed for them to the value of £fi 6s. pd.. and on this was also fattened 

 a 260-lb. pig that was killed and cured on the farm. A second litter 

 of ten was farrowed on 25th April, 1909. Nine of these were .sold for 

 ^18 9s. 6d., anrl one weighing 121 lbs. wa.s, killed for home use. Feed 

 to the further cost of ^6 6s. was used in growing these. The sow had a 

 third litter of fifteen on 28th .\ugust. Of these ten were well grown when 

 seen on 3rd February, T910. and two had been sold for ^-i^ 9s. 2d. This 

 sow, therefore, farrowed 30 strong pigs within twelve months, seventeen of 

 which were sold at a profit of ^23 9s. 2d. Besides this, she paid for the 

 raising of the household sppply of 380 lbs. of pork and bacon, and her 

 second year's work begins with twelve young ones to sell against eight of 

 the previous year. With such breeding stock as this, and reasonable 

 care, pigs can be made a very profitable side issue on the dairy farm. 



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