lo Ai'RiL iQi:;-] TJic ^^/i; Iiidusiry. 253 



awav from the sow so tliat tlie littlu ones can run under the rails ; skim- 

 milk to commence with, and then a little pollard added. Any males not 

 required for breeding should be operated upon at as early an age as 

 possible, say at two or three weeks old. The longer it is delayed the 

 worse the effect on the i)ig. Great care must be taken with regard to 

 cleanliness. The parts and instruments should be cleansed with an anti- 

 .septic such as li to 2 per cent, solution of lysol. Hundreds of farmers take 

 no sanitary precautions whatever, and probably lose no pigs, but rne has only 

 to pay a visit to the public abattoirs to see that the effect of this neglect 

 is often the loss and destruction of much valuable meat. The little extra 

 care does not make many seconds difference in the time required for the 

 operation. In England the female pigs not required for breeding pur- 

 poses are spayeil, which improves them for fattening and curing. The 

 little ones may be weaned at six to eight weeks. The sow. if in good 

 condition, may come in season in about three days after they are removed. 

 If she has suckled herself into a low condition, it may be necessary lo 

 miss once or twice before sending to the boar, or a good plan is to leave 

 the young with her a while longer. This often results in benefit to both 

 sow and pigs, and the trouble" wdiich somietimes follows from a rest from 

 breeding, of getting the sow in pig when she is mated, is avoided. When 

 there is trouble in getting the sow to breed, particularlv if she has put on 

 too much condition, it may often be overcome by feeding rich lather than 

 bulky food, for instance, a few beans or peas will prove far more suitable 

 food for a sow about to be put to the boar than a comparatively large 

 quantity of sloppy and innutritious food. The sow is more likelv to hold 

 if put to the boar just before going off heat than when she first comes on. 

 If possible, she should be kept for a day or so by herself after being served. 

 When there is difficulty in getting a sow to breed it may often be overcome 

 by trying different bears, one after another. As soon as she proves in pig 

 she should be fed nutritious, muscle forming food to keep up her own 

 condition, and to develop her young. She should not be fat, but in good 

 hard condition with a good store of lean meat which will help her to retain 

 her condition while providing plenty of milk, whereas the fat would 

 rapidly waste without assisting her in milk production. From the sixth 

 to the fifteenth week of the sow's pregnancy she should be fed liberally 

 < n those kinds of food which are best suited for the production of lean 

 meat and muscle rather than fat, as the drain on her system in building 

 up the framework of some fifteen little pigs is very extensi\e. A week 

 or so before she is due to farrow she mav be fed on the same sort of feed 

 she will get after farrowing. Pollard and bran with skim-milk if available 

 should be the food for the sow for a month after farrowing. Then mav 

 be added barley meal or other crushed grain. If she shows signs of 

 constipation the proportion of bran should be increa.sed. If oats are fed 

 the husk should be removed, as this is likely to be injurious to the voung 

 pigs. She may now be fed three times instead of twice a day. If it is 

 not possible to give the sows a grass run, it will be found beneficial to 

 throw tares, lucerne, or other green stuff to them. 



Management of the Young Pigs. 



The management of the voung pig depends upon its ultimate desti- 

 nation, whether it is intended for stud, show, or fattening. The show mav 

 Ije looked upon as an advertisement, and it is not always the animal that: 



