7 he Large White Yorkshire Pig. 49 



The keeping of boars is naturally attended with greater 

 difficulties than in the case of sows. At the age of about four 

 or five months they will require a stye to themselves if they 

 are to be done properly, and if possible this should be some 

 distance from the sows' places. In the case of show boars, 

 from the age of six months they are better kept qiiite away 

 from the sight or smell of any other pigs. Boars should be 

 allowed to take plenty of exercise in a grass field and be kept 

 in hard healthy condition, not too fat, but certainly not as thin 

 as a herring as they are sometimes seen, the owner believing _ 

 they are more prolific in such a condition, trained to the last 

 ounce like a Derby candidate. 



In a short article of this description it is of course quite 

 impossible to go fully into the subject of feeding and housing 

 of pigs, but rather than pass these subjects altogether a rough 

 idea may be given of the system that was practised in the late 

 Lord Ellesmere's herd at Worsley. The sows wei-e kept in 

 open sheds and large yards, having access to grass fields into 

 which they were turned practically every day ; their staple 

 food was cooked kitchen refuse, which was carted from 

 Manchester hotels daily ; this made most excellent pig food, 

 being boiled up in large coppers two or three times, the fat 

 being skimmed off after each boiling (a most necessary 

 operation) ; with this food was mixed bran and a very small 

 allowance of " sharps " or " thirds "' flour. If there was not a 

 sufficient allowance of green food in the kitchen refuse, then 

 turnips and cabbages were added, and occasionally boiled 

 mangold or potatoes would be given in place of the swill, 

 by which name the kitchen refuse was known. 



The younger gilts were kept in similar yards adjoining the 

 main piggerj' buildings, in lots of forty or fifty, where they 

 were handier for feeding ; these pigs had the same food as the 

 sows, with the addition of barley meal and boiled Indian meal. 

 It was found that a large proportion of swill was not good for 

 young pigs. In special cases for conditioning purposes boiled 

 oatmeal, pea meal, and bean meal was given, a frequent change 

 of diet being found to be a good thing. The young pigs wei'e 

 fed four times a day at first, reducing to twice a day as they 

 grew up. Show pigs, however, require little and often, with 

 opportunities of rest and exercise between meals which should 

 commence early and end late in the day. In all the houses, 

 whether in yards or boxes, ample light and ventilation was 

 provided on both sides of the buildings and in the roofs, and 

 it was found nearly impossible to give too much air and light 

 provided that draughts were avoided. 



The box floors were nearly all red brick on edge, gi-outed 

 ill on concrete foundations, brick walls faced witli cement 



