CHAPTER V. 



PIGS 



For various reasons pigs are more profitable 

 animals to raise than beef steers or sheep and on 

 this account have always occupied a highly impor- 

 tant place in the list of farm animals throughout the 

 country. The unusual profitableness and economy 

 in raising hogs are due to a number of facts. In the 

 first place, the size of the litter is larger than of any 

 other farm mammal. Thus litters of eight or ten 

 are not rare, and sows which give birth to less than 

 four or five pigs are considered unprofitable. On 

 the other hand the birth of twins even in sheep and 

 cows only occurs in a comparatively small percent- 

 age of cases, excepting in certain breeds of sheep. 

 Moreover, hogs are ready for market at the age of 

 ten months or, at any rate, under one year. This 

 is also true to a limited extent of lambs raised for 

 the winter market, but as a rule hogs compare very 

 favorably with any other farm animal in the early 

 age of maturity. Then, we must remember that hogs 

 only require half as much food to make a pound of 

 gain as is necessary for the production of a pound of 

 beef. In this respect hogs also excel sheep, requir- 

 ing only two-thirds as much food for a pound of 

 pork as sheep consume in making a pound of mut- 

 ton. Another point in favor of pork production, 

 as compared with other lines of animal industry, is 

 that the percentage of dressed weight is very high, 



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