622 BREEDING HOGS. 



Husbandry," expresses the correct idea of this breed in the follow- 

 ing forcible manner: "Controversies as to the precise crosses, and 

 by whom or under what circumstances they were made forty years 

 ago, to form the breed of hogs now known as the Poland-Chinas, 

 may be of interest to a few; but what is vastly more important to 

 millions of people is the fact that there has been produced a race of 

 swine, now bearing that name, which very many severely practical 

 and intelligent men consider the best pork-producing machines 

 known, in fact nearer to what the farmers of the great West need 

 than any other single breed in existence." 



How to Breed Hogs First Essential The first 

 thing for a farmer who desires to. breed hogs is to select his boar. 

 In this, he should first decide upon the breea of animals which he 

 desires to raise, and the purpose of breeding. If he desires to raise 

 stock to sell for their breed, he must have thoroughbred boars to 

 couple with thoroughbred sows. If breeding for the market, he 

 should secure a thoroughbred boar or the services of one, and cross 

 with sows of good grade, that will produce either pigs that will 

 mature early, or stock that will reach a large growth. The charac- 

 teristics of the different breeds as above given will guide him in 

 this respect. A breeder wishing to keep his sows fifteen to twenty 

 months cannot do better than to select a good-sized, strong, some- 

 what coarse sow, having more or less of the Chester blood. Serve 

 such a sow with a well-bred Essex, Berkshire or Yorkshire boar. It 

 never pays to use a common boar. 



How to Manage the Breeding Sow Pigs cast early 

 in the spring need not suckle more than five or six weeks, and a sow 

 properly taken care of will take the boar again within a week after 

 her pigs are weaned. The breeding sow should have the run of 

 pasture during summer, and if this does not give her all she seems 

 to need, she should have swill or milk with a few ears of corn daily. 

 She should not be made too fat, but should have plenty of exercise, 

 and be kept in just good condition. If she feeds her pigs 'well, 

 they will get the benefit of nearly all the fat she would accumulate 

 before they are weaned. 



Care of the Young Litter A couple of weeks before 

 pigs are expected, the sow should be put into a pen where she can 

 be alone at night, so that she will become familiar with the place. 

 She should be allowed to run in and out in daytime, but should not 

 be fed in the pen. If the sow is in good condition, she will have 

 no trouble in dropping her young, which will come strong. and un- 

 doubtedly suckle within a few minutes after birth. She should 

 have all the milk or slop she can take as soon as she gets up. 

 After the sow has eaten and gone back to her bed, it is well to no- 

 tice whether there is any sound from the young pigs to indicate 

 whether she is lying on them or not, and then they can be taken 

 care of. During the first ten days give her no grain. For further 



