22 SWliXE IN AMKKICA 



probable that many who embark in the business begin 

 with a larger number of sows than their situation justi- 

 fies, through failure to realize the increase easily possible 

 from a single sow and her progeny within a compara- 

 tively short time. 



The following will serve to show what such increase 

 may be: Beginning with a sow pig, suppose that she 

 and all her female increase farrow for the first time 

 when they are a year old, and give birth to a litter every 

 six months thereafter, and that each litter will average 

 six pigs, and only three of them females. At the end of 

 the first year there is the sow and six pigs — three males 

 and four females. In i8 months the sow has a 

 second litter. This brings the total up to seven sows 

 and six males. At the end of two years the original sow 

 has her third litter, and each of the three sows of her 

 first litter also farrow. This gives a total of 19 sows 

 and 18 males. In two years and a half the three sows of 

 I'ler second litter are old enough to farrow. This brings 

 the number up to 40 females and 39 males. In three 

 years the sows of the first, second and third litters will 

 farrow, and in addition the nine that were born to the 

 three of the first litter. This increases the number to 

 97 females and 96 males. Thus it goes on in progression, 

 until at the end of four years there would be a total of 

 502 females and 501 males, or enough hogs, descendants 

 from the one sow pig, to pay for a good-sized farm. 

 "BACON" HOGS VERSUS "LARD" HOGS 



Since about the beginning of the present century there 

 has been much written and printed in advocacy of what 



