158 SWINE IlST- AMERICA 



had not been too closely confined. A pig having ample 

 exercise is pretty well insured against thumps. A suc- 

 cessful breeder whose pigs were never afflicted with 

 thumps attributed their immunity to the fact that he kept 

 a large box near the pen and if any pig began to be un- 

 duly fat and particularly chufify around the neck it was 

 put into the box and left to squeal and chase about for 

 two hours at a time in endeavor to escape. The treatment 

 was repeated once or twice a day until the pig showed 

 satisfactory evidence of being in no danger. 



MARKING PIGS 



With the beginner in pure-bred swine-raising there is 

 always the problem of how best to mark his pigs for 

 identifying the litters or sows to which they belong. No 

 system has been devised which is entirely satisfactory, be- 

 cause the metal buttons or tags made for such use are 

 frequently torn out and lost, and markings with slits 

 or notches in the ears are liable to change or obliteration 

 by accidents. A method perhaps as simple and effective 

 as any in use is shown by the illustration herewith, in 

 which the marking consists of notches cut in the ears. A 

 notch in the right ear counts for one, and a notch in the 

 left ear counts for three. When the first litter arrives all 

 the pigs belonging to it can be given one notch in the 

 upper part of the outside of the right ear. Litter No. 

 2 can have two notches in the right ear, which means 

 2, because the one and one mean 2 ; the third litter is 

 marked with one notch in the left ear, which, as stated, 

 means 3 ; pigs of the fourth litter are given one notch in 

 each ear, because the one and three mean 4; the fifth 



