450 SWINE IN AMERICA 



fortune by aid of these accessories are few in number, 

 if, indeed, there are any such, and the men who have suc- 

 ceeded best in a linancial way, or wlio have left the im- 

 press of improvement upon any breed, ha\'e done so with- 

 out the aid of expensive buildings or fittings. A happy 

 medium, somewhere between the too elaborate hog house 

 on one hand and the filthy hovel on the other — quarters 

 clean and comfortably bedded, where sunlight and ven- 

 tilation can come, and wholesome water, pasture and 

 exercise, with shade in summer, are convenient — is likely 

 to give the largest measure of satisfaction and profit to 

 the vast majority, whether their shibboleth be pedigree 

 or pork. The hog does not need a palace or an uphol- 

 stered cage, nor does he prosper in a dungeon. The 

 forest and its range were his natural habitat from ear- 

 liest history and living in close confinement or an en- 

 vironment of filth were as foreign to his instincts as to 

 those of numerous other animals erroneously rated as 

 greatly his superiors in cleanliness. 



The farmer will do well to give the matter of building 

 a large hog house careful thought before he begins it, 

 not alone on account of the expense, but for various 

 reasons. The difiiculties in keeping the sanitary condi- 

 tions of such a structure as they should be are not a 

 few. AV'hen disease attacks the animals in a large house, 

 the problem of ever thoroughly disinfecting the building 

 becomes a serious one, and few have the knowledge or 

 skill to accomplish it. Unless this is done, the owner 

 can have no assurance that he will be safe from further 

 loss when hogs again occui)y the building. 



