482 SWINE IN AMERICA 



The three hgures which follow show forms of cots in 

 use at the Michigan agricultural college, and described 

 by Prof. Robert S. Shaw, in station bulletin No. 223. 

 The first two are forms in use at the institution for 

 some years. The small A-shaped cot is desirable in that 

 it is warm in winter, but objectionable in that it provides 

 little protection against the extreme heat of summer. It 

 is considered a good form of cot for the brood sow to 

 farrow in in moderate weather, as she cannot lie down 

 close enough to the sloping roof to crush her pigs 

 against a wall. A common mistake is made in fastening 

 this form of cot permanently to the skids, or runners, 

 on which it is built. These are the first to decay and 

 along with them the lower ends of the boards, thus 

 making repairs impossible, even though the balance of 

 the structure remains sound. 



The second form of hog cot, 6x8 feet, with perpen- 

 dicular sides and a flat, though slightly sloping roof, is 

 made in five separate pieces, the four sides and top so 

 constructed as to bolt together at the four corners. This 

 form of cot is warm in winter but too warm in summer, 

 with its fiat top exposed to the sun's rays, and though 

 it may be planned so that the top can be raised in sum- 

 mer, tliere is trouble from the wind occasionally unroof- 

 ing it. It is also objectionable in that the sections are 

 too heavy for one man to move and as a result it is not 

 moved as frequently as hog cots should be. Cots should 

 be constructed so that they can be moved frequently by a 

 team and one man without taking the cot to pieces. 



The third represents a form of cot more recently de- 

 signed. It is six by eight feet at the foundation, with 



