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was harvested, but this is being all changed, so that finishing and marketing is 

 becoming more and more uniform throughout the year. 



Two litters a year are the rule, orie farrowed in February or March, the other in 

 iVugust or September, In earlier years October was the busy autumn farrowing 

 month, but people have come to see that pigs born so late do not winter well, and then 

 feeders usually buy their winter stock about the first week in November, or earlier, 

 if possible, and consequently there is better demand for young pigs at that time. 



Irish pig raisers have learned the wisdom of not weaning too early. From seven 

 to eight weeks is the usual weaning age throughout the country. In the north, the 

 breeders who do not fatten their own stock, usually keep the litters two or three weeks 

 after weaning before taking them to market, where they are purchased by feeders who 

 at once put them on good feed, rushing them along to a finished condition weighing 

 150 to 175 lbs., dressed, at six or seven months old. In the south the bid practice of 

 allowing the young pigs to grow slowly as stores, and turning them off fat at ten to 

 twelve months old is, on many holdings, still in vogue. The tendency, however, in the 

 south, as already mentioned, is to save time by shortening the life of the pig. 



While the industry is better conducted by the northern than the southern farmers, 

 the supply of stock in the south is more constant from year to year. This is due to 

 two principal causes: 1st, the more highly developed condition of the dairying industry; 

 and 2nd, the dependence of the southern province farmers upon the pig to pay the rent. 

 The northern Ulster farmer is more flexible in his methods, and moves up and down 

 according to conditions. During the present year the continuous high prices for pigs 

 have led to a considerable increase in the number of brood sows kept in the northern 

 half of the country. 



Pigs are, as a rule, economically fed in Ireland. Buttermilk and skim-milk are 

 doled out carefully at all seasons of the year, and to this, in winter, is added potatoes 

 and turnips, and in summer, cabbage and other green foods. These form the staple 

 dietary along with corn, barley and oats finely ground and given as a warm mash. 

 As the finishing period approaches, the grain ration often used consists of two parts 

 crushed oats to one part corn meal. At this stage the green food is reduced to a 

 minimum. The method of feeding described is that generally approved by the most 

 progressive swine feeders. As in Canada, all good feeders do not feed alike. The 

 methods on a number of farms visited are described as follows: — 



At Albert College the litters are weaned at nine weeks. At three weeks they are 

 started on new milk and gradually put on to skim milk with steamed corn meal and 

 shorts added. At weaning time each pig is getting from one to two pints of milk per 

 day, but this is gradually substituted by brewers' grains with a view to cheapening 

 the ration. The practice at the College in winter is to steam potatoes, corn meal and 

 shorts together, enough for two days, giving the food as a slop three times a day at 

 first, and twice a day when the pigs have reached four months. The growing pigs are 

 housed constantly, but breeding stock is given an outside run. 



A patron of Roscrea co-operative bacon factory farming 70 acres feeds off about 

 20 pigs a year. These constitute two litters from each of two Yorkshire sows. These 

 pigs get the skm-milk and buttermilk from seven cows. The litters are weaned at 

 7 weeks. When three weeks old they are fed new milk, and soon after oat meal with 

 hulls sifted out is added. Gradually skim-milk is substituted for the new. At three 

 months old roots and barley meal are steamed together and fed. At first roots com- 

 prise most of the ration which is made stronger with meal as the finishing time 

 approaches. In summer mangels are fed until cabbages are ready. 



Patron No. 2 owning 10 Yorkshire sows weans at 8 weeks. At 4 weeks the litters 

 commence to get new milk (six quarts per day for 10 pigs) and a week later boiled 

 slop consisting of potatoes, corn meal, barley meal and shorts. The milk fed is 

 gradually changed to separated and fed warm. The sows are turned out each day 

 when the litters are being fed. This patron hangs a lantern in the pen of a newly 

 farrowed sow for two nights to prevent little pigs being killed. He does not consider 



