22 



it profitable to allow a sow to rear more than ten pigs at a litter. At three months 

 each pig gets 2 quarts of milk in three feeds. This is considered the profitable maxi- 

 mum. At this age 7 lbs. of potatoes and 2 lbs. of chop are fed daily with the milk. 

 This ratio is continued until the final month when the ratio of grain to potatoes is 

 turned about. Oat chop is highly valued at this period. At no time is more than 34 

 lbs. of grain fed per day. Pigs are fijiished at six months weighing 170 lbs. dressed, 

 equal to 224 lbs. alive. By this method of feeding it costs the feeder an average of 

 8 cents per day per pig. This herd owned by Mr. J. Willington won most of the prizes 

 for Yorkshires at the Dublin exhibition. 



A farmer on 70 acres feeds off 30 pigs per year. Litters are fed at 4 weeks and 

 weaned at 7 to 8 weeks. Until 1907 all grain fed was boiled, but now soaking is con- 

 sidered just as good. This feeder, like previous one visited, does not consider it as 

 profitable to buy as to raise his own stock. Pigs are fed twice daily on slop. In winter, 

 potatoes are cooked, but mangels are pulped and mixed with soaked grain chop. 

 Young pigs in August were getting skim-milk, chopped cabbage and shorts. They 

 were soon to be turned out to grow up on cheap feed until five or six months old when 

 they were to be housed and put on a fattening ration that would make them ready 

 for the market at 8 to 9 monthts old. 



Another feeder, Mr. Lyons, was loud in his praise of Large Blacks as good doers. 

 He owns a nice herd that were in fine breeding or growing condition. Sows get no 

 feed for twelve hours after farrowing; they then get light warm slop consisting of 

 steeped bran sweetened with treacle until in full milk. In ten days they get boiled 

 potatoes, bran, and milk with a light grain ration which is gradually increased. All 

 food is cooked and fed warm. As early as young pigs will eat they get a separate 

 trough for such food as milk, potatoes and shorts. The sows are spayed and the 

 boars castrated at seven weeks and all are weaned a week later. They are fed three 

 times a day on milk and shorts. Good feeding is continued until the pigs are sold. 

 Mangels, turnips or potatoes are fed almost the year round and cabbage is given in 

 summer and fall. The first four months after weaning the ration is two-thirds bulky 

 food and one-third chop, the latter being shorts, bran, barley meal and corn meal. 

 The ration is during ten days changed to two-thirds grain and one-third bulky food. 

 During the last three weeks a feed of dry oats (1 to 1^ lbs. for each pig) is given at 

 noon. F6ur litters a year from two sows are turned off. Many of the neighbouring 

 farmers feed in about the same way and are endeavouring to avoid marketing at 

 seasons of heavy supply. One feeder visited would keep five or six sows and sell young 

 pigs if he had more milk, without which he does not consider pig feeding very 

 profitable. 



Marketing. 



In the south of Ireland pigs are sold alive, whereas in the north they are dis- 

 posed of dressed. In the central and southern counties monthly pig fairs-— markets- 

 are the medium of transfer, but in the neighbourhood of factories the rule is to sell at 

 these plants. Because it is felt that buyers and curers work together to ' fix ' the price, 

 there is a strong tendency towards co-operative curing which already has a foothold 

 in Koscrea, Tipperary county, while a large co-operative concern is soon to commence 

 operations in Wexford. The Commission spent an interesting day at Gorey pig. fair. 

 Early in the morning pigs commenced' to arrive in carts, some hauled by donkeys and 

 others by horses. The carts lined the main streets backed up to the sidewalk. In a 

 number of cases the pigs were unloaded and penned on the sidewalk. The offering 

 consistetd of perhaps 800 head, 40 per cent being prime bacon hogs, the others chiefly 

 stores. Buyers were on hand bright and early and by nine o'clock most of the pigs 

 had been sold. As a rule much bantering was done before the bargain, which always 

 took into account a 'luck penny,' was announced by a slapping of the others hand. 

 On that day the price was high but it did not prevent perhaps three per cent of the 

 pigs returning home unsold. This fair presented the Commission with an excellent 

 •opportunity to see that old established packing houses discriminate very carefully in 

 selecting pigs for their plants. The price they were prepared to pay for select pigs 



