24 FORTY YEARS' EXPERIENCE OF A PRACTICAL HOG MAN 



litter for the service of the boar. The Utter above was the result. 

 We sold the four sows to prominent breeders for $1,250. All of 

 the sows proved great producers. One had a litter of seven pigs, 

 one of which was used at the head of the herd for years. Three 

 of this litter were made barrows for show at the International 

 Exposition, where one of them was the Grand Champion over all 

 breeds and the others were winners in class. All this goes to 

 prove the value of a great sire, which in this case gave a good 

 record and brought us a great sow for the herd, and $1,250, for 

 the service of the boar. 



There are many such instances on record, which emphasize the 

 value of the right kind of a pedigree as well as "some hog" 

 which is certainly very necessary. It is also of great importance 

 that the same critical judgment be used in the selection of the 

 brood sows on which the herd is founded that the future may be 

 an assured success. 



Every breeder should be constantly on the lookout for a sire 

 which he has reason to believe would help to improve his herd. 

 It is not likely that any man is so well fixed in regard to sires 

 that he need not think of better ones. Wise breeders are always 

 open-eyed and open-minded in reference to new sires for their 

 herds. They keep posted as to the performances of both boars 

 and sows representing popular blood lines. Moreover, they cor- 

 respond with or visit many of the less prominent breeders for 

 the purpose of finding out how things are going. Such men 

 make most of the so-called "lucky strikes." When they have the 

 evidence that given blood lines are producing extraordinarily 

 good things they are enterprising enough to secure boars or sows 

 representing those blood lines. Sometimes they have to pay long 

 prices; just as often they secure bargains. 



A breeder who would steadily advance must pay studious atten- 

 tion to the operations of his fellow-breeders, and thus keep that 

 breadth of mind which is essential to genuine progress. He must 

 war against narrowness, and be big enough to see real merit 

 wherever it exists. 



A Sire's Influence. In speaking of the influence of the sire 

 Prof. C. S. Plumb of the Ohio State University says : 



"There is a great deal to learn regarding the reproduction of charac- 

 teristics among animals. However, one thing is pretty well established, 

 and that is, that what we know as well-bred animals transmit their 

 qualities with more certainty than do those of inferior breeding. It 

 is unfortunate that the results of the most successful experience in 

 breeding are not studied more carefully and made greater use of by tb.e 

 rank and file of breeders. The average man, a breeder so-called, is not 

 in fact a student of breeding at all. Far too many men are interested 

 in simply getting their females in pig, without regard to the fitness of 

 the sire. That methodless way has actually been the undoing of many 

 an American herd. This illustration has been made use of by one 

 author. Let two men start to breeding at the same time. One selects 

 a sire with great care and mates him to a lot of females with the view 



