AGE, TIME AND SEASON FOB BREEDING 33 



you are located. Breeders and farmers residing in the southern 

 states where cold weather is not a factor, may breed at any time of 

 the year, and this is a great advantage over those of us who live in 

 the northern or eastern states. In the cold weather states, it is besl 

 not to have pigs farrowed later in the fall than September, and by 

 no means later than the latter part of October, for the reason that 

 these pigs will be farrowed too late to get sufficient growth to be 

 weaned and fed by themselves before the weather becomes too cold 

 for best results in development, unless one is especially fitted with 

 conveniences, such as warm sleeping houses, etc., with plenty of 

 warm feed to continue their development without check. 



Nothing looks so bad as a little pig in the winter time doubled 

 up with cold and its hair pointing to its ears, but where the pigs 

 can be properly taken care of and continue to grow and look smooth 

 and thrifty, then it is a different matter and they are fully as valu- 

 able as the pigs farrowed in the spring, because they come to the 

 proper breeding age the fall following their birth, and there is 

 nothing more desirable or that sells better than fall litters that can 

 be bred a year from birth. 



With the spring litters the northern and eastern breeder must 

 also be a little careful. It is all right in this section to have a few 

 pigs farrowed in February, but that is not generally best. There 

 are men who probably would like to buy February pigs, as they 

 have a little more size when the fall breeding season commences, 

 than those farrowed later, but they require much more attention 

 to bring them to weaning time than would the litters farrowed in 

 March and April; besides none of the February pigs could be 

 shown the following fall in the under six months class. This in a 

 measure militates against their being sold to breeders, but would 

 be all right where sold to farmers for breeding purposes without 

 considering the matter of showing. However, this is a matter that 

 is up to each farmer or breeder, as he sees it from his own viewpoint. 



Use of Breeding Crates. There is considerable difference of 

 opinion regarding the use of breeding crates, but I have long con- 

 sidered them a necessity, although we do not use them in every 

 instance. Where there is much difference in size of the animals the 

 crate should be used; on the other hand where the size is nearly 

 equal, perhaps just as good or better results can be had without the 

 use of the crate, yet every well regulated establishment should have 

 one or more reliable breeding crates. Some claim that using a crate 

 is against nature, which may be true. I believe, however, when the 

 crate is to be used, the animals to be bred should be turned together 

 for a short time for the purpose of getting acquainted, and the 

 teasing is no doubt a great benefit, but the practice of forcing a sow 

 into a breeding crate, then bringing the boar to her, without any 

 teasing, does not always work out as expected and sometimes creates 

 much trouble. When everything is all right, a crate is quite satis- 

 factory. Any crate used for this purpose should be adjustable both 

 in length and width. If sows can be bred without a crate, it is 

 better, as a general thing. 



