434 THE PIGS OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



We believe a small quantity of ground beans mixed with the 

 house wash will prove economical and sustaining ; better still if 

 we add a handful of Smith's palm-nut meal, which, from its high 

 percentage of fatty matter, is very satisfying. The food should 

 be mixed thin, wash or water preponderating, and given at first 

 three times a day — morning, noon, and night. Weaned pigs 

 will eat, iu addition to the wash, |lb. of each kind of meal daily, 

 which may be increased to fib. when the animals are six months 

 old. It is surprising how small a measure suffices to keep the 

 animals in healthy, growing condition. Exercise is very 

 important. If young animals are closely housed, the muscles 

 are not properly developed. We prefer an open yard, with suit- 

 able shelter sheds. One, two, or three hilts cannot, of course, 

 be by themselves ; they will take no hurt if associated with 

 young cattle. Indeed, we have frequently noticed decided 

 friendships between the porcine and the bovine race thus brought 

 together. The pig will nestle up close to the beast, in order to 

 benefit by its shelter and the warmth imparted from its body. 

 Any refuse from the cattle mangers may be placed in the pig 

 trough, and will be greedily eaten. 



Assuming that our young sows are of one of the improved 

 varieties, and have been well done to from birth, they should be 

 ready to receive the boar when eight months old, so as to pro- 

 duce the first litter when a year old. We are surprised to find 

 that in Mr. Martin's excellent treatise on " The Pig," edited and 

 revised by Mr. S. Sidney (Routledge and Co., price Is.) a book 

 which enjoys a. well- deserved popularity, the following opinion of 

 Mr. John Tyrrell's is quoted, and apparently adopted : " Sows 

 should be at least two years old before they are mated. They are 

 not full-grown until five or six." Such might have been true of 

 the unimproved sorts, but it is incorrect now, when a pig attains 

 full size at or under two years. It would make the sow very 

 costly if she were to remain unproductive until twenty-eight 

 months old, by which time, according to the practice we advocate 

 she should have had three litters, and might be going on towards 

 a fourth. The possibility of this early fruitfulness depends upon 

 the early matuing properties of the breed being supported by 

 abundance of wholesome nourishing food. Modern experience 

 is in favour of amended practice in this respect with all our 



