THE BREEDmO AND CARE OF HOGS. 



gelling improved seed that have been grown on rich soil, carefully selected, 

 aud all undersized seed screened out. Exactly the same care is necessary 

 with breeding stock. . Keep this up to the mark at any cost; those ani- 

 mals that do not come up to the standard can be used for food. Never 

 sell the best seeds, nor the best animals, whatever may be offered ; they 

 are worth as much to you as any one else. 



m. Age of Breeding Swine. 



The boar is capable of coupling at from six to eight months old, but it 

 IS better that he be at least ten months of age before being allowed to 

 serve. The sow is capable of breeding at seven or eight months old, but 



TAMWORTH SOW. 



it Is better that she shall not drop her first litter until she is thirteen to 

 fifteen months old. 



Two litters of pigs each year is till the sow should be allowed to raise, 

 and the best breeders are content with one litter a year. If the sow has 

 a warm place for farrowing, the earlier in the season the pigs are pro- 

 duced, the greater is the profit from them. If they come the first of 

 March, and are well fed until the new year, there is little difficulty in 

 making them average 250 pounds each, and such pigs should bring fully 

 one cent a pound more than hogs wintered once and weighing perhaps 

 fifty pounds more. The profitable plan with swine of any breed is to push 

 their fattening from the time they are born until they are killed, fcr with 

 swine, as with other farm stock, the daily increase in flesh becomes less 

 and less as the animal increases in age. 



