78 



Pork Production 



third litter number 3, and the like. The notches should 

 be broad and deep enough to be legible without catching 

 the pig, yet not so large that the ear will be disfigured. 

 The notches are often made larger than necessary since 

 they increase in size with the growth of the pig. 



A second plan of ear-notching is suggested by A. J. 

 Lovejoy in his book, "Forty Years' Experience of a 

 Practical Hog Man." According to this scheme, each 

 notch in the outer right ear counts one, each one in the 



I 



FIG. 6. Illustrating the second plan of ear-notching. 



outer left three, in the inner left thirty, and in the inner 

 right ten, as shown in Fig. 6. 



In this scheme, the number of the litter is determined 

 by adding together the figures for which the notches stand. 

 For example, one notch in the outer rim of the right ear 

 would be litter number 1, while two notches in the outer 

 right would be litter number 2 (1 + 1). Two notches in 

 the outer left would be litter number 6 (3 + 3), and two 

 in the outer right and one in the outer left would be litter 

 number 5 (1 + 1 + 3). This plan of marking, shown in 

 detail below, is particularly well adapted to large herds 

 when the number of litters exceeds thirty or forty. 



