Care and Feeding of Sow and Litter 89 



into the pocket if the number of pigs to be operated on is 

 large; a pan or half-bucket of strong disinfectant, as a 

 4 per cent solution of coal-tar dip, should be at hand 

 in which the knife is placed between operations. In 

 performing the operation, it is important that the incision 

 be made low enough to provide ready drainage and to 

 prevent the accumulation of pus at the base of the pouch, 

 the cord should be broken off well back, or drawn out 

 and scraped. Before releasing the pig, the wounds should 

 be washed with the disinfectant; if in fly-time some 

 pine-tar should be applied. After the operation, the 

 pigs should be shut away from old wallows and much- 

 used mud-holes, so as to prevent the entrance of filth 

 germs into the wounds. The best place for the pigs is a 

 clean pasture. For several days they should be examined 

 occasionally and any swollen or infected ones properly 

 looked after. 



CULLING OUT THE UNPRODUCTIVE SOWS 



The best time of year to make an accounting with the 

 sows is after they have weaned their pigs. They have 

 individually just finished a test of performance which 

 offers the best and most practical basis for the selection 

 of future breeding stock. Only those sows which have 

 produced good-sized, even litters of pigs and suckled 

 them well should be retained for another breeding sea- 

 son. The prolific heavy-milking sow, though "thin as 

 a rail" when her pigs are taken from her, is the foun- 

 dation of every successful herd of hogs. Such a sow 

 should hold her place in the breeding herd so long as 

 there are no better ones, according to the same standard, 

 to take her place. Mature sows which fail to raise litters 



