90 Pork Production 



of six good pigs should ordinarily be put into the fat- 

 tening-pen. Although they may be smooth and good 

 to look at, the herd from a pork-producing standpoint 

 should be rid of them. Sows with defective teats, the 

 cross sows with mean dispositions, the gilts which did 

 not perform up to expectations, the pig-killers and poor 

 milkers should go into the fattening-pen. No market- 

 producing herd can be brought up and maintained at 

 a high level of breeding performance without constant 

 culling, and no herd of pedigreed stock can be made to 

 succeed where "looks" and not performance is made the 

 test in selection. 



HERD RECORDS 



In the management of a pedigreed herd, a systematic 

 and detailed set of permanent records is imperative. 

 The reliability of every printed pedigree rests not only 

 on the integrity of the breeder, but also on the faithful- 

 ness and care with which the records have been kept. 

 It is desirable, therefore, that the system of record-keep- 

 ing adopted possess the following features: it should 

 provide for the statement of all essential facts, i.e., it 

 should be complete ; it should be logically and systematic- 

 ally arranged; it should be as simple as possible and 

 adapted to the needs of the individual breeder; and it 

 should be of a kind which will insure permanency. 



The records may be kept either in specially made 

 book form or on suitably ruled cards which may be in- 

 dexed. Each form has its advantages. The publishers 

 of practically all breed papers now put out private herd 

 record books which are furnished to the breeders at a 

 nominal cost. These have done much to encourage the 

 systematic keeping of records and to give confidence in 



