GOOD PIGS NEED GOOD CARE. \, 39 



eat, and then the beneficial effect of using a good thor- 

 ough-bred boar will be seen. 



" But," it may be asked, " will not such liberal feeding 

 produce good pigs without using a thorough-bred boar ?" 

 It will certainly produce better pigs than the starving 

 system. But the effect of an improved thorough-bred 

 boar in such a case is wonderful. We would rather pay 

 $5 apiece for such pigs at two months old, than to accept 

 as a gift, pigs from the same sow got by a common boar. 

 At a year old we should expect the grades, in proportion 

 to the food consumed, to bring at present prices, at least 

 $10 a head more than the common stock. 



We have a neighbor who is a good farmer, and who 

 takes delight in feeding a good pen of pigs every fall and 

 early winter. He " did not believe " in thorough-breds, 

 and always spoke of my Essex, Berkshires, and Suffolks, 

 as " nice little pigs." After watching the effect of a cross 

 with good-sized common sows, he finally concluded to 

 bring a young sow to one of our Essex boars. She was 

 16 months old, and certainly would not weigh over 120 

 Ibs. It was then our turn to speak of little pigs. It so 

 happened that we had a grade Essex sow the same age 

 that accidentally took the boar at nine months old, and 

 had a litter of nine pigs. She was very fat, and lay upon 

 three of them. The remaining six were as handsome pigs 

 as could be desired. These six pigs we sold at two 

 months old, for feeding, for $35, and the sow, in a month 

 after they were weaned, was killed, and dressed over 300 

 Ibs., worth at the time 14 cts. per Ib. or $42. Here then 

 were two sows of the same age, one of which brought in 

 $77, and the other at a liberal estimate was not worth 

 $20. The difference was due simply to the use of a thor- 

 ough-bred boar, and to liberal feeding. The one was half 

 starved, under the mistaken impression that such treatment 

 was best for breeding sows. The mother of the other 

 was liberally fed, and her little ones were never starved. 



