SWINE. 



SWINE. 



the sexes manifest a desire for coition at 7 or 8 

 months old ; and although frequently brought 

 together at a still earlier age, it is more prefer- 

 able to restrain them until they have attained 

 to the age of 12 months, as a larger and 

 stronger litter will be produced. The boar 

 should not commence serving until at least a 

 year old, and he may be considered in his 

 prime at 2 years old. He should not be strain- 

 ed by being allowed to serve too many sows ; 

 from 12 to 14 being sufficient. The sow should 

 rarely be put to the boar before 8 months old. 

 See GESTATION. 



The animals when collectively spoken of 

 are usually either termed swine, "hogs, or pigs; 

 but when distinctively named, the young gelded 

 male is called a "barrow," the male when not 

 castrated is called a " boar," and the female a 

 " sow," or " shoot ;" their progeny when very 

 young being styled " sucking pigs," and when 

 advanced somewhat larger in size, " porkers." 

 There is much difference of opinion as to 

 the best age for breeding sows. Some con 

 siders that sows at 3 years old throw their 

 stock much larger and stronger than when of 

 a less age; while others are of opinion that 

 they are never such good breeders as at the 

 age of from a year and a half to two years and 

 a half old ; 'after which they throw the pigs 

 unevenly. 



Regarding the sex of the progeny, it is as- 

 serted in a recent French work on the subject 

 of generation (Giron, sur la Reproduction des 

 Animaux Domestiques), that among females 

 those which receive the male first produce 

 generally more males than females. This is 

 not a matter of much consequence in swine ; 

 but in horses and cattle it is a question of 

 some moment: and if this theory is borne out 

 by experience, the hint thrown out may prove 

 useful to breeders. The sow will produce two 

 litters in a year (occasionally five in two years), 

 and from 8 to 12 pigs in each farrow. The 

 number of pigs to be kept will be easily indi- 

 cated by the number of teats which the mother 

 has ; and on no account should more be at- 

 tempted to be retained than nature has thus 

 provided for. 



"The choice of a boar," says a modern 

 writer, " depends so much upon fancy, or local 

 prejudice, in favour of a particular breed, and 

 is so little governed by either soil or climate, 

 that no other general rule can be laid down 

 upon the subject, than to avoid an animal 

 which is not small-headed, deep and broad in 

 the chest, the chine rather arched, the ribs and 

 barrel well rounded, and the haunch falling full 

 down nearly to the hock. He should also be 

 more compact in his form and rather smaller 

 than the sow ; for, if she be coarse, her pro- 

 geny will be improved in form and flesh by the 

 cross, and the more roomy she is, the better 

 chance will she afford of producing a large and 

 healthy litter." (Brit. Husb. vol. ii. p. 511.) 

 The boar cannot be too well kept ; but the sow 

 should not be highly fed before taking the boar. 

 The plan or custom of breeding in and in from 

 close relations is a most injudicious course, 

 and seems to bring on degeneracy in the off- 

 spring. In selecting both sows and boars, a 

 due regard must be paid to the object for 

 1028 



which the progeny are designed. Small bone 

 is desirable in stock reserved for breeding, as 

 this description produces the least offal. 



Uses. A pig, for its size, is one of the most 

 useful animals in the whole creation, inasmuch 

 as he is food from top' to toe, and there is no 

 part of him which cannot be turned to account. 

 His fat is made into lard, -which is used in 

 medicine, as well as by housekeepers, confec- 

 tioners, and others. That about the loins is 

 the firmest and the most dense. For ordinary 

 use it must be separated from the membranes, 

 which is effected by melting it over a slow fire 

 and straining through cloths. It should be 

 stirred as it cools, to prevent the separation of 

 the solid part or stearine from the eluine or 

 oily part. The flesh is either eaten fresh when, 

 young, or of the adult animal, bacon hog, salted 

 in brine or with dry salt, and then either kept 

 moist, as pickled pork; or merely dried, white 

 bacon ; or cured, dried, and smoked, bacon ; that 

 of the hind legs, ham, equally nutritive, but less 

 easily digested; the collar and head of the old 

 boars are made into brawn , the skin or rind is 

 eaten with the flesh, if not smoked, and is also 

 tanned for saddle-seats, shoes, covers for pocket- 

 books, &c.; the bladders are prepared as ox 

 bladders. The bristles clean our teeth and 

 brush our clothes : those of superior quality 

 from Russia, fetch 14/. to 26/. the cwt.; the 

 second quality, from 51. to 10/. The abdominal 

 fat is used ; as also the blood for food, and it 

 yields a bezoar, principally from a morbid con- 

 cretion in the stomach of the wild hog. Even 

 the intestines are used for chitlings, and con- 

 verted into an inferior kind of lard, by being 

 cut open and washed clean, and (after the 

 water is well pressed out of them) melted in 

 the same way as lard : this substance is very 

 useful for making common candles, greasing 

 wheels, and other general purposes. To sum 

 up all, the hog multiplies his species in a 

 degree proportioned to his usefulness. 



The flesh of the hog, when fresh, is easy of 

 digestion and nutritive ; but it is not a food 

 capable of being eaten for a length of time with 

 impunity. It is apt to cause derangements of 

 the mucous membrane, and diseases of the skin. 

 Bacon. In Great Britain the curing of bacon, 

 as an article of commerce, prevails most in the 

 counties of York, Hants, Cumberland, North- 

 ampton, Dumfries, Galloway, and the northern 

 and other ports of Ireland. 



For bacon flitches, the larger breeds, such 

 as will weigh, when killed, from 18 to 22 impe- 

 rial stone, are always preferred, from being the 

 most profitable to the farm and readily taking 

 the market. In selecting pigs for this purpose, 

 the sow should be of a large, deep carcass ; 

 head long, with deep ears, straight chine, and 

 of equal symmetry from the shoulders to the 

 tail ; of fine skin, which shows an aptitude to 

 fatten, and the boar should be of a thicker and 

 closer make than the sow. 



Small hogs for bacon will be ready for the 

 knife in 12 weeks, and the larger from 16 to 

 20 weeks. The girth of fat bacon hogs is 

 about as follows : When ten score, 4 feet 1 

 inch ; twelve score, 4 feet 4 inches ; fourteen 

 score, 4 feet 7 inches ; sixteen score, 4 feet 11 

 inches ; eighteen score, 5 feet 2 inches ; twenty 



