106 SWINE 



deteriorates very rapidly. Pigs of this character may be 

 mated with pure bred sires that are not related to them, 

 but this then is not cross breeding, but grading. In order 

 to continue the process of cross breeding, the breeder 

 will use his original herd of sows as well as the original 

 sire and produce pigs year after year, selling the entire 

 offspring. Such a man cannot be called a breeder in the 

 true sense of the word, but only a multiplier of swine. 

 As soon as the brood sows become old enough to be use- 

 less, they must be replaced and in order to do this it will 

 be necessary either to keep a few pure bred animals on 

 hand and breed pure bred sows, or else go to a breeder 

 of pure bred swine and buy the necessary animals for his 

 breeding herd. In case such a man attempts to breed 

 his own animals for his breeding herd that are to be 

 used in cross breeding operations, he will not breed pure 

 bred animals on a very large scale, but only enough to 

 supply the necessary breeding stock. In such a case he 

 has no opportunity at all for selection; he will have to 

 keep the entire number of individuals produced. In case 

 he supplements his breeding herd with animals purchased 

 from a breeder of pure bred hogs, he will not get the 

 best individuals because he cannot afford to pay the 

 price at which these sell. He will have to take second 

 rate individuals and possibly even poor individuals 

 which should be classed as pedigreed scrubs. These, in 

 transmitting their own characteristics, will produce ani- 

 mals that are not good individuals. 



Thus the man who practices cross breeding loses the 

 opportunity of selection, hence the possibility of improv- 

 ing his herd, because he must use in his breeding herd 

 inferior breeding animals. He cannot hope to purchase 

 as good stock as the man uses who breeds either pure or 



