SWINE RAISING 187 



with this animal than with any other on the farm. This progress dates 

 from about 1865, and shows a revolution in standards; so that instead of 

 the old mammoth, slow-maturing swine of older days we have the vigorous 

 modern animal 175 to 400 Ibs., and running to flesh rather than lard; and 

 which, with generous feeding reaches its maximum weight before 15 months; 

 thus making a short and thrifty feeding animal. Moreover, breeders have 

 carefully developed the valuable parts of the animal and lessened develop- 

 ment of the parts less valuable in the market. 



9 FT. VS. 16 FT. It's a long and interesting story of development from 



DIGESTIVE the wild boar to the improved hog, 1911 model. The 



MACHINERY total length of the digestive tract of the wild boar, for 



instance, is 9 ft.; that of the best modern domesticated 



hog, 16 ft. The 9 ft. were enough for one self-supporting animal. But the 

 16 ft. tract supports not only the hog, but helps support you and me also. 

 Automobiles are not the only "machines" which have to be up-to-date 

 models. 



GOING Naturally prolific, in fact, leading all domestic animals in this 

 SOME respect, swine are easily a profitable investment for the wide- 

 awake farmer or stockman. Sows in different sections have been 

 known to average 16 in the litter, occasionally running even 20 or over. 

 But more desirable broods usually result from litters of 7 to 10 on the 

 average. As a rule pigs do well in big families rather than in very small 

 litters they are lusty and thrifty, with plenty of appetite. On the very 

 low average of 6 to a litter, Coburn,* the great American authority, points 

 out that a single sow, estimating half of each litter as females, would have 

 produced at the end of four years, farrowing twice yearly, a total of 501 

 females and 501 males. Do hogs pay? 



What the farmer wants is pork and money. So he looks to the com- 

 monsense usefulness of the hog. The animal to please him must not be 

 too delicate in body, too fine in bone, too short of carcass, or with legs 

 too long. It must have constitution first, and as far as possible, fair im- 

 munity from disease. Good looks count, if looks are thrown in for nothing. 



Given such an animal the farmer will treat him right like an individual, 

 in a good friendly manner, and not like a mere pork and lard machine. 

 Breeding stock, surroundings, climate and feed, each of these must be taken 

 into account as factors in the problem of success with swine. Of all farm 

 animals the hog is the most plastic in the hands of the commonsense 

 breeder. 



THE "BACON" Now, as regards market type, lard hogs still hold first 



CONTROVERSY place by an immense rrtajority. Perhaps this is largely 



because it is so easy to make lard hogs with plenty 



of corn. The bacon hog, with a requirement of healthy lean meat with 

 the fat firm, cannot come from a too-large ration of corn; and it is claimed 

 by some that the bacon price does not make up the difference in loss of 

 weight. Certainly the lard hog has no rival in the great belt where corn 

 is the easiest and cheapest thing to feed. The bacon breed on this continent 

 represents a Canadian industry as a general thing, but the bacon hog is 

 getting more attention now, and in time we may come to rival our neighbors 

 to the north-. 



MARKET Prime heavy hogs 350 Ibs. to 500 Ibs. 



CLASSES Butchers 180 Ibs. to 350 Ibs. 



Packers 300 Ibs. to 500 Ibs. \ Lard. 



Light 120 Ibs. to 220 Ibs. 



Pigs 60 Ibs. to 125 Ibs. 



*Coburns, "Swine in America." 



