298 SCIENTIFIC FEEDING OF ANIMALS 



development need not be particularly rapid and 

 perfect. 



The young boars should always be rather better 

 fed than the young breeding sows, and from the com- 

 mencement of sexual maturity, which usually begins 

 at eight months, up to the end of the growing 

 period they ought to have a food richer in protein. 

 This can be made up of green fodder or mangels, 

 and oats or coarsely ground beans. When the 

 growing period is over the boars should be kept 

 in good condition, but not allowed to grow fat, 

 and a daily addition of I lb. coarsely ground rye is 

 sufficient concentrated food. 



The young females intended for breeding purposes 

 should be fed less intensively from their 5-6 month, 

 so from that time they get more green food and 

 roots with larger quantities of chaff and less ground 

 corn. These animals do the best if allowed to run 

 out to grass, and as that is one of the cheapest 

 ways of keeping them it may be begun at the fifth 

 month. The most valuable pastures are those with 

 red clover, and 2 J acres of this ought to keep 25-40 

 pigs for about 120 days. Fallow or stubble land, 

 harvested potato or mangel fields, and waste 

 land can also be used if the pigs get some suitable 

 food before leaving the sty and on their return. 

 Such an exercise ground though, which merely 

 allows the animals to move about in the fresh air, 

 is a poor substitute for pasture. This sparer diet 



