SWINE 



515 



all times, provided good posts are used. 

 A number of firms manufacture special 

 hog fences. Wire fences are also the 

 cheapest to erect around the small hog 

 lots, and if one or two wires are stretched 

 above these the fence will be sufficiently 

 high to turn cattle and horses. 



The lower wire of the fence should 

 be placed tight to the ground and the 

 first four or five spaced not more than 

 2y 2 to 3 inches apart. Midway between 

 the posts the bottom wire should be se- 

 curely stapled to a well-grounded stake 

 to prevent the pigs from working their 

 way underneath. Barbed wire should 

 never be used as a fencing material for 

 hogs and is dangerous for any stock. 



Where hogs are pastured on forage 

 crops like rape or peas and oats, it will 



The vermin are usually most numer- 

 ous around the ears, in the fold of the 

 skin on the jowls, sides and flank, and 

 on the inside of the leg. If only a few 

 hogs are affected, they can be eradicated 

 by washing or spraying, but if the whole 

 herd is infested, more thorough work 

 can be done by dipping in a vat similar 

 to that used for sheep. The common to- 

 bacco dips are effective for this purpose; 

 all loose bedding should be burned in 

 the case of badly infested herds, and the 

 pens or yards thoroughly disinfected by 

 spraying with a solution of creolin or 

 similar material. With dry and clean 

 yards, pure drinking water, and good 

 pastures, the danger from various se- 

 rious diseases which affect hogs is re- 

 duced to a minimum. 



Fig. 331 PRIZE-WINNING ESSEX SOW 



be desirable to confine them to small 

 portions of a field at a time, since they 

 are wasteful, and trample down much 

 feed unnecessarily. For this purpose, 

 small, light movable fences made of 

 lumber are usually very convenient. 

 See Fig. 348. 



Dipping vats — Hogs may become in- 

 fested with vermin of various sorts, 

 which are not only a source of great an- 

 noyance to them, but prevent, often- 

 times, their rapid growth, and their 

 economic utilization of feeding stuffs. 

 The herd may become infested by the in- 

 troduction of new stock, as a boar or sow 

 into the flock, or by other means. Lice 

 are especially serious, often causing 

 losses among the herd, especially among 

 the young pigs. 



THE BOAR AND HIS MANAGE- 

 MENT 



The boar used should be a typical rep- 

 resentative of his breed. It is better to 

 use pure bred boars than to use grades 

 or crosses, because normally a pure bred 

 boar will transmit his characteristics to 

 the offspring with greater certainty 

 than grades or crosses. 



In selecting the boar the character of 

 the sows which are to be bred should 

 be considered and one secured which 

 will offset any very great defects in the 

 sows, to as great an extent as possible. 

 Thus, fine boned, delicate sows should 

 be bred to strong, rangy boars to impart 

 vigor to the offspring, and coarse, slow 

 maturing sows to fine boned, quick ma- 

 turing, meat producing types of boars. 



