516 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



The breeding sows can be selected 

 from among the best in the herd each 

 year, but new boars should be selected 

 from outside stock as soon as the sows 

 have passed their prime, and are re- 

 placed by their progeny. 



If a man is growing hogs for sale as 

 pure bred animals, he cannot be too 

 careful in buying a boar that corre- 

 sponds in every detail of form, vigor, 

 marking, etc, to the standard set for 

 the breed; but in growing hogs for pork, 

 less expensive boars — those that are cor- 

 rect in form but may be slightly off in 

 marking or defective in some minor re- 

 spect, which would debar them as show 

 animals, but in no wise injure them for 



are four or five months old, as they do 

 not show their form fully before this 

 time. 



Keep the boars away from the 

 sows — The boar should never be al- 

 lowed to run with the sows, as he is 

 likely to be a source of continual worry 

 to them. He should be kept in a pen and 

 lot by himself, entirely away from the 

 sows. He should be given pasture and 

 some grain like oats, barley, bran, mid- 

 dlings and a little corn and kept in good 

 condition, but not fat and unwieldy. 

 Grazing on a pasture will give him ex- 

 ercise and keep him in good condition. 

 With old sows he may be used for breed- 

 ing when eight to 10 months old, but 



Fig. 332 — CHAMPION VICTORIA BOAR 



breeding, may be selected. Good, typi- 

 cal boars, slightly off in marking, can 

 usually be gotten for from $10 to $20 each 

 at two to four months of age, while 

 fancy representatives of the same litter, 

 such as the grower of pure bred hogs 

 would want, might sell for ten times 

 these prices. 



Kind of boar to buy— The kind of 

 boar that the producer of pork should 

 look for is one of good size and form, 

 active, with short, strong legs, short 

 neck and vigorous constitution. Boars 

 with a long head, neck and leg, are 

 likely to be slow growers, and to require 

 much more feed to produce a pound of 

 gain than when of the low, blocky type. 

 Boars should not be bought until they 



with young sows, older boars should be 

 used. Boars give their best service 

 when two to five years old. 



SOWS, SELECTION AND BREEDING 



The sows used to breed pigs for the 

 production of pork should be selected 

 from the best animals in the herd, and 

 from mothers that are prolific and good 

 milkers. They should all be of uniform 

 type and of as nearly the same color as 

 possible, since uniformity in the herd 

 at the market adds to the selling price 

 of the animals. 



Desirable characteristics of a sow-- 

 The sows should have all the prominent 

 characteristics of the market hog, such 

 as the wide, straight, deep fleshed back, 



