LITTLE PIGS. 37 



whether the fall pigs or the spring pigs make the 

 more rapid progress in growth and development. 



Slimmer feeding is commonly supposed to be 

 much cheaper than winter feeding, because in cold 

 weather a large portion of the food is burned as fuel 

 to supply animal heat. It is only fair to say, however, 

 that during the sucking period the September .pig has 

 more warm weather and a greater variety of food, 

 including grass, than the March pig. Hence the fall 

 pig just after weaning should be a cheaper and a more 

 thrifty animal than the spring pig at the corresponding 

 period of its growth. 



The arithmetic of the question is not so hostile to 

 winter feeding as would at first appear, for the heat- 

 producing foods are not expensive, and care and 

 shelter count for much. Then there is not uncom- 

 monly a better market quotation on well-rounded six- 

 months-old pigs in March or April than in the fall, 

 and ready cash in the early spring is a very acceptable 

 thing. 



Castration should be attended to at the age of six 

 weeks, while the pigs are still with the sow ; and I 

 cannot too emphatically urge that not one of the male 

 pigs of a common litter be kept for breeding purposes, 

 no matter how promising its appearance may be. 

 No reliance can be placed upon the offspring of such 

 a male, even though sired by a thoroughbred. 



Spaying of the females, which consists in remov- 

 ing the ovaries, is not much practised in this country. 



The first thing a litter of pigs will do is to fight 

 for milk. It is sometimes necessary to cut off their 

 sharp front teeth, to prevent damage. 



