THE PIG. 461 



CARE OP BREEDING Sows. 



Having selected such young sow pigs as appear likely to 

 make the best breeders (and this selection will be made by 

 experienced breeders before the pig is two months old), such 

 system of feeding should be adopted as will develop every 

 part of the body evenly, and particularly the muscular and 

 osseous systems. The young breeding sow should be fully 

 fed, and made to develop as rapidly as good health will 

 permit, for the feeding habit and constitution of the mother 

 will be inherited by the offspring. The mother is supposed 

 especially to impart to the young her own digestive system, 

 and it is natural therefore to conclude that the thrifty, 

 rapidly-growing young sow will impart these characteristics 

 to her offspring. Early maturity, together with a vigorous 

 constitution is now the desired end sought by all swine- 

 breeders and feeders. But the young breeding sow needs to 

 have length and depth of body, well-rounded ribs, and ten 

 to twelve teats, well spread apart. In order to promote this 

 conformation of body, the food of the young sow should be 

 rich in muscle and bone-forming elements, not such as is 

 best calculated to fatten. A short compact body in a sow 

 will indicate a tendency to fatten, and not to bring large 

 litters and furnish them with abundant milk. Food rich 

 in oil, sugar and starch must be given very sparingly. In 

 all Indian corn growing regions, the custom is to feed too 

 much corn to young pigs, and especially to young breeding 

 sows. Young clover and grass are always proper food for 

 pigs ; and in dairy districts, nothing is better than skim- 

 milk. Containing so large a proportion of casein, or 

 cheese, and phosphate of lime, it is admirably adapted to 

 develop the muscular and osseous systems. But in the West, 

 the great corn and pig-growing region, so little attention is 

 given to the proper food of breeding sows, that they are 

 often fed indiscriminately with the fattening herd, almost 

 wholly upon corn. We have always regarded that frightful 



