CHAPTER XXVI. 
THE SOwW. 
Age of Breeding.—The age at which a young sow is first 
bred will depend upon her development, but it is very seldom 
that it is advisable to breed her before she is eight months 
old. Many good breeders prefer not to breed sows before they 
are ten, or even twelve months old, and if they are intended 
for show purposes it is scarcely advisable to breed them earlier. 
One of the great objections to breeding sows very early is the 
fact that the very young sow is seldom able to raise a fair- 
sized litter of pigs, and if she raises only a few pigs in her 
first litter her mammary glands do not develop properly, and 
she rarely makes as good a nurse with subsequent litters as 
the sow which raises a good-sized first litter. Another objection 
to early breeding is the fact that the very young sow has not 
the strength to stand the strain of nursing a litter of pigs, and 
her vitality is sapped to such a degree that she never develops 
as she should. As a result, she will not retain her usefulness 
for so long a period, nor is she so likely to give strong, vigorous 
litters as though she had possessed more maturity before being 
bred. 
Breeding Mature Sows.—Many sows will accept service a 
few days after farrowing, but it is hardly necessary to say 
that to breed a sow at this time is bad practice. No sow can 
do justice to herself and two litters of pigs at the same time, 
and the man who attempts to gain time by following such a 
practice will surely lose by it in the end. 
Usually the sow may be bred again a few days after her 
pigs are weaned, if not too much pulled down in condition by 
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