THE SOW 227 
nursing. If she has raised a large litter and is very much 
emaciated, the chances are that she will produce a small litter 
the next time if she is bred immediately after the pigs are 
weaned. In such cases she should be given three weeks or a 
month of liberal feeding to enable her to regain something of 
her lost strength and vitality before she is bred. 
Though the sow need not be fat, she should be in good 
heart and thriving at the time she is bred. Many a man has 
been puzzled to know why his sow, which had raised a large 
litter, should drop down to four or five pigs the next time. 
The reason is not difficult to find, because a sow must be strong 
and full of vitality at the time of service in order to produce 
a large, vigorous litter. 
Period of Gestation.—The period of gestation in sows is 
usually placed at 112 days. Often, young sows will farrow a 
few days sooner than the stated time, and old sows will fre- 
quently go a few days over it. It is not a good sign when a 
sow goes much over the sixteen weeks, as the litters are often 
lacking in vitality when carried much over time. If a sow 
has been properly handled, she will seldom go more than a few 
days over sixteen weeks, though there are exceptions to all rules, 
Best Time for Farrowing.— Where winters are at all severe, 
it requires exceptional skill and equipment to make a success 
of winter litters. Most farmers will find it safer to have their 
sows farrow in April and October. It is generally possible to 
give April pigs a little outdoor exercise at an early stage of 
their growth, which will be found a great help in keeping 
them healthy and thrifty. The October pigs will also be 
able to get outdoor exercise for a time, which will enable them 
to get a good start, and make them better able to endure the 
eloser confinement necessary during winter. 
One or Two Litters—The man who is breeding for show 
