266 £fEEDING AND MANAGEMENT 
When grade pigs are kept, a record of date of service and 
date of farrowing for each sow is all that is necessary, but 
when a man is handling pure-breds he cannot be too careful in 
keeping records. .\ page such as is illustrated here will hold 
the names of quite a number of sows, so that there is very little 
trouble in keeping a record of this kind. This record, along with 
the one which gives particulars as to hogs sold for breeding pur- 
poses, will enable one to account for every pig each sow pro- 
duces, which is the only business-like method of handling stock. 
Identification.—The column headed ‘‘ Ear mark ” requires 
explanation. When several breeding sows are kept, and the 
young pigs are all running together after weaning, there is a 
danger that the identity of certain pigs may be lost. To pre- 
vent any such occurrence, it is important that each litter should 
have a mark of identification. After the pigs are five or six 
months old, metal ear labels can be used to good advantage to 
identify individuals, and it is a good plan to insert ear labels 
in every pig at the time it is recorded; but metal labels are 
not satisfactory for very small pigs. A plan followed by the 
writer is to use the ear punch, which is employed when insert- 
ing tags, and with it nip a small piece out of the edge of the 
ear of each little pig before it is weaned, giving each pig in 
the litter the same mark. The location of the mark indicates 
the number, and the following plan of numbering will be 
found satisfactory with either pigs or lambs. 
Number indicated. 
Location of mark, 
Left ear. Right ear. 
Lower side, next to head...........00.0..0..000005- 1 10 
Lower side, midway between head and tip of ear.... 2 20 
Tips ee Queue waa ses ae as ie her Merete 8 sadhana’ 3 30 
Upper side, midway between head and tip of ear... . 4 40 
Upper side, next to head............... 0000s cee 5 50 
