44 POKTY Years' Experience of a PiIactical Hog Man. 



With the spring litters the northern and eastern breeder 

 must also be a little careful. It is all right in this section to 

 have a few pigs farrowed in February, but that is not gen- 

 erally best. There are men who probably would like to buy 

 February pigs, as they have a little more size when the 

 fall breeding season commences, than those farrowed later, 

 but they require much more attention to bring them to 

 weaning time than would the litters farrowed in March 

 and April; besides none of the February pigs could be 

 shown the following fall in the under six months class. This 

 in a measure militates against their being sold to breeders, 

 but would be all right where sold to farmers for oreeding 

 purposes without considering the matter of showing. How- 

 ever, this is a matter that is up to each farmer or breeder, 

 as he sees it from his own viewpoint. 



USE OF BREEDING CRATE. 



There is considerable difference of opinion regarding the 

 use of breeding crates, but I have long considered them a 

 necessity although we do not use them in every instance. 

 Where there is much difference in size of the animals the 

 crate should be used; on the other hand where the size is 

 nearly equal, perhaps just as good or better results can be 

 had without the use of the crate, yet every well regulated 

 establishment should have one or more reliable breeding 

 crates. Some claim that using a crate is against nature, 

 which may be true. However, I believe when the crate is 

 to be used, the animals to be bred should be turned together 

 for a short time for the purpose of getting acquainted, and 

 the teasing is no doubt a great benefit, but the practice of 

 forcing a sow into a breeding crate, then bringing the boar 

 to her, without any teasing, does not always work out as 

 expected and sometimes creates much trouble. When 

 everything is all right, a crate is quite satisfactory. Any 

 crate used for this purpose should be adjustable both in 

 length and width. It sows can be bred without a crate, it is 

 better, as a general thing. 



