426 Western Live-stock Management 



systematic. The most satisfactory one is described as 

 follows : One notch on the outer margin of the left ear, 

 half way between the tip and base, means one ; a similar 

 notch on the same location of the right ear means ten. 

 Two notches on the outer margin of the left ear, half way 

 between the point and base, means two, and similar marks 

 on the right ear, twenty. A single notch near the base of 

 the left ear, on the outer margin, means three, while a 

 similar notch on the right ear means thirty. A three 

 notch and a one notch mean four, and a thirty notch and 

 a ten notch mean forty. A notch at the tip of the left 

 ear means five, and a notch at the tip of the right ear 

 means fifty. Six is five and one, seven, five and two, 

 eight, five and three, nine, five and three and one ; while 

 sixty, seventy, eighty, and ninety are like combinations on 

 the right ear. A single notch on the front margin of the 

 left ear, about half an inch from the tip, is 100, while a 

 similar notch on the right ear is 1000. Two notches near 

 together on the front of the left ear mean 200, and similar 

 notches on the right ear, 2000. A notch near the base 

 of the front margin of the left ear is 300, and a similar 

 one on the right ear is 3000. A hole punched through the 

 middle of the left ear is 500, while a similar hole through 

 the right ear is 5000 ; 400 is made with a 300, and a 100 

 notch ; 600 of 500 and 100 ; 700 of 500 and 200 ; 800 of 

 500 and 300 ; 900 of 500, 300, and 100 ; while the corre- 

 sponding thousands are made up in the same way, except 

 on the right ear. Other systems suggested are based on the 

 number 3 instead of 10, but the decimal system is much 

 more satisfactory. The hardest numbers to make out 

 are the three and thirty notches. But if these are not 

 placed too near the head, they can ordinarily be read 

 without having to feel for them. If market pigs only 



