70 SWINE GEORGE E. DAY. 



good part of their living from pasture. In fact, any boar 

 will do better if he has a pasture lot with plenty of shade 

 available during the summer. 



The food for the boar should be varied, nutritious, and 

 moderately bulky. Succulent foods, such as roots in winter, 

 and green food of some kind in summer, should always be 

 fed with his meal ration. Succulent foods are necessary 

 to keep him in good health. Finely ground oats are very 

 suitable for the main part of his meal ration. An equal 

 weight of middlings, or middlings and bran, added to the 

 oats, makes a good combination. Small proportions of other 

 kinds of meal may be added if desired. Second crop clover 

 or alfalfa hay, cut up finely, steeped in water, and mixed 

 with the meal, makes a good mixture to give variety to his 

 ration. He should be fed only what he will eat up clean ; 

 and if he is inclined to become fat and lazy, the amount of 

 food should be reduced. 



The boar should not be permitted to serve a sow more 

 than once, and should not be allowed to run with sows to 

 which he is to be bred. These practices tend to exhaust 

 the boar and are likely to result in small, weak litters if 

 persisted in. The aim should be to save the boar from all 

 unnecessary service, especially during the heaviest part of 

 the season. 



Feeding and Management of the Sow. 



A sow should not be bred before she is eight months old, 

 and in many cases it is better to delay breeding two or 

 three months longer. The development of the sow will 

 influence the breeder in this matter. 



During the period of gestation, sows of all ages should 

 have abundant exercise. In summer, pasture should be 

 provided for them, in which there is plenty of shade. They 

 should also be given plenty of water, especially during hot 

 weather. For pasture, alfalfa and clover are among the 

 best. At certain seasons, rape is excellent. A permanent 

 pasture of mixed grasses, especially if it contains numerous 



