PRINCIPLES OF SWINE BREEDING 35 



based upon the demands of the market, but the owner 

 must figure profits closely on each animal. Above all, the 

 individuals should be the cjuick-growing kind, with a good 

 constitution and a natural heavy fleshing. They should 

 show their breeding and give evidences of their 

 superiority. The blocky, compact, low-set animal most 

 nearly conforming to the ideal pork type should be 

 sought. 



Always use a pure-bred sire. — There is one rule that is 

 applicable to all forms of swine-breeding industry that 

 should never be disregarded. This is to use always a 

 pure-bred sire, regardless of the objects sought, whether 

 the aims be to produce animals for breeding purposes or 

 for market. We frequently find grade individuals of 

 marked excellence that are considered good enough to 

 head a herd, but in most cases the resultant offspring in 

 the first generation will show marked traces of the 

 inferior breeding. 



Continually grade up. — One thing that will have to 

 be borne constantly in mind by all breeders is that there 

 is always a necessity to select and breed up continually, 

 even though no improvement may be sought. This is 

 necessary if we are to maintain the excellence of our 

 animals. The condition is just as true, or more so, with 

 a pure-bred herd than with a market herd. This results 

 from the fact that the higher bred and specialized our 

 swine are, the greater the effort to maintain that breeding 

 and specialization. This tendency to reversion to an 

 inferior type is constant, and calls for a constant effort 

 at improvement which cannot be ignored. 



Breeding for type. — In all breeding operations the ideal 

 must be kept constantly in mind, and all efforts must 



