ESTABLISHING A BREEDING HERD 71 



can aflford to pay the price asked. In the hands of the 

 best breeders, however, the best individuals may be either 

 not for sale or may be comparatively high-priced. The 

 advantages and disadvantages of this practice are as fol- 

 lows : If the purchaser has developed exceptional ability 

 as a judge and is able to recognize the good and bad 

 points in a pig under three months of age, he has a good 

 opportunity. He may go to the herd of a prominent 

 breeder, or to the herds of breeders less prominent, and 

 if they have not the ability to judge to the same extent 

 that he has, he may be able to select and p-urchase the 

 best individuals in the herd. The breeder very often re- 

 fuses to part with the best individuals from his viewpoint 

 because he needs them for the maintenance and improve- 

 ment of his own herd. The man buying specimens for 

 the establishment of a herd still has an opportunity to suc- 

 ceed even if he starts with individuals of less than first 

 grade. He can gradually improve his herd year after 

 year, but the higher up the scale he can start, the greater 

 should be his success. 



Bred Sows. — Another means of getting herd speci- 

 mens is by buying bred brood sows either at private or 

 public sale. Such sows if properly selected may have 

 outstanding individuals in their litters. They may be 

 bred to noted herd boars which are not for sale, and if 

 they are good individuals will produce good pigs to the 

 extent to which good individuals ordinarily appear from 

 such breeding. Such sows may also be bred to young 

 boars that have not as yet demonstrated their ability as 

 producers, but still a good judge will be able to recognize 

 in them possibilities to produce offspring of great merit. 

 These very often may be bought at a reasonable price 



