76 Pork Production 



of the lime of her skeleton and the protein of her muscular 

 tissues. In eating her pigs, she is merely taking back 

 her own body substance which her maternal instinct 

 caused her to appropriate for the nourishment of the 

 litter during pregnancy. A balanced diet is unquestion- 

 ably the best prevention, and the only successful cure 

 for habitual cases is the fattening-pen. 



Sanitation and exercise. 



Clean dry beds, sunshine, and exercise are indispensable 

 to the health and progress of the pigs the first few weeks. 

 Damp filthy quarters are responsible for the origin and 

 aggravation of nearly all the pigs' ailments. Sore tails, 

 infected mouths, scours, and a general lack of thrift are 

 the direct results of such conditions. The pigs should 

 have the opportunity to lie in the sun as much as possible. 

 Pigs, like plants, will not thrive in dark places. Exercise, 

 also, seems indispensable. If the weather outside is bad, 

 they should be given the liberty of the alley for a part of 

 each day. Fragments of paper scattered about on the 

 floor or a pile of loose straw will have the effect of stimu- 

 lating action. Perhaps the ideal condition for the sow 

 and litter is supplied by the single cot set in a fairly roomy 

 yard which is set to blue-grass. Even in the colder 

 latitudes, a well-constructed single house will be warm 

 enough for the pigs after they are a week or two old. 



Marking the litters. 



- In pedigreed herds, it is necessary to give each litter 

 an identification mark so that the parentage of each pig 

 may be determined later by reference to the herd record. 

 In herds kept exclusively for the production of market 

 pork, such a record is desirable to make more certain 



