430 Western Live-stock Management 
MANAGEMENT 
The heavier investment in pure-bred stock justifies 
and in fact demands greater care to prevent disease and 
loss than is given grades for market purposes. The differ- 
ence in feed, however, is slight since the best feed is usually 
the most profitable in producing market pork even on a 
very economical plan. The great problem of the breeder 
is marketing. One can sell pork for the market price at 
any time, but he has to make a particular effort to sell 
breeding stock. 
MARKETING 
Breeding hogs are usually marketed somewhere between 
three and twelve months of age with the larger part be- 
tween five and ten months. Gilts are commonly sold 
after they have been bred and safe in pig. The beginner 
may thus buy only one animal yet in a few days have a 
~whole litter. He will also not have to buy a boar until 
ready to breed for the second litter, and when purchased 
the boar may be used both on the original sow and upon 
the females of the first litter. A full herd is thus obtained 
with the purchase of but two animals. For these reasons 
bred gilts are very popular. They are usually about ten 
or eleven months old and due to farrow in a month or six 
weeks. If sold immediately after breeding the purchaser 
cannot be sure they are in pig, while if due to farrow in a 
few days they cannot be moved without danger. Boars 
and open gilts are usually marketed at not over nine 
months of age. Pigs of any kind over twelve months old 
are difficult to sell, and have consumed a large amount 
of feed. 
