130 The Construction of Pigsties. [June, 



what he can find. Sometimes stone is easily procured, some- 

 times bricks, and sometimes neither. The size and kind of 

 pig-house must depend on the class of pig rearing that is 

 practised in the district, and the plans must be adapted to 

 meet the different requirements of breeding or fattening. If 

 the pig-owner lives in a dairying county, a wheat-growing 

 district, or a potato-growing centre, he must modify his plans 

 to suit the wants and customs of his neighbourhood ; and 

 must not think, for example, of putting a Large White York- 

 shire sow into a sty which would be just suitable for one of 

 the small breeds. 



In every case, however, the man who sets about building a sty 

 must aim at getting as much sunlight, fresh air, and dry footing 

 as he can, and, if circumstances make it impossible for him to 

 get all these three requirements, he had better not build the sty 

 at all. 



The simplest way of dealing with the question of how to 

 build useful, sound, and cheap housing for pigs is to begin with 

 the case of the workman or labourer who, for one reason or 

 another, has only need for one sty, and to lead up from this to 

 a description of a more elaborate piggery where many swine — 

 and those of all ages and sizes — are kept, and where the expen- 

 diture of money is a less serious consideration, though the 

 requirements which are necessary where one pig is kept are 

 equally necessary where twenty or fifty are kept. 



The first and most important part of every sty is the floor, 

 and every effort should be made to see that this is in all respects 

 satisfactory, even if the rest of the building has to suffer a little. 

 Swine can keep healthy and grow fat in a poor house if the floor 

 is well made, but there is great danger of their pining and falling 

 sick on a cold, damp floor even if they have a magnificent roof 

 over their heads. A broker floor in which puddles of rain 

 water or urine can lie is a breeding place for sickness and 

 parasites of all sorts ; moreover, it gives the pig a chance of 

 rooting, which he will generally be prompt to use, often not 

 stopping till nearly the whole of the floor is upturned. The 

 floor, therefore, must be made of some hard substance, which 

 is not brittle, and does not too readily break up. The best 

 material for this purpose is concrete or Portland cement, 



