16 



farmers' lUJLLKTlN 874. 



rape, clover, or any pasture wliicli is ])alatable to swiiie, with some 

 grain in addition, is excellent feed for l)ringing the sow back to breed- 

 ing condition. 



TWO UTTERS A YEAR. 



There is no good reason why a sow should not produce two litters a 

 year when i)roperly handled. To accomplish this the sow should be 

 bred to farrow, say, for example, in March, and bred again to farrow 

 the early part of September. A sow bred about November 15 will 

 farrow about March 6 to 9. The pigs should nurse 8 wrecks. The 

 sow should be rebred by May 20 so as to farrow on or after September 

 8. The pigs could then nurse imtil November 3. The chances for 

 profitably rearing two crops of pigs from a sow annually are undoubt- 

 edly far better in regions of mild climate and short winters than where 

 the winters are long and severe. 



MANAGEMENT DURING PREGNANCY. 



Durhig pregnancy two facts must be borne in mind. The first is 

 that the sow is doing double duty. Not only is she keeping up her 

 own bodily functions, but the development of the litter is an in- 

 creasing drain on her system. Feeding at this time should be 

 liberal, although it need not be so heavy as after the pigs are far- 

 rowed. A very fat sow is apt to be clumsy with her pigs, and some- 

 times these are lacking in vitality. On the other hand a very thin 

 sow will either not do justice to her pigs or will become a mere wreck 

 herself during the time she is nursing her litter, and the chances are 

 that both these things will happen. The necessity of exercise must 

 not be overlooked under, any circumstances. This may be provided, 

 by a large lot or oYen by driving the hogs slowly for a short distance 

 each day. 



In the second place, the main demands upon the sow are those for 

 the building of new tissue. Therefore, the kind of feed is important. 

 The nitrogenous or protein-bearing feeds are needed at this time, 

 such as tankage, bran, oil meal, peas, beans, oats, and barley. The 

 clovers, alfalfa, peas, beans, vetches, etc., are also of much value to 

 the brood sows. Special emphasis should be laid on the condition 

 of the bowels during pregnancy and particularly at farrowing, the 

 special danger to be avoided being constipation. The grain ration 

 should be given as slop, and toward the close of gestation oil meal 

 or a small amount of flaxseed me.ixl should be introduced into the 

 ration. 



Corn should not be fed in large amounts to breeding stock, because 

 it does not furnish enough bone and muscle-forming constituents to 

 properly develop the unborn pigs. 



During the winter more care will be needed to keep the sow in 

 good condition oji account of the absence of pasture. Not only does 



