10 



FARMERS^ r.ULLETlN 874. 



The shoulders are not as heavy, although they must not be narrow, 

 for such a condition is an indication of lack of constitution. By no 

 means accept aliy breeding animal that is narrow-chested, for it is a 

 sm*e indication of lack of vitality and consequently of breeding 

 ability. Ample capacity in the middle should be provided by well- 

 sprung ribs, and long, deep sides. Many judges of hogs regard good 

 roomy sows as being especially high in fecundity, and this character- 

 istic is certainly no detriment to their conformation, provided it is 

 combined with quality. 



A sow should show the type demanded in a market animal, namely, 

 a strong, wide, deeply-fleshed back; smoothly covered shoulders; 

 plump, well-rounded hams; and a trim, neat underline. A wide, 

 well-developed pelvic cavity will insure easy parturition, and the 

 udder should be evenly and well developed and have at least 12 teats. 

 Her legs should be strong and well placed, have good clean bone, and 

 strong, straight pasterns. It is not of as great importance to have 

 perfect feet and legs in a sow as in a male, but she should show no 

 weakness at this point. A sow should have scale and size, combined 

 with quality. Strong, clean, hard bone, trim joints, neat ears, fine 

 glossy bristles, and freedom from folds and wrinkles in the skin, are 

 all indications of quality. A large, raw-boned sow, having plenty of 

 capacity and size, but lacking in femininity and quality, is one of the 

 poorest investments a breeder can make, for her pigs will be slow to 

 develop, hard to fatten, and lacking both in numbers and in uniform- 

 ity. Quality combined with femininity and scale in a sow of the 

 accepted market type will, as a rule, insure a profitable breeding ani- 

 mal, and a lack of any one of these factors is apt to result in failure. 



SELECTION. 



If possible, the first purchase of sows should be made from one 

 herd, for in this manner it is easier to get uniformity. Uniformity 

 goes deeper than the mere visible type or conformation; it is deter- 

 mined by past ancestry and is controlled by the characteristics con- 

 tained in the germplasm. The germplasm is continuous, extending 

 from individual to individual, and any member of the chain shows 

 in its visible conformation only a few of the possible combination's. 

 In other words, a sow may not produce offspring similar in type to 

 herself, unless her ancestors were of the same type. B}^ selecting 

 the sows from one herd, it is not only possible to choose animals 

 similar in visible type, but they are apt to be similar in dormant 

 characteristics as well. In buying such animals the farmer is not 

 purchasing separate individuals to form so many breeding units, but 

 rather kindred individuals, all parts of a single established line or 

 type which will blend together to form a single breeding unit. 



