P'ujs : their Breeding and Managenient. 
213 
much more influence upon tlie outward appearance than the 
opposite sex. 
With respect to the selection of sows for breeding, I would 
observe that the .animal should possess size, this being a more 
important point than with the boar. The legs should be straight 
and short, the shoulders well outside, the chest thick and deep ; 
the body should be of good length, with the back slightly convex 
so as to carry weight without drooping ; there should be good 
width throughout, the ribs well sprung, giving rotundity, the 
loins and flank well filled up, the hams reaching as near down 
to the hock as possible : the tail should be long, but not coarse, 
set on nearly in a line with the back, and should have a good tassel 
of hair at the end. The head in a pig of the Large breed 
should be lengthy. Nothing is more objectionable than the 
head of a small-bred pig upon a large-bred sow. On this 
point I have long maintained that several well-known Judges 
at our Shows have been wrong ; indeed, short snouts have 
become, or rather had become, a popular error, for I am glad to 
find that a reaction has set in. The head, I hold, should natu- 
rally correspond in length with the size of the pig ; length of 
snout is one of the surest indications of rapid growth. There 
should be a good width between the eyes as well as the ears ; 
the latter should be erect or only slightly pointing forwards, 
and of good length and fine. The collar or neck should be wide 
and well filled up ; the skin should be fine and clear, denoting 
thinness ; the hair should be abundant, long, and silky — a proof 
of good constitution and quality ; it is also an indication of lean 
flesh. A sow should be a good milker and not have fewer than 
twelve teats ; for milk to the young during the first few weeks 
is all-important : hence in selecting young sows for breeding it is 
highly desirable that they should be the produce of dams with 
good milch qualities. Brood sows should be selected from 
spring or early summer litters, inasmuch as they are generally 
better developed than those of winter litters. It will be obvious 
that the former have not only better weather for growth, but the 
advantage of field exercise and an abundance of green food, 
which all tends to promote the milch qualities. 
Experience has taught me that sows should not be put to 
the boar before nine months old. I know this view is contrary 
to the opinion entertained by many who think that six months 
is old enough. In the case of the Large breed, I am convinced 
that the practice of breeding from sows too young checks their 
growth, and that the animal is not sufficiently developed or 
matured to produce a vigorous progeny ; frequently upon noticing 
the weakness of a litter, I have discovered that, through an 
accident or carelessness, a young sow had been served before it 
