Raising Hogs in Colorado. 9 
meat and large litters. For three years on the Colorado Agricul¬ 
tural College farm the average for all sows was ten live pigs to 
a litter. A two-year-old sow weighing 750 pounds had 18 live 
pigs at one farrowing. Fully matured sows, well cared for, can 
produce two litters a year. A Tamworth sow at the Iowa Agricul¬ 
tural College raised 33 pigs in one year. The Tamworth is solid 
red in color, and is hardy and active—a good hog to keep on 
pasture. 
The first cross with a pure bred Tamworth produces an easy 
feeding, rapid growing hog that is generally popular. The second 
cross is usually unsatisfactory, the pigs in the same litter frequently 
being of entirely different types, some chunky and others ex¬ 
tremely lengthy, with an unpleasant variety in mixtures of colors. 
Most Colorado stockmen who have tried the Tamworths do 
not like them. As a rule, Colorado stockmen neglect their hogs 
in summer when the field work crowds, planning to give them ex¬ 
tra attention in the fall. With this treatment the Tamworth be¬ 
comes stunted, and once stunted he can never be made profitable, 
and had better be killed. The surplus fat on the lard hog will 
carry him over a period of neglect—the Tamworth does not have 
the lard. 
' selection oe the individual. 
The selection of breed is a matter of fancy; the selection of 
the individual animals for the foundation of the herd is the basis 
for profit or losses. 
The first consideration should be to get both boar and sows 
from prolific strains, and of the type demanded by the market. 
Except during the few weeks when the pigs are suckling, it costs 
as much to keep a sow that has one to four pigs in a litter, as it 
does to keep one that has eight to ten pigs. The first cost of 
the new born pig is determined by the cost of keeping the dam, 
divided by the number of pigs in the litter. 
Uniformity in type is essential for the largest profits. No two 
breeds or types feed exactly alike, and where there is a mixture 
there is a variation in finish and weight that lowers the selling 
price. Both the boar and all the sows should be pure bred, of 
one breed, and of the same type. Miscellaneous crossing is a sure 
way to reduce the profits. 
There are three serious defects to avoid in selecting animals 
for breeding stock: Weakness through the heart, weak or swayed 
back, and weak pasterns. These are faults which the swine 
growers of the corn belt have learned from years of costly exper¬ 
ience to avoid, and no other good qualities will compensate for 
these defects. 
