1 Jay., 1900.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 15 
think they ought to take precedence over everything else. In breeding sows 
blind teats are not infrequent, and I have noticed that these are one of the 
things that are very often transmitted. In choosing a sow, see that she has 
twelve fully developed teats, six on a side, and that they run far forward. 
The words ‘‘fully developed” are used advisedly, for if they do not stand out 
from the body, and also appear full, they are invariably blind, and in many 
cases they willremain so throughout her career. Again, sows are very often 
deaf, and in many cases where the young pigs are killed by the sow lying on 
them it is very often because the sow has been deaf and unable to hear the cries 
of her young. That this is transmitted I know to be a fact from personal 
observation. That very important auayS prolificacy, in a brood sow is trans- 
mitted very strikingly. Some breeders keep this quality in mind, and select 
their brooded stock with this as the most desirable characteristic to secure. 
Whereitis neglected, it will be found that the litters as a rule are small in number. 
With this characteristic the milking qualities are usually associated. They seem 
to depend upon each other to a degree for their proper development. ‘There is 
as great a variation in the milking qualities of sows as in any other. charac- 
teristics, and it is a point of very great importance, for on it depends the early 
thrift and growth of the young pigs. 
SELECTING THE BROOD SOW. 
J. M. Jamieson, in American Swineherd, says:—A sow should have good 
length, with a strong broad back, slightly arched, strong across the loins. 
Particularly do we want a sow broad across the hams, as observed when standing 
behind her, and the hams should extend well down on the hocks. She should 
also have great depth of body, but not the narrow depth that allows the belly 
to drag the ground when she is heavy with pig. 
Always select a sow that shows a quiet disposition. Indications that point 
to this are a broad face and ears that are not foxy. With the up-eared breeds 
a dividing line is easily drawn between those that are quiet and those that are 
too nervous. 
Particular care should be taken to select those that have good strong bone, 
and stand perfectly on their feet. Attention should also be given to the number 
of teats. There should be more than ten. We have two aged sows that onl 
have ten each, and we have several times wished they had more. With all these 
desirable points, the sow should also have a good coat of hair. 
Now, as to feeding from birth to farrowing time, it should be along the same 
line all the time. The foods that are best to produce bone and muscle are also 
the ones to produce the most desirable development of the young she carries, 
and the milking qualities. : 
Sows for breeders should have plenty of range over pasture fields. Exercise 
is absolutely necessary for proper development of the system. Aside from the 
pasture she gets, she should have bran and middlings with a very small amount 
of corn. With all this care in selection she must also have kind treatment, so 
that she will always look on her keeper as her friend. Many coarse qualities 
that are desirable in a good brood sow will condemn her in the show ring, and 
her offspring for feeders. But these can be eliminated from her offspring by the 
selection of their sire. 
AT WHAT AGE A SOW SHOULD BE BRED. 
Opinions differ on this subject, but, to produce the best results, a sow, in 
our opinion, should be at least twelve months old—some say fourteen months— 
before she is bred. By the time she will farrow her first litter she will have 
attained good size, and therefore be better prepared to stand the drain upon 
her which will be required of her to raise her litter in good shape. Besides 
this, she will likely make a larger sow than she would have done if she had been 
bred earlier in life. She will also give her litter a better start in life than a 
younger sow would do; in fact, she should do as well as an aged sow. 
