The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-01-21
FIRM and HO USEHOLD.
Swine Hnsbandry.

The United States produce more pork
according to the number of inhabitants
than any other nation. 1t behooves us,
therefore, to see that we have the best
bloods to breed from. This we have, but
not generally. There are many native
breeds scattered throughout the country,
which are a damage to their owners-a
damage to them because they are thought
less of the results. But there are strides
made-and the good names of Suffolk,
Essex, Berkshire, Chester White and Chcs-
hire are names that it does one good to
contemplate, even if they represent swine
The first step for the farmer is to get the
hest breed of swine, and then keep it so.
But notwithstanding the great caution in
selecting the breed, much labor will be
lost and the profits greatly lessened, if care
is not taken with the brood SOW, before
and after coming in.
At the outset farmer should have a
clear and well determined idea of the object
he wishes to accomplish. He should con-
slider his situation as to market, and his
means of getting to market. This is, to
select the breed or family best suited to fill
their wants, whether Il large hog to be
marketed at sixteen or twenty four months
old, or one of quicker maturity to be tit
for market at eight to twelve months old.
and continue to select males from the same
breed.
The object of keeping pigs differs in diff
ferent places and circumstances. The
dairy farmer keeps pigs principally for the
purpose of turning his whey and skinned
milk to good account. The ain-growing
farmers in the older settled parts of the
country, KEEP pigs to consume the slop of
the house, and to pick up scattered grain
4 81. 4 Al. 4 II
to consume and turn into pork, small pota-
toes, and many other articles that wonld
otherwise be wasted. AT the west where
corn is cheap, and the expense of sending
it to market very great, pigs are kept for
the purpose of packing fourteen bushels
of corn into a three buShcl barrel. In
the vicinity of the Atlantic cities, pigs are
kept, or might be kept, for the purpose of
manufacturing out of purchased food, NICE
fresh pork, and rich, valuable manure.
And indeed, in all sections where pigs are
kept, the value of the manure should be
taken into consideration.
There is probably no more profitable
breed of swine in the vicinity than the
White Chesters, if the profit is calculated
upon the amount of meat produced from
the food consumed. They are also Il breed
that can be fattened at any age, or if kept,
will attain great weight In breeding, we
would recommend Il careful selection of
boar and SOW. The boar should be less
rather than larger than the SOW, and more
compact in form; the SOW should have 4
broad, deep chest, broad loin, large ham,
good length of body, and fine bone. Keep
from breeding in and in. Always avoid
letting your sows have pigs until one year
old, as we are satisfied that allowing sows
to breed too young, not only checks their
own growth and vigor, but that of their
progeny also. We prefer boar one year
old, or older, TO breed from, and think both
continue to do better for raising fine, large
pigs until four to six years old, unless the
sow gets too heavy and fat. If she proves
good mixer let her raise two litters per
year. We speak of her being a good
mixer. This is as essential in a breeding
sow as i'll good mare. Such an animal
will raise better pigs, and, of course, her
progeny will be better hogs for market
A friend of ours who is very successful
hog raiser, says: The plan which he adopted
in breeding was to put the SOW to the boar
in November, and pick the breeders princi-
pally from the earliest pigs, when he got
his stock upto about twenty breeding sows.
In picking the breeders, he used to pick
them several times over, as it frequently
happened that those which looked the best
and prettiest when young altered consider
ably when they were four and five months
old.
The rule was to pick lengthy pigs, and
those that were straight and thick through
the shoulder and heart, and experience had
convinced him that this method of choosing
was correct one. He always kept to the
Chester breed, generally purchasing the
bOars, but breeding the sows. II he fOu nd
the pigs getting too fine, he purchased a
good strong boar, and if the animals exhib-
tied tendencies the other way, lie picked
boar of good small bone but was always
particular to select boar that was thick
through the shoulder and heart, and
straight growing pig, of the same color and
breed. By carefully following this plan,
lie got the breed so good that it was a rare
occurrence to see even a middling pig in all
the herd, though he bred from $50 to 800
each year.
A herd of common hogs may be quickly
and cheaply improved, by introducing a
boar of any good breed, but of pure blood,
| selecting a new one, not near relation,
| but of the same breed each year. Such Il
| course will give the herd all the character
| iStios of that breed in few years; but if
each year a new breed is selected, thus
| changing yearly, the attempted improve
ment will prove failure ultimately. ''In
and in - breeding is another and fatal error
in perpetuating our best varieties, as no
animal shows deterioration from the cause
as soon as the hog.
Farmers who desire to succeed in produc-
ing stock of any kind, must make themsel-
yes familiar with the unalterable laws of
procreation and transmission, for they hold
good from the highest order of intelligence
that exercise dominion over the beasts of
| +1a fiall fn fbn 1n,ynSt alr,pal, rhoro
fore, be wise to select the boar pigs for
raising your future herd of swine from the
best pure-bred stock, for they possess the
| inherent power to transmit excellent points