The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-03-08
THE FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
The Best Pigs to Breed From.

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The Buffalo Live Stock Journal discourses
In this way on this important subject:
There is probably no animal that in breed
ing proves more strongly the law that 'like
produces like' than the pig.
We wish that farmers would study this
question OF breeding only from the best more
than they do. Let US take the case of a SOW
that is kept for breeding for two years, and
farrows four filters of pigs of six, or twenty
four in all. Suppose she is mincing eater,
has week lungs and defective digestion; her
pigs will inherit these defects intensified.
Each of these will weigh fifty pounds less at
one year old than if they had been strong
healthy pigs, and this will entail loss on her
progeny (twenty-tour plgs) of 1900 pounds,
which at five cents amounts to $50. 1t will
thus be seen that the breeder would make
$50 by giving away such pig and paying $40
for good one to put in its place. But sup
pose it to be boar instead of SOW pig, thus
wanting in constitutional vigor, and that he
serves only ten sows that produce twenty
four pigs each during the period Of breeding,
or 240 pigs, and that these pigs are worth one
dollar less than those sired by boar of the
best constitution here is a loss of $240 result
ing from an injudicious selection of boal.
1t may frequently the case that pig is not
worth raising, as matter of profit, even for
feeding, and how much less is it worth keep
ing as a breeder. This rule applies as well to
thoroughbreds as to mixed or common
breeds. There seems to be quite prevalent
idea that an animal must be fit breeder if
thoroughbred, but there are defective ami
mails of every breed, and they ought to be dis
carded, however valuable may be the strain of
blood, else this defect will be prepetuated and
intensified, and his fashionable strain will
lose its reputation. 1t is just as necessary to
discard poor specimen of Berkshire, Essex,
Suffolk or Yorkshiers as of a common scrub,
and breeders of the thoroughbreds are very
short-sighted in sending out defective ami
mails simply because they are pure-bloOds.
No improvements can be expected without a
constant selection of the best animals as
breeders. Pedigree is of great value, but
there should always be individual merit with
pedigree. Having shown the great loss an
nually in neglecting to select the best animals
for breeding, let us consider how selections
should be made.
After good form, with full develop
ment Of all the useful parts, and small pro-
portion Of offal, eager appetite and good di-
gestion are first requisites to good breeding
animal. As the hog is kept expressly for its
growth of meat, and this growth is greater
in proportion to food the younger the animal,
therefore one primary point is early mat
urity. Those breeds that require eighteen
months to two years to mature sufficiently
for market are Improbable, as the cost of
every pound put on during the last six
months is about double that Of the first year.
This quality of early maturitv may be i'm
proved in any breed by selection for that pur-
pose. In almost every litter of pigs there is
one or more that develops more rapidly than
the rest-fills out all its proportions into
ripness. Such a pig should be selected for a
breeder, and this method will in few years
materially shorten the time Of maturing. It
and most perfect heads for seed. The system
of pork raising is gradually changing, and the
old period of two years and upward IS gen.
orally reduced to eighteen months, and with
many breeders to twelve months for profit,
and the early maturing breeders are more
profitable disposed of at ten months.