The Van Buren press., 1896-01-04
FARMER AND PLANTER.
BREEDING SWINE.
Care Necessary in the Selection OF the
Proper tt pes.

Proper Types.
1t has always been the case that
many people pay insufficient attention
to the selection of their breeding hogs
This applies to those who are breeding
thoroughbreds to sell as breeders, as
we'll as to those who are breeding for
meat production only. The end of hog
is pork, and no hog is too good for even
the small farmer who produces merely
enough meat for home consumption.
Of course there will always appear ami
mails of such outstanding individual
merit as to keep them from the BUTCH
ers block, but that is no reason why
stunted thoroughbreds and other
scrubs need be considered good
enough for meat hogs"
The long-legged, lank and thorough
bred or grade is not the most profit
able hog for the purpose for which a
hog is intended, VIZ, the production
of pork; and If the farmer will count
the cost of making given amount of
pork from this sort of an animal he
will readily see that the increased cost
will more than balance any difference
which existed in the original cost of
the breeding stock. Good thorough
breds are neither too good nor too ex-
pensive for meat hogs" This must
be apparent, for the only use to which
a hog can be put is to produce pork,
therefore if the thoroughbred has
any superiority over the razor back,
1t must be in his greater value for
| feeding purposes. A good pig at
five dollars when two months old is
cheaper for feeding purposes than is a
scrub costing nothing, and any man
can fully demonstrate the fact by
counting the cost of feed in relation to
their respective values at slaughter
ing time. The idea that anything is
good enough for meat hog" is cost
ing farmers thousands of dollars an
nually.
The first thing to be done is to Sc
lect some one of the improved breeds.
1t is not very important which, and
our ticket is anything to beat the
scrub" Having selected the breed we
desire to raise, the next thing Is to Sc
cure good representatives of that
breed There are two things to
be considered in selecting an
animal for breeding purposes.
First, pedigree; and, second, individual
merit 1t is generally thought that
the time which the farmer would spend
studying the pedigrees of breed of
hogs would be lost, but no greater mis-
take could be made. Certain families
in all breeds have become fashionable
because they have shown superior
qualities, and it is evident that, other
things being equal, the animal whose
ancestors have shown excellence will
be most likely to produce progeny of
excellence. Therefore any person who
is going to put money into any breed
of hogs should know enough about
the families of that breed to sele ct
those most likely to produce good off
spring To select an animal of high in
dividual merit requires a knowledge Of
what constitutes the best type of the
breed. This knowledge can only be OBJ
tanned by study and inspecting good
specimens Because one has better
hog and fner-looking animal than a
razor-bacls is no proof that it is not a
scrub. There are a number of men
who offer for sale what they claim to
be the best strains of the different
breeds who do not know the strains of
their respective breeds. In honest
: ignorance many of them are inflic ting
on their equally-ignorant customers
animals just a little removed from the
, razor-back. This is due to the fact
that they have bought their stock from
: persons who, like themselves, had
never seen the best of the breed,
or from breeders who, against
{ their own interest and the dictates OF
/ their consciences, sold them their
. ''culls" because they were not willing
to pay more than "cull" prices. Many
, people place too small value on quail
ty in hog; with them one hog is as
good as another, and so long as he is q
thoroughbred and eligible to regisitra
tion they are satisfied. Scrubs of the
thoroughbred class are numerous, anC
. therefore an animal must be some
thing more than thoroughbred. II,
q, is worth a good price and will bring
it. Most people in the south think 81,
a big price for boar pig three or fou
months old, when in truth, if he i
good enough to save as breeder b,
is worth many times that in on
! year to almost any farmer. On
: noted Berkshire breeder in Mis-
: souri, sold nearly ~~2OO head il
i 1894 at an average of S45 eac
1 Still | have known men to send hin
S25 with the request that he send ther
:, in exchange a. ''frst-class pig" an
: when they failed to get such were dis
e appointed Is it reasonable to suppos
a man would sell first-class pig fo
!, about half the price he gets for hi
y average?
< If the prospective purchaser has ha
sufficient experience toknow what cor
I stitutes a frst-class animal, and ca
!, make the purchase after a personal in
spection of the stock, he may find som
young and unknown breeder who wi
Z sell him frst-class animal in breedin
a and quality for from Sl2 so to S25, bu
if he has not had this requisite expt
= rience, or must buy by mail ordel
a then the only safe plan is to. buy {
i some well-kHown breeder and pay
4 good price, say from S25 to $50. A
4, present great many in the south ar
. sending north for frst-class pigs, bu
. owing to the fact that they are nc
: willing to pay first-elass prices, ar
getting scrubs at scrub prices. Ou
! state is serving as dumping ground