The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1910-02-11

qualities Of both breeds, but when
these crossbred animals are bred among
themselves the good points rapidly dis
appear, and in a few years only the
| bad ones are left.
Fat Hog Type.
The fat hog should be low set. wide
| and long. The ribs should be well
| sprung to give width to the back and
loin and should extend we'll down the
sides. The head should be short and
wide, with short, thick neck. The
shoulders should be we'll laid in at
| the top. and there should be no de-
preston back of them. A lack of
heart girth is fault often found in
otherwise good hogs. The sides should
be deep and free from wrinkles. Both
fore and hind flank should be well
filed. The hind quarters should be
fairly long from the hips back and the
hams well filed down to the hooks.
Viewed from the side, the back should
be slightly arched. Swaybacks are
very bad, especially in brood sows
The underline should be level. Viewed
from behind, the hind quarters should
be wide and full and the width Of
body even from one end to the other
Some hogs have good width in front,
but narrow off badly behind. The
legs should be strong, and the hog
should stand up we'll on his toes. Any
weakness Of the pasterns should cause
hog to be Disseminated against for
breeding purposes. Constitution, as
shown by deep, wide chest and gen.
eral vigor. is very important. Quality
Of hair, skin. limbs and head should
also be looked for. If those who are in
the business of raising hogs for the
market would take note of these easy
means Of identifying the profitable ami
NAL much disappointment would be
avoided. 1t matters not what the
breed, it is necessary to apply this dis
eliminating process in each individual
case.
In some cases breeders have gone to
extremes in producing show animals
and have bred hogs that are compact,
chubby and good to look at, but al
most worthless for breeding purposes.
The breeding sow to be profitable
must be of good size, rather loosely
built and with a roomy middle piece
The boar should be vigorous and &C"
tive. boar of this kind that is a
little rangy is to be preferred to one
Of the chubby type that is sluggish
and slow on his feet. While compact.
ness and fine points are desirable. the
farmer cannot afford to obtain them
at the expense of profitable sized lit
tiers.
In the bacon type length and depth
are sought for especially, without so
much regard to width. Larger legs
and longer and sharper face are al
lowable, and the hams are deep rather
than full and wide. One of the great
est essentials Of bacon hog is quail
fly. The bone must be clean and not
coarse. the shoulders exceedingly COM
pact and the hide smooth and pliable.
Handling Breeding Stock.
In selecting breeding stock. besides
paying attention to the character Of
the individuals, their ancestors should |
also be considered. 1t is very impor-
tant that they come from prolific |
strains, since much of the profit or loss |
in the hog business depends on the |
size of the filters. In case you are |
breeding hogs for sale as breeders 1t is |
necessary to select animals Of strains |
that are In demand.
1t is general practice to breed
sows in the fab. when they are about
eight months old. Then as soon as the
pigs are weaned the sows are fattenod |
and sold. The argument in favor of