The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1914-10-20


Club.
SOW must possess depth and length of
body, good heart. girth, smooth
shoulders, well-sprung ribs and long,
deep, well-turned hams. Her sides
should be long. deep and straight.
A slightly arched, or straight, broad
back is much desired, as it is much
stronger than low back. The back
should carry it's width and the side
lines should be straight She should
stand we'll up on her toes and have
smooth, straight joints with hard but
not coarse bone, and must have femi-
Gated by a rather small head and ear,
fully developed, even udder, and abb
sence Of shields In the shoulders.
A brood SOW should show early ma
turing qualities and have sufficient
capacity to do the work for which
she is intended. A smooth coat of fine
hair and a broad head with sufficient
weight for her age are good indica-
lions of early maturity. If selecting
more than one SOW, uniformity of the
lot is desirable and important.
The nearer alike the sows the more
probability of the pigs being uniform.
If pure-bred sows are selected, breed
type should be carefully observed.
Breed type" means the characters
tics of breed, and will be discussed
later.
In selecting the herd boar the same
points are essential, except that the
animal should show masculinity. A
strong, broad head and neck, sufficient
bone, with strong, straight pasterns,
hook and knee joints are important.
He should show early maturing char
acteristics and have well-developed
testicles. Shields, or thick plates Of
skin, should not show on the sides Of
the shoulder before he is one year of
age.
strong, slightly arched back, with
large heart girth. is essential in a
f1rst-class boar, for he must have room
for the vital organs, namely, heart,
lungs, etc Remember that the boar
is at least half of the herd as far as
breeding is concerned, and he is usu-
ally more, so his selection cannot COM
mand any too much care or patience.
Get a good boar and he will pay you
we'll
The narrowing pen should provide
quiet, safe and comfortable place for
the SOW. Light, cleanliness and free
dom from dampness and drafts are es-
sential A guard rail should be pro-
vided to keep the SOW from crushing
the pigs.
Feeding the SOW SO that she is prop
erly nourished and not overfat Is the
most important of the herdsman's
duties. She should have succulent
feeds. such as pasture or forage in
summer. and in winter bran or other
laxative feeds should be given, 81
that constipation and fever may be
less likely to develop.
At narrowing time no feed except a
little bran or oatmeal Cruel should be
given, and only moderately warm wa
ter for a few days. A little bran or
green feed can then be offered, and
as the litter grows and all signs Of
fever leave, more concentrated feeds
may be given. Corn and other heating
feeds should be fed In limited quanti-
ties for some time, but as the pigs
grow and there is more demand on
the SOW she should be fed literally.
There is no place equal to good pas
ture for the brood SOW and her litter.
Alfalfa, clover, rape, oats, rye, vetch,
peas, or native pasture afford succu-
lent, nutritious feeds which keep both
SOW and pigs In good condition. Little
pigs will learn to eat the forage with
the SOW at ten days of age If they have
some palatable pasture.
Sun light and clean dry sleeping
pens aid materially In starting the
pigs off and in securing rapid, eco
nomical growth. Feed the SOW we'll
and teach the little pigs to eat as soon
as possible. Cause both the SOW and
pigs to take plenty of exercise,
whether or not on forage or pasture
crops.
The dry SOW or bred SOW should be
handled as economically as possible,
SO they should have pasture and be
fed a well balanced ration and just
enough of it to keep them In good
condition without permitting them to
become fat. AS narrowing time APP
proaches the sows should be separated
in order to prevent their crowding or
injuring one another
The herd boar is best handled by
giving him a pasture lot by himself
His feed should be liberal enough to
keep him in good breeding condition