they farrow their first litter shall
possess the desired characteristics of the breed, whereas this is by no
means certain if the young pigs arrive before the sow has reached that
age or is about a year old. Unfortunately, we have see no attempt made
to account for this alleged curious variation in the qualities inherited
from a parent of about one year old and the parent which had arrived at
the more matured age of about sixteen months, so that it is impossible
to discover a solution of the strange problem.

Therefore, we should be unable to admit the correctness of the assertion
even though it was not directly in opposition to our belief which is
founded on experience of a most extensive character extending over some
sixty years. To aver that the power of a young sow to impress its
hereditary characteristics on its young are only fully developed by
deferring the arrival of the young pigs for four or five months, or
until the sow is sixteen instead of twelve months old when she farrows
must surely cause surprise, if not, disbelief. Perhaps the object of the
propounder of the theory was to create a discussion--it could not have
been to bring his name prominently before the public.

Another advantage in mating the young sow so that her first litter
appears when she is about a year old, her daughters will in turn farrow
during the most suitable months of the year, providing of course that
she herself had been farrowed in early spring or about the month of
July.

When the sow pig which is intended to be kept for breeding has been
farrowed in some other part of the year, it is advisable to defer beyond
the eight months the mating of her so that she farrows at the best
times, or perhaps even better than that, if the pigs are not intended
for breeding purposes, would it be to have the sow mated when she is
about eight months old, and then allow the pigs to remain on the sow a
few weeks beyond the usual period of eight weeks so that the pigs are
taken off the sow three or four days before it is desired to have her
again mated with the boar. The risk of the sow returning to the boar
will be minimised, as a sow which has been baulked is sometimes
difficult to settle. In addition, the sow will be stronger and more
vigorous and likely to produce a strong litter of pigs, whilst the
piglings will scarcely miss their mother's milk when they are weaned
from her.

Those pig breeders who are in favour of withholding the boar from t