he
young sow until she is about a year old aver that early mating results
in the sow becoming worn out and useless for breeding at a much younger
age than if she be not mated until she is well matured. This is not in
accordance with the writer's experience, as many of his sows which
farrowed their first litter when they were about a year old continued to
breed regularly until they were six or seven years old--indeed, one
Middle White, Holywell Victoria Countess farrowed her last litter when
she was in her eleventh year. This sow also disproved the confident
assertion that the showing of sows renders them comparatively useless
for breeding purposes, since she not only continued to rear her pigs
well, but she produced a number of most successful prize winning boars
and sows, and also won many prizes herself from the age of five months
to five years.

The principal cause of premature old age amongst sows is not due to
their being first mated when they are eight months old, but to the want
of care in the management and feeding of the sow during her pregnancy
and whilst she is suckling her litter of pigs. To a sow with a good
constitution the act of breeding and rearing a family of pigs is only
the most important act of nature which cannot be harmful to her,
providing that she received that amount of proper food and attention
which nature required.

There may be very occasional instances of harm being done to the
breeding sow by over feeding, or rather by injudicious feeding, but in
comparison there are hundreds of instances where under feeding and
neglect are the cause of trouble and loss.

CHAPTER IX

THE FARROWING SOW

The pregnant sow usually carries her pigs about sixteen weeks. The
variations are neither great nor numerous, when they do occur it is
usually with sows with their first litters or aged sows which sometimes
farrow ere the full time has expired, or with robust sows in good
condition which occasionally carry their young beyond the one hundred
and twelve days which may be taken as the average period.

We assume that each owner of a breeding sow keeps a record of the date
of service of the sow in order that the necessary preparation of the
sty, etc., can be made in readiness for the arrival of the expected
litter. Even when this wise precaution is neglected nature gives a
sufficient warning to the observant owner. Apart from the increasing
size of the body, the udder gradually becomes more promi