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 the 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 prominent, and each pap becomes more defined, the vulva becomes enlarged and the muscles on either side of the tail fall away and lose their tenseness, whilst in the vast majority of cases milk appears in the udder some twelve hours before the arrival of the pigs. The teats shine and become more prominent, the presence of milk is easily ascertained by gently pressing the teat between the finger and thumb.