The Pig Part 10

Until recently another objection was taken to the unspayed sow pig, it was that if she were killed during the period of strum that great difficulty would be experienced in curing the meat properly, and that signs of her heated condition would be noticed in the mammary glands in the form of dark globules of what was considered to be blood, but investigation carried out at the University Farm at Cambridge by Messrs.

Russell and Kenneth Mackensie have proved that the discoloration and the consequent loss in value of a certain portion of the belly of a side of bacon is not due to the pig having been in a state of heat at the time of its slaughter, but to an excess of pigment, noticeable only amongst coloured pigs. Thus, the globules would be of a dark colour when the bacon was from a pig of a black colour, and red from the pigs of the Tamworth breed. This shows another cause of the marked preference of the bacon curers for pigs of a white colour in the manufacture of the highest priced bacon.

CHAPTER XII

HOUSING OF PIGS

In the general management of pigs there are many points on which improvements might be effected without any very considerable amount of trouble or expense. Far too frequently this neglect or want of care and thought is observable in the housing of pigs. Many of the sties in the country districts are neither wind nor water tight, and they are far too often in a most unsanitary condition, indeed in such a disgraceful state that some excuse was afforded for the drastic, if injudicious order of the sanitary authorities which prohibited the erection of a pigsty within from sixty to one hundred feet of a dwelling house. Undoubtedly it would have been wiser to have permitted the keeping of pigs within a much shorter distance of the house only so long as the necessary steps were taken to prevent a nuisance or a risk of the residents in the house suffering in health. The proximity of a pigsty to a house can be rendered perfectly innocuous with ordinary care, and the cottager not be deprived of very considerable advantages not only in making a profit, but in the provision of manure for his allotment or garden which will benefit greatly from its application.

The mistakes or want of care in the erection of pigsties is by no means confined to the owners of cottages or small holdings, as a considerable proportion of the piggeries on which great outlay is expended are equally as unsuitable if not so insanitary. Even in so-called model buildings the piggery has often been the last thing thought of; the stables, the cow house, etc., have been conveniently placed for feeding the occupants, for air, light, and sun, and then the piggery has been placed in whatever spot may have been left unoccupied, and as this generally happens to be on the northern side of the buildings, the unhappy pigs are deprived of the rays of the sun, which are to them quite as necessary, if not more so, than to any others of our domesticated animals.

This same want of sun, and the exposure to cold is noticeable in only a lesser degree in those buildings which comprise a double row of sties with a pa.s.sage down the centre, a store and a cooking and mixing house at one end, and an exercise or feeding yard adjoining. It matters not whether the building be placed north or south, or east or west, one half of the sties have a wrong aspect; even if the sties facing the west can be said to possess one. The trouble is still greater with the system of having a yard attached to each sty. The north or east wind renders the sties with such an aspect a most uncomfortable and unhealthy place for young pigs during more than half the year, whilst older pigs cannot thrive on the same amount of food as they would if their quarters were comfortable. Apart from the waste of food which results from these draughty and cold sties, the latter are the chief cause, with injudicious feeding, of that most troublesome ailment amongst pigs, rheumatic gout, or, as it is commonly termed, cramp. How very draughty and uncomfortable these sties are which have an open yard attached, and an inlet at all times usable, can be readily discovered in cold and windy weather by noticing the position in which the occupant has made its bed. This will be found not on the highest part of the sty, which will be opposite to the opening into the yard, but in the corner next to the opening, since in this position it is less exposed to the cold wind which rushes into the sty through the opening.

Apart from the unhealthiness to the pigs resulting from the exposure to draughts it is not apparent to the writer that any advantage is gained from the provision of these yards. In many instances they serve only for an excuse to limit the height of the sties, as unless these are of a fair height there is a considerable difficulty in cleaning them out. The money expended on building the yard would easily cover the extra cost of raising the side walls of the pigsty by two feet, and thus not only render it free from draughts, but also make it far more healthy and less subject to the extremes of heat and cold.

The ordinary sty with a yard attached is unhealthy for a growing or matured pig, but in the colder weather it is simply cruel for newly born pigs, of which numbers are annually lost from exposure or are greatly checked in their growth.

One of the very best places in which to house pigs in the experience of the writer was a large barn with a thatched roof. This was divided off into sties by part.i.tions some 4 ft. 6 in. high; owing to the height of the building the temperature was not unduly high in the hottest weather nor did the pigs suffer to any extent during severe weather. These advantages arose mainly from the slight changes in temperature, and an abundant supply of uncontaminated air.

One of the greatest drawbacks to the majority of the pigsties is the absence of ventilation without draught. This trouble is especially noticeable where the side walls are not more than about 4 ft. high, whilst the proximity of the roof to the pigs increases the sufferings of the pigs from the heat when the weather is excessively hot.

Some of our most successful pig feeders on a large scale have found it profitable to erect cheap buildings very similar to small barns, the side walls being at least 10 feet high. This will permit of thorough ventilation, quite free from draughts, whilst the variations in the temperature will be comparatively slight. The building being complete within itself, and entirely used for the pigs, there is no disturbance of the pigs between the feeding times, so that the pigs will rest and grow fat. These houses are most suitable for a number of fattening pigs, whereas for sows and for young sows smaller sties or houses are more convenient. These should be at least 10 ft. square, the front 6 ft. 6 in. high, the doors divided so that the upper half can be opened when the weather is favourable; ventilation can be obtained by hanging or sliding doors just under the eaves so that the pigs are not affected by the draught; the floor should be laid with brick and gradually incline to the front of the building so that the liquid can run through an aperture in the lower part of the front wall into a cesspool placed close to the building. A row of these houses, which should face to the south, can be more cheaply erected than a single house, as the wooden part.i.tions between the houses need not be more than 4 ft. high, and one of these would take the place of two gables or ends. Several of the houses which the writer erected had brick foundations and feather-edged boarded sides and ends; the roofs were of tiles unpointed, as in this way the houses were much cooler in the summer, whilst in the winter the upper portions of the houses were packed with straw which still permitted of the escape of the foul air, yet greatly added to the warmth and comfort of the building.

The one thing of all others most needful in the sty or house for the well doing of pigs is a sufficiency of pure air without draughts; pigs of even a few days old will suffer less from cold than from moist and foul hot air. It is not the most costly building in which pigs will thrive best, but the one in which they are the most comfortable and free from the extremes of heat and cold with a dry bed on which to rest and be thankful.

When making a tour of the Agricultural Experiment Stations and Agricultural Schools in Denmark some few years since, the writer saw near Aarhuss what was then a novelty in the form of a two decker pigsty, i.e. a sty with a sleeping place above--one could scarcely term it an upstairs room as access was gained not by stairs but by an inclined board with struts of wood fastened across it to give a firm holding to the pigs as they ascended to the upper story. The incline was very steep, but the pigs seemed to have no difficulty in getting up and down.

The advantages claimed for it by the princ.i.p.al were that the sleeping compartment was so much cleaner and sweeter; that less straw was required for bedding, and that the pigs were far more comfortable and rested better than when boxed up, especially in the summer season when the heat in the lower portion was very oppressive. The feeding took place in the lower portion. It was stated that nearly the whole of the urine and dung was deposited below. This was a great advantage as the moisture ran off at once into the drains, and the solids were easily cleared out as there was no litter mixed with them, or the dung could be readily washed into the drains by water from a hose, which was used in the summer for the purpose of bathing or of was.h.i.+ng the pigs.

The chief objection to the plan would be its expense, as unless the pigsties were in a barn or a shed already erected for some other purpose the pigsty would have to be so much higher on the side walls and consequently more strongly built.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Photo, Sport and General._

LARGE WHITE SOW, "WORSLEY SUNBEAM."

To face page 112.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Photo kindly lent by Kenneth MacRae, R.U.A.S., Balmoral, Belfast._

LARGE WHITE ULSTER BOAR.]

CHAPTER XIII

THE EXHIBITION OF PIGS

When the exhibition of live stock at our numerous shows became common, a belief sprang up amongst non-exhibitors that the preparation for show was most deleterious to the animals shown. It was also contended that exhibitors were p.r.o.ne to pay attention, to a far greater extent, to the fancy or show points of the animals which they bred than to those utility points which are of infinitely more importance to the ordinary stock breeder and the consumer. It was also believed that the feeding or training which the show stock underwent seriously affected their procreative powers, and especially so with the animals of the feminine gender.

It may at once be frankly admitted that there existed some ground for the belief that a majority of the exhibitors did appear to give too great attention to the claims of the judges who were, in too many cases, chosen for reasons other than their knowledge of practical agriculture or the requirements of the consumers of meat. For so acting, the exhibitors were not beyond blame, as in the earlier days of showing, their main object was to win prizes in order to advertise their stock and so secure customers for their spare breeding animals. The actual improvement of the various breeds of stock did not in those far-off days appear to be of such vital importance as the world upheaval, of which the present generation has been the witness, has proved it to be.

It may also be fairly claimed that there has been some slight improvement in the system of feeding and training followed by the pig exhibitors of to-day. This is in part due to the fact that the cramming on rich food and giving little exercise may result in rendering the show pig in such a state of obesity as to secure the approval of the non-practical judge, who is unable to appraise the points of a pig when in its natural breeding condition, but that to be able to follow the present system of exhibiting at several successive shows and even when the bloated pig is intended to be returned to the breeding pen, this excessive feeding proved to be a grievous mistake. It may not be possible to claim that the over feeding of show animals is a thing of the past, but there is little doubt that exhibitors of pigs have become alive to the fact that it is not profitable. Not only is the expense excessive, but the damage done to the breeding animals is so great as to render it inadvisable for any ordinary farmer to follow. Again, there has of late years been a very considerable improvement in the pig cla.s.sification at both the breeding and the fat stock shows. When the writer began pig showing, on his own account, fifty years since, the common cla.s.sification at most of the shows was, boar any age, sows any age, and pens of three breeding pigs, not exceeding nine or in some cases even twelve months. There were no restrictions as to the age of the boar or of the sow, no condition as to utility, of the sow having at any time reared a litter of pigs or of being in pig, so that it was by no means uncommon at even some of the chief shows to find both boars and sows appear year after year, having been guiltless of any attempt to procreate their species, but having been kept solely for the purpose of winning prizes and adding to the renown of their owners, if not directly adding much to their balances at the bank. The only way in which the continued exhibition of these old stagers was made profitable was the securing of customers for breeding stock from the exhibitors, who in far too many cases were not the breeders of the winning animals. To so great an extent had this purchase, frequently from middlemen or dealers of exhibition pigs, become in the seventies of the last century, that some of the live stock papers in the United States took up the cudgels on behalf of the American breeders of pigs, who had been in the habit of importing show winners from this country and plainly asked for the English definition of a pure bred pig. It was pointed out at a recent show of the Royal Agricultural Society several winners shown by one exhibitor were entered as of certain defined breeds, yet neither age, pedigree, nor name of breeder was given, the only particulars given in the show catalogue being the name and address of the exhibitor, the name of the pig, and the further statement age and breeder unknown. As our American cousins asked, how could it be possible to ensure that a pig was of a certain pure breed when it was admitted that no knowledge existed of the breeding of the animal nor actually of the person who bred it. This scandal, as it was termed, was one of the contributing causes of the establishment of societies for the registration of the pedigrees of the various types or breeds of pigs.

Other changes which have been great improvements have been the limitation of the ages of boars and sows shown, the requirement that the sow has within a certain fixed time farrowed a litter of pigs and that when entered as being in farrow a certificate of subsequent farrowing shall be furnished ere the prize money is paid over. The age of the young boars and sows has also been reduced at most shows to six months, or the pigs must have been farrowed in the year of the show. In the good old times the age of the pigs shown in the cla.s.ses for pens of two or three or five, varied from six to twelve months, and the a.s.serted age given by the exhibitor was accepted as correct. At many of the important shows not only are some means of identification asked for, but the state of the dent.i.tion are variously dealt with; at some shows they are disqualified at once by the stewards on the certificate of the veterinary surgeon. It may at once be admitted that this mode of procedure is very hard on an honest exhibitor whose pig has for some reason developed its temporary or permanent teeth abnormally--and such cases are not unknown--- although as a rule the various stages in the cutting of the permanent teeth are very regular, the majority of the irregularities are also in favour of the exhibitor, since delayed rather than precocious development of dent.i.tion is the most common. Just how imperative it was that some steps should be taken to prevent mistakes being made in the ages of young pigs exhibited, many cases could be cited, but one may suffice where one of the sow pigs in a pen of five entered in a cla.s.s for pigs not exceeding six months actually farrowed a litter of fully developed pigs in the show yard.

During the last forty years, great improvements have been made in the cla.s.sification for pigs at our princ.i.p.al Fat Stock shows. The division of breeds or types has been attended to and the ages of the pigs in the various cla.s.ses have been greatly reduced. For instance, when the writer was judging pigs with two colleagues at the 1880 show of the Smithfield Club, there were cla.s.ses for Small White pigs, not exceeding nine months; above nine months, and not exceeding twelve months, and above twelve months and not exceeding eighteen months. A more ridiculous cla.s.sification could not possibly have been devised since no small white pig would have paid for fattening after it had become nine months old. A similar cla.s.sification existed for pigs of the Large White breed, for Black breeds, and for Berks.h.i.+res. In addition there was a cla.s.s for a single pig of any age or breed. The condition of some of the exhibits in the oldest cla.s.ses was most pitiable, they had been stuffed to such an extent that their life must have been a misery to them, they were unable to walk any distance, and to prevent suffocation rollers were used on which to raise their heads. The only way in which to describe these unfortunate subjects of man's inhumanity was as animated bladders of lard.

At the recent shows of the Smithfield Club, not only has the age limit been greatly reduced but cla.s.ses for pigs not exceeding 100 lbs. live weight have been inst.i.tuted, in addition to cla.s.ses for all the recognised pure breeds of pigs and those of any cross. Even this great reduction in age has not been enough to satisfy some of our reformers, as an endeavour is being made to reduce the limit of twelve months to nine months, so that in future the cla.s.ses will be for pens of two pigs not exceeding 100 lbs. live weight, for pigs not exceeding six months old and for pigs between six and nine months old, with certain cla.s.ses for single pigs under nine months. It is contended that fat pigs cannot be profitably kept after they reach the age of nine months. Another innovation of recent years at the Smithfield Show has been the establishment of the so-called slaughter cla.s.ses. This is probably by far the greatest improvement of recent years in the pig section. Cla.s.ses are provided for pigs not exceeding 100 lbs. live weight, pigs weighing over 100 lbs. and not exceeding 220 lbs., and for pigs above 220 lbs.

and not exceeding 300 lbs. live weight. The pigs are first exhibited and judged alive, then slaughtered and the carcases judged on their pork merits. There is also one cla.s.s for pigs above 160 lbs. and not exceeding 240 lbs. live weight best suited for the manufacture of bacon.

These various cla.s.ses have created great interest and have proved of the greatest educational value.

Another beneficial effect of the changed conditions is the elimination from the summer show-yards of fat sows guiltless of milk and accompanied in the pen by half a score of young boars and yelts of an age varying from three months upwards, and which together were exhibited in the cla.s.s for breeding sows, or breeding sows and pigs. A fine fat sow which would take kindly to an unlimited number of adopted youngsters was in those days almost as valuable as a small gold mine. An old and well-known pigman, d.i.c.k by name, a.s.sured the writer that no fewer than sixty-three young boars and yelts were sold in one year off or when in company of one well-known sow. At the present time the pigs shown with a sow must be certified to be her produce and not to exceed the age of eight weeks.

It is at all times difficult to discover the motive power for certain actions on the part of a human being. It has been declared that there is an equal amount of doubt as to the cause of a breeder of stock wis.h.i.+ng to exhibit his animals. Surely this last a.s.sertion is at least of a doubtful character. What greater proof could a stock breeder give of his pride in his animals than a burning desire to expose their good qualities to the public gaze. In addition to this, few men are entirely free from the spirit of gambling and this enters into all compet.i.tions, particularly in the show yards. The winning of prizes with stock may not be quite so uncertain as the winning of horse races, still, there is enough of uncertainty to render the judging ring a centre of great excitement. Some persons will even contend that the showing of farm stock is not desirable on the part of young farmers as it is likely to a.s.sume so great a similarity with gambling, that attending the shows means a neglect of business and leads to expensive habits. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that the exhibition of our improved specimens of stock has been of untold benefit to both home and foreign stock breeders. Further, the exportation of our pedigree stock has actually saved us from semi-starvation during this most fearful of all wars, as without our improved stock the native stock of foreign countries could not possibly have furnished the enormous quant.i.ties of meat which we have had to import.

It may be that a great many exhibitors of stock had little or no intention of becoming one when they first purchased their stock, but on these proving quite the equal of that possessed by their neighbour, the desire grew to suggest how good they were, or in many instances the original entries have been made in response to a request to support the local show.

This may be still another cause for a beginner in stock breeding exercising extreme care in the selection of his original stock. Even if the prime cost be higher than that of ordinary market stock the extra outlay expended on animals from well-known breeders, and out of old established herds, is certain to prove a good investment. There is just as great difference in the different families or strains of our domestic stock, as there is in the various human families and of animals, and it may be probably more true that the vast majority of the best of them are the descendants of a comparatively few ancestors. This is evident in almost everyone of the breeds of our improved stock, it is so in thoroughbred and s.h.i.+re horses, and so one might go through the whole list of domesticated or farm animals.

It is therefore desirable that anyone who thinks of exhibiting his pigs should endeavour first to discover the particular tribes or families which, in the past, have furnished a large proportion of the winners, and then to obtain some of the specimens of those families which have been successful in the show yards and in the breeding pen. This combination is most important, as it does not necessarily follow that a line of blood which produces prize winners shall also produce animals which are not only good in type, character, and form, but possessed of prolificacy, free milking properties, and ability to raise large litters. The difficulty of finding in some of the mere exhibition herds this most desirable combination is due, in the main, to the far too frequent neglect of the utility points, the two aims of the herdsman are in too many instances the winning of prizes for their employers and the securing of a percentage of the prize money for themselves.

Although there have been attempts made to impress on outsiders the claim that there exists in the training of pigs for successful exhibition in our show yards a large amount of mystery, yet, the practice is most simple, it consists in the employment of the greatest possible observation, care, and attention; without the continual use of these qualities it is not possible to become a really successful pigman. In very many instances just that little extra attention has turned the scales. The one chief qualification on the part of a successful stock man is the art of taking pains. Unlike most of the other exhibitors of pigs who exhibited largely over many years the writer never employed a professional pigman. The comparatively small number of pigmen who a.s.sisted him to win thousands of prizes were merely ordinary farm labourers, save in one case, and he was an old sailor, yet one of the best feeders and trainers we ever employed. He was naturally fond of animals and was never tired of waiting on them and of supplying their needs. It was once jokingly said of him that, having no children, he bestowed on the pigs in his care the love which some other people bestowed on their children. There is much of truth in the a.s.sertion made by a coloured preacher in the United States when discussing the want of success of ordinary pig-keeping in the States, the chief cause he declared was the absence of love. We would call it want of natural fondness of animals and an insufficient determination to render the conditions of life of the animals in our charge as pleasant and satisfactory as circ.u.mstances will allow. With regard to the system of rearing and feeding animals intended for exhibition, nothing more is needed than the concentrated care and attention which is required in the successful rearing and feeding of all commercial animals. A liberal supply of suitable food, prepared in the most tempting form and judiciously fed to the pigs in just the quant.i.ty required, as frequently as the pig is able to thoroughly enjoy it. Little and often is a good motto for the pig feeder. The more closely we adhere to nature, the more successful shall we be. It is to this, perhaps, that exercise is so specially necessary for pigs which are being prepared for the show yard.

It is impossible to render a pig perfectly fit for exhibition at a show, and more particularly at several successive shows, without plenty of exercise. Each morning and evening a walk of a distance varying with the ages, etc., of the pigs is desirable. Another point to which some professional pigmen give great prominence is the regular dosing of their charges with secret medicines. This is not only unnecessary, but may with breeding animals prove harmful. A sound healthy pig seldom requires medicine if it is properly fed and exercised. It is the over feeding or intense desire of the pigman which in the majority of cases renders medicine necessary.

A word of warning against this haste to get the pig into show condition.

This last can only be a work of time, and the commencement of the process must be in the early stages of the life of the pig and be steadily continued until within a few days of the show. This slight reduction of the food may be necessary in the summer when the heat is great and the pigs become restless when travelling boxed up in a crate in an enclosed truck. Many of the pigs lost in travelling to or from the shows or soon after arriving at the shows, have been fed just prior to being loaded up, because of the difficulty in feeding them when on the journey. This is an entire mistake; not only should the pigs not be fed, but prior to being put into the crates they should be given just so much exercise as will cause them to evacuate the bowels, or the bladder. Care in this respect and non-exposure to the rays of the sun may not in every case prevent trouble, but it will most certainly reduce to a minimum the chance of it. Should a pig suffer from the heat, cold water should be applied to the head by means of a sponge or a cloth, and should some of the water percolate into the mouth of the pig so much the better.

CHAPTER XIV

PRESENT AND FUTURE PIG-KEEPING

As it is impossible to foretell the effect which the present disastrous war will have upon the pig-breeding industry, we have deemed it expedient to refer as briefly as possible to the present conditions of feeding, etc., which may or may not prove to be of a temporary character or which may become permanent in a more or less modified manner.

One of the results of the scarcity and high market value of the different articles which have been commonly used in the feeding of pigs is drawing greatly increased attention to the original conditions under which pigs were kept, i.e. when they were in a wild state or when they were allowed their partial freedom for the purpose of getting their own living to a greater or lesser extent.

We are aware that a claim has been made by an enthusiastic convert to pig-keeping that in allowing his pigs their liberty to roam over gra.s.s fields and in woods he is practising quite a novel course of procedure, but the old hands merely smile and admire the enthusiasm which is more nearly allied with youth than old age. The practice may not have been generally followed of late years, but in the middle of the last century it was to the writer's knowledge common in certain of the Eastern Counties, particularly in Suffolk and portions of Ess.e.x and Cambridges.h.i.+re, where a considerable acreage of gra.s.s and especially clovers was grazed by pigs, having a greater or lesser quant.i.ty of other food as the pigs were intended for breeding or fattening purposes.