factory to take the
pigs off the sow. This practice varies greatly in different districts,
and even in the same district where one would naturally suppose that the
determining influences would be similar weaning at five or six weeks
old.

One pig breeder will declare that a little pig of five or six weeks old
should be and is able to support itself alone, and will act accordingly.
Should perchance a litter weaned thus early cease to grow the excuses
made will be various.

The weather is at fault, it is either too hot or too cold, or the
sharps, etc., on which they have been fed were not good or sweet, that
the sow's milk was not sufficiently plentiful, or it was wanting in
nutriment. In fact, any excuse will be made rather than the actual cause
admitted.

In far too many instances the real reason for the want of thrift on the
part of the young pigs taken from their mother when they are not more
than five or six weeks old is that their digestive organs are not
sufficiently developed as to enable them to digest enough food to
nourish them properly.

Another excuse often made for what we consider to be undue haste in
weaning young pigs is the alleged desire of the owner not to waste the
time of the sow. He is anxious to have her served again and hasten the
arrival of the next litter.

Occasionally it is found to be unnecessary to wean the pigs for this
purpose as the sow will come in heat and can be served by the boar, but
if she should become in pig the result will be much the same so far as
the pigs are concerned, since as soon as the sow has conceived the milk
will promptly cease or become very reduced in quantity and quality.

On the other hand, if the sow does not stand to the boar time may be
wasted. It is most unlikely that the sow will again become in heat for
some three weeks, whereas this almost always occurs within a few days of
the weaning of the litter of pigs.

Then another extreme, and one which is practised by some pig breeders,
is to allow the young pigs to remain on the sow until the former are
from ten to twelve weeks old. It is claimed for this practice that the
young pigs grow much faster when left on the sow than when weaned, and
that less food is consumed for a live weight increase from a given
quantity of food. Also, it is said that food of more inferior kind can
be fed to the sow than could be fed to the pigs if they were weaned, and
thus the sow and litter are kept at less expense, and th