SELECTION OF THE BOAR
The hackneyed saying "The sire is half the herd" appears to have a
different meaning to varying persons. To some it conveys the idea that
the selection of the sire is of far more importance than the selection
of the dam because the influence of the sire is so much more powerful
than that of the dam on at least the external form and character of the
produce. The late Mr. James Howard, who took a particularly keen
interest in the breeding of pigs, used to declare that the appearance
and form of the young pigs far more generally followed those of the sire
than of the dam; whilst the influence of the latter was more shown in
the character and constitution of their joint produce; or in other
words, that the boar stamped his character to a greater extent on the
external points of the young, whilst the sow more strongly influenced
the internal parts of the youngsters. It is quite possible that this
idea has gained ground to a large extent from the fact that the use of a
pure bred sire on ordinary or grade females has been very much more
common than the crossing of pure bred females by the ordinary or
non-pedigree sire; as also from the far greater numbers of young which
each pure bred sire would improve, than would be improved by each pure
bred female which might be crossed.
If only for this reason alone, we would always recommend buyers who are
desirous of grading up and improving their farm stock to attempt to do
this by the purchase or use of the pure bred or improved sire. The
original outlay is infinitely less, whilst the immediate results are
comparatively longer.
It is scarcely desirable to go further into the question as to the
comparative influence on the young of the sire and the dam since our
actual knowledge of the subject is by no means large. Indeed, it is at
the least doubtful, if by the closest observation any definite opinion
on the subject is possible, so great is the difference which varying
parents have on the chief characteristics of their joint progeny, and
even in the separate specimens which they have procreated. Of course, it
is quite possible to breed animals especially well developed or endowed
with certain qualities, providing that the parents have been for
generations selected because of their possession in a marked degree of
those particular qualities sought. It is in this power of prepotency
that one of the chief benefits from the use of a pure bred sire or dam
arises. By the term pure bred is not meant merely that the names of a
certain number of the forbears of the animal shall have been recorded in
the register of the breed, but that the animal shall for a certain
number of generations have been bred on similar lines so that it shall
possess a considerable amount of concentrated blood. This is a point to
which sufficient care is not generally given by purchasers of so-called
pedigree sires to be used on the ordinary bred or graded stock. The far
too common practice is to purchase each boar required from a totally
different herd, or from one of quite dissimilar breeding, with the
result that there is not the slightest uniformity in the appearance or
character of the herd, or of the mature animals when ready for market.
It is far too frequently forgotten that the chief value of a record of
the pedigree is that by it one can trace the breeding of the animal's
progenitors, and thus one is enabled to form some opinion of the
probable produce--providing it is possible to learn the chief
characteristics of the progenitors. Failing this, the only course open
is to note the names of the breeders of the more recent parents, as from
this a certain amount of information as to the probable qualities of the
parents may be obtained or surmised.
Another point on which at least a diversity of opinion exists, is the
wisdom of giving so much consideration to the fact that the herd from
which the sire is purchased shall have been recently successful in the
show yard, or in extreme cases, that the sire itself shall have been a
prize winner. It is urged that the mere fact that a sire has succeeded
in winning one or more prizes is a proof that it possesses in a marked
degree those qualities which are most highly prized. This may be
conceded, yet there is no certainty that the mating of this winning sire
even with dams that have also been prize winners shall result in the
production of young the equal of the parents, since the winners at the
various shows may be of dissimilar types and breeding.
But the case would be quite different if the winning sire and dam came
from the same old established herd in which the animals had been bred
for generations on similar lines. It is this concentration of certain
qualities in generation after generation which renders the pedigree
animal so intensely prepotent, particularly when mated with animals of
an ordinary character or not possessing concentrated breeding. Indeed,
it may be safely assumed that the power of a parent to impress its own
individuality and qualities on its produce, depends to a very large
extent, if not entirely, on the comparative hereditary extent of those
qualities in comparison with the other qualities possessed by itself, or
by the animal with which it may have been mated.
In other words, it is contended that the sire or the dam has not the
power to impress certain of its characteristics on its young, merely
because of its sex, but that this power depends on the proportion in the
sire or dam of the blood of progenitors who possessed in a marked degree
certain qualities.
It is with the breeding of animals as with the manufacture of a compound
article. The character and quality of that compound will vary according
to the proportion of the various ingredients used in its manufacture. It
is to this law or fact that the marked impressiveness of certain strains
of blood is attributable.
Again, the marked and long continued success of the blood of the
animals bred by a few of our most successful breeders of live stock is
in the main due to the fact that the owners set up a standard and
persistently selected and bred together only animals possessing to a
greater or lesser extent the particular qualities which together
comprised that standard. There is not the slightest doubt that in
carrying out their system they were often compelled to mate animals
related in blood the one to the other, but in this there is little risk
providing that all those animals which show the slightest symptom of
delicacy of constitution are persistently draughted out.
It will be inferred from the above remarks that we hold to the belief
that the breeding of the boar should receive attention as well as the
following points in its form and character.
One of the most important of these points is good temper. This is a
quality not usually attributed to the pig in its wild state, and
consequently not natural to the domesticated pig, yet on the possession
of it depends to a very great extent the thrift and well doing of the
produce of the boar. The produce of an irritable boar are almost certain
to inherit this quality which is fatal to profitable fatting. In sows
this weakness is still more unfortunate, as a bad tempered sow is almost
invariably an indifferent mother. The rigid avoidance of this failing of
bad temper in a boar is advisable not only because this quality is
almost invariably hereditary, but a savage boar is a continual source of
danger to man and beast. It may be said that little trouble is likely if
the boar is kept in confinement, but there are times, such as when sows
are placed with him, when a certain amount of liberty must be given to
him, and it is generally on such occasions of excitement when the bad
temper is the most in evidence. The mere fact that irritability and
nervousness are natural to the pig should make us the more careful to
avoid any increase in the failing by using a boar which is the least
inclined to be bad tempered.
Many persons hold that in the selection of a boar one of the principal
points is size. They contend that size, in pigs especially, is
imperative if a profitable return is to be made. This view may have
arisen to a greater or lesser extent from the want of method and
observation which is characteristic of so many stock owners. The one
point which to them is of the greatest importance is the selling price
of the fat or store animal sold being fully up to the average. Little or
no thought is given to the value of the food eaten by each animal. If it
had been, very frequently it would have been found that the smaller
animal of a lot had actually given the best return for the food it had
consumed. It is not the size alone of the animal which determines its
value as the producer of meat, but more than anything it is the feeding
qualities of the animal fattened. In addition to this there never was a
time when the consumer more strongly demanded small joints of meat, and
these of the best quality and with as little bone as possible.
Apart from this a very large boar is a mistake as it is invariably
awkward when serving--it can be used only for large and strong sows, and
its average period of usefulness is decidedly shorter than that of a
medium sized and compact boar. A large boar generally possesses an undue
proportion of bone, its shoulders are heavy, and its ankles round, and
feet large and spreading. Now these are all objections. The bone of a
boar should be solid, not porous; the ankles compact and the feet small,
and the pasterns short. The head should be wide so that the brain can be
well developed, the head inclined to be short rather than long, since an
animal with an extremely long head is certain to be deficient in natural
flesh.
On the question of the size and hang of the ears a variety of opinion
exists; pigs with long ears, and pigs with short ears are found
possessing good carcases. It is the quality of the ear rather than its
size and hang which seems to indicate the character most. A pig with a
thin and firm ear is usually of fine quality, whereas a pig which has a
thick, coarse ear is generally coarse in bone, skin, flesh, and hair.
The neck of the boar should be muscular as indicating constitution and
natural vigour; the shoulders fine and obliquely laid, the ribs well
sprung, the loin wide, the quarters long and square, not drooping, the
hams full and extending quite down to the hocks, and without any of that
loose skin which is far too common amongst the largest of our breeds of
pigs, and which is a sure sign of coarseness. The flank should be thick
and well let down, as this indicates constitution and lean meat, the
legs should be fairly short and set well apart so that the heart, lungs,
and other organs have plenty of room to perform their share of the work
of the pig. The skin should be fine and the hair straight and silky, as
well as plenty of it. Sparsity of hair is generally an indication of
shortage of lean meat, whilst curliness and coarseness of hair are far
too frequently associated with excessive fat and coarseness of meat.
With regard to the reproductive parts of the boar there are one or two
points which should receive special attention. A boar with excessively
small testicles should be avoided, as such a one is often barren. Again,
a boar with one testicle of normal size and the other smaller,
ordinarily suffers from the same disqualification to a lesser extent. A
ruptured boar should not on any account be used, as this weakness is
strongly hereditary. The weakness may not possibly show itself in the
first generation, but it is certain to appear sooner or later. Not only
is it a sure index of weakness of constitution, but pigs so affected
occasionally die suddenly, whilst there is always a certain amount of
risk from the operation of castration.
Occasionally one or more of the boar pigs of a litter will be found to
be malformed, in that only one of the testicles is apparent. Generally
speaking, the other is found when the pig is killed to be attached to
the inside of the pig, and thus is unable to descend into the scrotum or
purse, so that the act of castration is only partially performed. A boar
pig with only one testicle down is commonly termed a rig. The removal of
one of the testicles does not deprive the rig of reproducing its
species, and it is thus a source of continual trouble when herded with a
lot of sow pigs now that the general custom is to allow the female pigs
of a litter to remain unspayed. It is, therefore, necessary to fatten a
rig either alone, or with male pigs which have been operated upon. In
addition to this extra trouble, the flesh of a rig pig if it be kept
fattening after it is some five or six months old is almost certain to
be strong in flavour, like unto that of a boar. It is, therefore,
advisable to fatten a rig quite early in life and convert it into a
porket or porker carcase of pork.
It may appear strange to some readers to specially mention the teats of
the boar, but it is equally as necessary to avoid boars having small
teats, teats unevenly placed, and commencing any distance from the fore
legs, and blind teats, as it is in the case of the sow, since any
weaknesses of the kind are equally as hereditary from the boar as from
the sow.