Another noticeable point is that all the sires allocated to the various districts are Canadian bred, and so far as is possible are purchased in the province in which they are to be located. The object is undoubtedly to encourage in Canada the breeding of pure bred animals and may thus far be considered satisfactory, but it is acting on an assumption which may not be justified that there exists in the Dominion a sufficiency of stock equal in quality and breeding to those which it may be possible to import. Within the past three or four years our Board of Agriculture have taken some steps to assist our farmers to improve their stock. The assistance has taken the form of offering premiums of fixed amounts to private persons or associations who hired or purchased approved stallions, bulls, and boars which were placed at fixed fees at the service of the stock of the public. Already great benefit has been derived from the use of the stallions and bulls, and this to a far greater extent than in the pigs, as owing to an unfortunate condition which was attempted to be enforced as to the formation of pig clubs and impracticable conditions the number of boars located in the country has been much smaller than would have been had the conditions at present in force been adopted at the initiation of the scheme. The boar conditions are now of a similar character to those in force from the first with regard to stallions and bulls. In addition to the supply of male animals at comparatively low fees an attempt has been made to assist in the recording of the milk yield of cows, a matter of the highest importance. If only this could be extended to sows there would soon cease to be cause for the far too common complaint of the owners of sows of certain breeds of pedigree pigs, as to the limited quantity of milk which is provided by the sows for their litters of pigs. * * * * * [Illustration: _Photo, Francis Davis, Needingworth._ THREE MIDDLE WHITE BREEDING SOWS. The Property of the Author. Also portion of 17 Sties at Holywell Manor, near St. Ives. To face page 48.] * * * * * [Illustration: _Photo, Sport and General._ A MIDDLE WHITE BOAR. From the Author's Pig Farm. To face page 49.] CHAPTER IV DENTITION AND AGE OF PIGS Although the majority of pig sellers may claim to be, and may be able to substantiate the claim to be, equally as honest as the majority of others in trade, yet there may be a small minority who are apt to attempt to palm off pigs as being older than they really are. It is most annoying when you are anxious to purchase pigs of say six or seven months old which are quite ready to be quickly fattened, to have pigs of four or five months old which continue to make growth instead of flesh, so that they are not ready for killing until two or three months after they are required for conversion into bacon.