In place of the crate any box of the proper size can be used for the purpose by nailing strips on the sides for convenience in handling, and for fastening rope to it. If a crate is constructed it should be 4 or 4½ feet long, 2½ feet high, and 20 inches wide. The slats on one end of the crate should be securely nailed, and on the other they should be arranged to slide into place, so that they can be removed easily after each weighing.
[Illustration: 5. ARRANGEMENT FOR WEIGHING PIGS]
The pig to be weighed is securely fastened in the crate and the horse placed over it so that the ring or hook of steelyards is nearly over the center. The crate is then raised sufficiently to place 2×4 blocks under it, and it is then fastened to the steelyards by means of a chain or rope. The scale weight on the steelyards can be approximately placed before the blocks are removed from under the crate. To remove blocks, draw down on long end of steelyards, which will raise the crate from the blocks and allow them to be easily removed. After the crate swings free the scale weight can be carefully adjusted to ascertain exactly the gross weight of the pig and crate. The weight of pig can, of course, be easily ascertained by subtracting the weight of crate from the gross weight.
There are advantages in this arrangement for weighing, in addition to its being inexpensive. The parts can easily be moved from place to place without injury, and can be placed in any pen or hog lot without difficulty, which is not always the case with platform or other scales.
=Origin.= The ancestors of the hogs found on American farms came from two sources, southeastern Asia and western Europe. These two families of hogs are often designated by the names _Sus Indica_ and _Sus Scrofa_. Although the word _sus_ is Latin, boys or girls who feed pigs use it when they call “sui, sui,” to the pigs at feeding time.
_Sus Indica_, a native of China, was a small, fine-boned animal much prized by the people of southeastern Asia. Descendants of _Sus Scrofa_, the wild boar of western Europe, are still hunted in forests and private game preserves. The wild boar is a large, ferocious animal with thin hams and a heavy shield. From its Chinese ancestor the modern hog has derived its form and quality; from the wild boar it has obtained its size and vigor.