BREEDING BACONERS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 94, 29 November 1939, Page 5

BREEDING BACONERS

SECONI) TOMOANA COMPETITION LIST OF WINNERS The second Tonioana Baeoner Com petition has* been concluded, a field day lias been held at the killing works at Westfield and the prize money has been distributed. Early in the year the District Pig Council agreed to co-operate with Messrs W. and K. Fletcher Ltd. in the running of a baeoner competition, designed to encourage the production of bacon during the winter. It has been repeatedly shown that pigs can profitably be reared during the winter months on farm grown crops together with a protein meal supplement and whatever small amount of milk is available. On this occasion no fewer than 48 lots of 9 pigs embarked upon the trial. Some entries were not brought up to the required weights in the time allotted and some fetl prey to the favourable springtime prices for stores so that only 21 entries were eventually tattooed. A finished entry consisted of the best six of the original nine pigs. Field Day at Westfield. All pig club members in the Bay of Plenty, the Waikato and Auckland were invited to Westfield, on Tuesday, 21st November. Although the attendance was not as great as that of last year those present spent a profitable morning inspecting the carcases on display and the routine killing procedure at the works. Cattle, sheep and pigs Were slaughtered and dressed. Numerous stewards willingly answered questions and showed visitors around. The total number of finished lines of pigs was slightly less than that of last year but the judges agreed that there w y as an improvement in quality. Pigs from the Bay of Plenty were faulted mostly on account of lack of length and excess back fat.: Significance of Competition. For some years past emphasis has been laid on the importance of increasing the quantity of pig meat made i.nto bacon. This has been because of the ready market New Zealand bacon finds in England. The percentage of bacon produced has I increased of recent years and the present conflict will accelerate the trend. Pork is perishable and becomes unsuitable of war purposes: bacon on the other hand can be stor ■ ed and transported w r ith reasonable ■ facility. Originally Britain desired to accept only bacon from New Zealand for the duration of the w r ar but by later agreeing to take 25 per cent of the country's total pig meal export by Aveight as pork she has met us half waj r in surmounting the dif- ( ficulty of making bacon out of the autumn litters. None the less the t producer is still confronted with a formidable task. The competition this year had a ' peculiar significance because its lessons are of vital importance. It demonstrated that autumn litters can be turned into bacon on a large seals by using farm crops. Appeal for Increase. When an indication of what Bri--1 tain required from this country in » the way of pig meats was first r known the Pig Council circularised i- every pig club member in the Bay e of Plenty urging that additional - areas be immediately employed in 3 cropping. At Westfield the Hon. the 2 Minister of Agriculture in the J course of his remarks indicated that i he hoped that within a w r eek or two M to make an announcement with reV gard to grain for pigs which w T ould r be pleasing to farmers from the 0 point of view of both the quantities [1 to be made available and the price to be charged. This will substantially increase the food supply necessary for winter bacon production. Grain together w T ith an abundance of farm grown crops and a meat meal supplement should "solve the . difficulty entirely. The prize winners in the Bay of Plenty :— 3 1. J. Blackburn, Wainui, 173. 1 2. W. H. MathewSon, Ngakuru,. s 168 ; 3. E. A. Haultain, Edgecumbe I*sß V 4. L. V. Looney, Kutarere, 167. 0. A. Nicol, Opotiki, 165. r Points max. 200.