BACON PIGS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1054, 17 February 1911, Page 2

BACON PIGS.

. ma to make a feiv remarks , on a subject I am well aware is making a good number of your readers in the country think very hard just n6w, vis., raising pigs for bacon.. • Last year, as yqu.are "aware, the low price of 3d. per lb. caused quite a. number to sell out at' any price, and give the bushresS best which had the effect of making the bacon curing and exporting firms afraid thV supply would fall below' payable quantities, and with the help of dtherS" they set about to try and raise a mild boom in pig-raising, pointing.to the outlet.by exporting. Home and American prices,' etc., were 'quoted t6 show,; there was money to bo'- made." «Their - little plan succeeded to a certain extent, and papers .of all sorts with and without any knowledge of the subject,helped; to ventilate tho_ subject until those people 'started again, and by having to stock up took to buying stores as the quickest way to raise baconers, and thereby raised the markets against themselves and others by paying, up ;to as hifth as 275. to 2Ss. for stores of ,701b. to 901b. As soon as there was a supply in sight certain purchasing firms brought the pricc of baconers back to the old figure or near it, 3}d., which will leave a number of thoes pig-raisers with, the splendid return of 10s., to lis-, for feeding and fattening large numbers of pies, not to speak of capital invested or labour wasted over the Business. We know where wo ar6 now, as the price of bacon holds at just the saihe. The expense of the supply rests with the farmer right through. Well, the conipanies have, got the best of the deal so far, as they are proposing to keep it at 3id.,. while the supply holds out, but I fancy they will pay for this little game later on, for I Can assure you that breeding has hot ,be£n resorted-to . within .the. past yeirjto ahy extent, arid by showing their hand top soon-they (the companies) have suspended' operations in that direction.i There are hundreds of faftners with pigs [.on hand that will fatten within the next few moftths. I would advise such to hold as many as they can (use in their own households for the ; ..y^ar)'until. later in -the and..cd'Wertitheffisinto bacon, and,-have the benefit of 'a tasty homegrown .article instead of " paying • high PlSsfe for the As I Jm interested, in ill -.the time both by raifirig. arid "buying store pigs; I watch the subject closely, pleasedjfto- sayitha.t":The Doins;ms "is the ■> <Jnl;f; paper" .thi)fdid'.'not"; go the '.length'; of . making eitravagarit-Tstate-itterits of the'amount'of''mohiy ; ''t'o ba raked in by'simply plunging- into the pig-raising business. So much for riewspaper advice. . Trusting that the "inspection" of pork is not keeping the bacon companies, from giving, a .fair price for the article, and awaiting more information from either side on this subject.— I am, etc., :v' " DAIRYMAN." Woodyille, February 13, 1911.