Pigs on the Daily Farm

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 168, 12 April 1932, Page 11

Pigs on the Daily Farm

Sir, —The dairying industry is, to say the least, in a bad way at present. The prices received this season will not allow many dairy farmers to pay their way. This has been to a large extent the result of depending on the cows alone to meet the bill, but I think that most farmers have found out that Flossie aud Spot were unequal to the task. Of course they blame the season, the prices, vested interests, arbitration awards, in fact, everything but their own methods. They have the best land, every convenience, and a certain market for their produce; their wages bill is a small item, ou the average; their cost of living is less than any other class, yet they cannot get on. If they cannot do so they should surely take stock of their methods, aud it should not be hard to find the nigger in the wood pile. Iu the winter most of the cows are turned out to graze on sheep land, for which the farmer has to pay up to 2/per head per week, and most of them come in as poor as Lazarus when they should be in the best possible condition to start the season. Any practical farmer knows that cows do no good with sheep. Better provision will have to be made for cows through the winter months. There is the necessary adjunct to the dairy industry, that has been neglected, in this district, the raising of pork. Not half the farmers keep pigs, and those that do do not keep half they should. They blame the prices for this, and say that pigs do not pay. It is not pigs that do not pay, but the methods used that are at fault. How many ever give pigs decent attention or ordinary care? Mostly they are kept under filthy conditions, and are expected to thrive; they do not have sufficient shelter or food, and, in most cases, wrong feeding is practised. Dirty milk or whey is all they get, no green food, and water when it rains. No provision is made to keep them clear of vermin. This alone is a great handicap to the suwsessful raising of pigs. _ The proportion of pigs to cows in this district is about 1 to 40 —there should be one pig for each cow. In estimating the value of pigs one has to take into consideration the cost of raising a pound of pork. I doubt if there is one farmer iu this district that can tell what his pork costs a pound to raise, aud until pig recording is adopted, the same as herd-testing in cows, he will not know. The average farmer considers it does not pay to buy concentrates to feed pigs, and when he is shown a table that proves it possible to produce pork at lid. per lb., be is suspicious aud starts to argue. The pig is the man that is gong to pay the rent, but he has got to have a square deal as well as a square meal; and until he gets both he will refuse to pay, and I do not blame himThe sooner the farmer realises that the old order must go. and better methods be adopted, the sooner will the pig pay his way.-I am. etc., a berr Masterton, April 9-