THE PIG INDUSTRY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 304, 21 November 1934, Page 5

THE PIG INDUSTRY

BREEDING STOCK. IMPORTANCE OF, GOOD SELECTION. (By “Observer.”) AVhile it is generally conceded that a decided improvement is apparent with regard to type, quality and finish in the pork and bacon pigs coming forward, it should also he borne in mind that breeders and fatteners have still a long way to go before the highest standard is attained throughout the country. In the breeding of pigs to specified standards tbe same difficulties as are encountered in the evolution of improved types and strains of other stock have the same application, and any change in characteristics of this kind can only bs secured by intelligent and persistent effort and by facing many disappointments. Breeding for definite characteristics in. the offspring is regarded by many who have had little experience to be simply a matter of selection and the mating up of animals on the off-chance that all will be well. Although it is admitted that very often passably good results follow a haphazard practice in mating, observation has shown that the percentage of failures to effect improvements of a substantial nature is far greater than the apparent successes. Too many farmers appear to be satisfied with nondescript breeding stock which have little or no merit to recommend them. This relates particularly to the class of sows that are kept on many farms, which are obviously unsuitable for the production of good all-round utility pigs; whereas a little knowledge of what is wanted and the ■exercise of discretion in selection would undoubtedly show better returns. In the process of building up a good uniform line of sows there are now available considerable numbers of purebred or first cross young sows from recorded litters that will serve as a good sound foundation. To procure sows of this description as weaners or during the growing stages does not entail a heavy cash outlay, and it is only a matter of a few months before they are ready to replace older sows that are not up to standard. In every instance none but purebred boars should be used and here again some discretion is needed in the selection. Discussing the question of breeding for bacon type and quality a writer in an English journal indicates that Home breeders are in much the same position as we are with regard to bringing about improvements in farm pigs. He " r “AVhat pedigree breeders are in most cases attempting to do is to breed a strain of pigs which will produce what is somewhat optimistically called the ■ideal’ baconer. For this purpose they want both boars and sows to be of the same and correct type. These pigs, when seen at shows, are admired by commercial producers, but they °tten make the mistake of assuming that these ‘ideal’ pigs are the best to breed with their own commercial stock. “Let us take the case of a general farmer with a small number of sows, probably purchased as non-pedigree commercial stock. In nine cases out of ten they are-of a type which is too fat and short to produce good bacon carcases. “Under the pigs scheme the producer soon finds out that his pigs aie not of the right type, and his first reaction is to go to a breeder whom he knows produces a good bacon type of piv and buy the best bacon type of boar he can afford. This may be a pig, in itself, almost ideal from the bacon point of view, but is it the right one for the farmer? “A pig of ideal length is being crossed with one which is known to be considerably too short. If all these characters were inherited, as are certain known Mendelian characters, all might conceivably be well, but what happens in practice with such a point as length is: Put a boar of correct length to a short sow and the offspring tends'to be longer than the dam, but not as long as the sire. One has to go toward the other extreme and use a boar rather on the long side. “Another point on which I get a great many inquiries . refers to the percentage of young pigs lost between birth to weaning. Many people put a great deal of value on the fact that a sow weans a high percentage of the pigs which she farrows, counting this as an indication of good mothering qualities. My own feeling is not to bother about this, but. to concentrate on the number and weights at weaning. This is, of course, what really matters, and to me it seems immaterial how many pigs have-been lost so long as .those remaining are sufficient in number and adequate in weight. However, in the case of very large litters, say 18 to 20, the piglings are always small and frequently so weak and the sow so irritable because of the squeaking of the weak and dying piglings, that the chances of a large number of heavy weights at weaning are very small indeed. “There is no magic quality in the word ‘recorded’; records only show what has or what has not been achieved. It is only when they have been found to indicate good results that

they increase the value of the stock t* which they refer.”

RECORDING OF PIGS. DISCUSSION IN AVAIRARAPA. MASTERTON, Nov. 19. Questions relative to the position of the pig industry in the AA r airarapa were discussed at a meeting of the AVairarapa provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union to-day, it being stressed by several speakers that the industry in this district lacked organisation. A suggestion was made that the institution of a Pig Recording Club in the district might do some good in improving the industry. The question was raised upon the receipt of a remit submitted by the Auckland provincial executive for consideration. The text of the remit was: “In view of the very valuable services the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board are providing the industry with, through the Manawatu and AVaikato Pig Recording Clubs, this conference is of the opinion that increased recording and instruction facilities should be made available to all pig raisers, the cost to be met by a levy on all pigs killed and the administration of the levy to be in the hands of the Pig Research Council.’ When put to the meeting, after some discussion, with the amendment of “grading” substituted for “killing,” the motion that it be supported was lest.

Observing that there' was no pig recording club in the AVairarapa, Mr H. Daysh voiced the opinion that the Farmers’ Union should do something for the pig industry in the district by communicating with existing clubs with a view to possibly forming a similar club in the AArairarapa. Mr J. 11. Bremner said he had not been greatly impressed with pig recording. The average farmer could do all that pig recording clubs did by close observation. He did not wish, however, to condemn the clubs altogether, as he realised that there was something to bo learned. There was no doubt that the pig recording clubs were doing good work, said Mr J. L. Heckler, who observed that the AVairarapa was very backward. He believed the formation of a club would prove beneficial.