PIG BREEDING.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 71, 21 February 1940, Page 14

PIG BREEDING.

THE VALUE OF A PEDIGREE. (Written for the “Standard.”) In order to maintain purity of type and to ensure better and more reliable ; foundation stock, wc give to animals a pedigree. This is a very important: record of the ancestry of the animal i for a longer or shorter period. Jt is considered to be complete irom a stockman’s standpoint when it traces back on the side of sire' and dam to the period when they were first admitted into a herd or stud book. In order to ensure correct records being kept, three principles should be observed in all the pedigrees before they can be considered of value commercially. The first of these indicates that the value of a pedigree depends more upon the excellence and quality of tho individuals in t-lic near ancestry (sire, dam, grandsire and dam, etc.) than upon distant relations or records. Secondly, wc look upon such value as being increased if the animals represented in the near ancestry are or tho desired type and standard, and of true character. Lastly, the general excellence of the animals represented ?n the near ancestry is of far more value than a lengthy pedigree in the absence of such excellence. Wc commonly make use of the pedigree also to trace lineage, to trace performances, end to furnish the The purpose of keeping pedigree records in stud book or leaflet form is not necessarily to give a lengthy liistoiy of the animal except in so far as it relates to the sox, , the date of birth, the breeder’s name, the name of the owner, and the ancestry of the animal. This enables the intending purchasci to trace inherited characteristics. It has frequently been stated that this servos as a skeleton or outline on which tho merits or faults of an individual may he traced to their origin, thereby enabling the brooder to obtain hints and suggestions relating to methods of mating, to get similar results in case of merit, and to avoid any method of mating that has previously been found altogether unsatisfactoiy. In other words, it serves as a medium whereby the present generation of breeders may profit by the experience of those who have gone before. It also serves to trace show records, to trace the prepotency and the prolificacy of the various ancestors appearing in the pedigree, the milk and butterfat production of dairy cattle, tlie speed results of horses, length of life, colour markings, and other inherited characters in which the breeders may be interested. Tho value of pedigree has not yet been sufficiently understood by the average farmer, nor are the advantages of having wellbred animals in preference to nondescripts sufficiently realised. Of course, it is frequently argued a cross-bred sow will often produce a litter as large as, if not larger, than u purc-brcd. A mongrel boar is often more active and vigorous than the pure-bred, hut these arguments are very shallow. A dairy cow’s milking qualities are not due alone to the fact that she is a pure-bred. In every instance a much higher value attaches to the typical animal that is eligible for registration in a herd book, in as much as both they and their offspring may produce stock of far greater value than they are themselves. Recognising the value of pedigree, all our leading agricultural societies now demand that all stud stock shown at the animal live-stock exhibitions be either registered or eligible for registration in a herd book. Thus it is certain that the stock breeders of the future are likely to devote more attention to pedigree than has been done in the [last, for the obvious reason that it will always pay to recognise quality and pedigree. It is likewise necessary in these days of high prices that the food and attention which livestock require should be given to those that offer the greatest return or profit. The advantages of using a pedigree boar have been recognised for a great number of years, and are being recognised more widely every day, as also is the fact that quality pigs are what the trade demands, and they always realise a higher price than those of the older and rough types. The modern Berkshire superseded its predecessor many years ago, and improved types of other breeds have been evolved.

Many farmers, however, still fail to realise that it is a fallacy to believe that one pig is as good as another. Surely it is evident that the old-style rough or wild pig that roamed oyer wide areas in many parts of the Dominion requires more Mood to fatten him than the. more compact, meaty, fleshy, early-maturing pig of the present-day Berkshire, Middle Yorkshire, Large White, or even the Tamworth types. If ibis is so, surely it is evident that the latter types are the most profitable. We define a pure-bred as an animal whose breeding has been absolutely preserved from pure unrelated blood. Likewise, we classify a cross-bred as the progeny of two pure-breds of different type; the grade represents the progeny of a pure-bred sire and a crossbred dam, whilst the mongrel is looked upon as an animal of no distinct breeding, a nondescript, usually referred to as a “scrubber.” THE BOAR.

Many a man has paid a good price for a boar and then, by improper care, practically destroyed his worth as a breeder. A serious mistake is to confine him in a close pen where he has very little exercise, and at the same time is fed upon rich and fattening food. Lack of activity and virility quickly follow this sort of treatment. Another bad plan is to turn out the boar with a herd of pigs, where he is constantly fighting and teasing until he becomes unthrifty. A commonsen.se, rational method must be pursued, and these extremes avoided if the best results are to be secured. ' While close confinement must be shunned, it is not so bad as to .peimit the hoar to roam with other pigs over the farm. A comfortable pen should be provided for the animal, with a fair-sized lot of pasture adjoining, and he should then be fed a variety of nutritious food. Jhe boar should always be in a good, thrifty condition, but if he is over-fat he will not be a sure breeder. It is a disputed question as to the age at which a hoar should begin service. Many an animal is ruined by too early use. It is unwise to permit a boar to be with a sow until at least eight months old, and then only in exceptional cases. One cannot expect vigorous progeny from immature sires. If a boar lias been properly kept, moderate service will not injure him at a year old, and ho will he at his best as a sire from IS months to five years old, when he is matured and possesses every advantage over an immature pig. One realises that it is of little use to recommend to some farmers that they should keep the boar 18 months before using him. Yet anyone who will properly ( keep a hoar for that length of time before putting him to service will find his value as a breeder greatly enhanced.

Potato Blight. A mild form of potato blight lias appeared in many Balclutha gardens. The shaws of the plants wither and on the tubers brown spots appear. Fortunately the blight has so far manifested itself only in small patches, and the big potato farms on Inch Clutha are said to be unaffected.