ITEMS FOR DAIRY FARMERS

Manawatu Times, Volume LXV, Issue 957, 8 March 1910, Page 2

ITEMS FOR DAIRY FARMERS

THE PIG INDUSTRY, - iSay* tin. 1 Wellington Times: —The announcement thill soniu Wuikato farmers intend sending ut shipment of pork to Britain suggests the need of in word of caution in taking up this' trade. There is certainly a demand from Home for pig ilesii, but it is an exceptional demand, i'igs are short, at Home and abroad; in fact, to such an extent that appeals are being made to the Britisu Government to veiax the ioeai restrictions iu connection with swine disease. This is not to say, however, that Xew Zealand farmer* will lind the good Ilomc prices' remunerative, for the ideas of value of the pig and its products in tliis country are not by any means what .they are in Hie Northern Hemisphere. Take the United States, a great source of supply of bacon for Britain: medium to 1401b liacon pigs are soiling at 32s a head, and this is the price delivered at the 'Chicago stockyard. At Manchester, in England, a couple of months back, baeoners* were selling as follows:—First class 5%d, second class 4!4d to 4%d, third class 3'/,d to 3%d. At Market Drayton, stores were real-

ising from 12s to 30s each, and at Thame 103 to 23s Gd. At Truro, pork carca&'es were realising 4%d to S'/od, and the top price for porkers was G'/jd. In New Zealand, even at the present prices, declared to be unsatisfactory, baconers arc selling at from 33s 'to 40s at country railway stations.

In shipping pigs to Britain the cost will be at least per pound; It in

not to be expected, however, that frozen

pork will be worth the sume'value as fresh pork, so that if the Waikato farmers clear expenses over local values they should do avcll. The idea of shipping to the Home market is not a new one. As a matter of fact, one or two curing rooms are arranging shipments at the present time. Not that the undertaking is expected to prove profitable, for though the time has never been more opportune to initiate such a trade, with the scarcity at Home and the over-supply. here, it is not expected that the shipments will do much more than dear expenses. The sole object of the shipments is to relieve the local market. It is impossible to land the pork in Britain under 5d a pound, that is, providing no undue loss is' experienced by reason of diseased pigs. The disagreeable fact hag to be faced, though it is consistently being ignored in discussions among proclucers on the question, that the extent of tuberculosis among pigs fed on dairy factory skimmilk and whey is very high, and as all pigs' now, being .cured at the leading

curing works are examined by a Government veterinary surgeon, there is little chance of a pig being jpassed if

it is at all affected. At the present moment the producer is not called upon to pa,.' a .penny' piece for any jpij he

may i,!l which may afterwards be found to bp tubercular. The eurer shoulders

the ln.is, though lie is relieved of a third of this .by State compensation. At ilie present time the examination for tuberculosis is most severe, the Live Stock and Meat Division of the Department of Agriculture having amended its methoui to meet the requirements of' ■the Bruish Board of Health, which now ■lays down most stringent regulations in regard to inspection of ,pig products. I 'Whatever the outcome of the' shipments' of pork to be made to Britain, the fact has to he remembered that producers can not expect to realise prices anything like what they have been obtaining during the past seasons on Ueal markets. No export trade will ever he, possible at prices higher than the existing level of values. The argument may be used that it does not pay ,to fatten at the present prices' of stores, This only • proves, however, that stores are at too high a price. It is obviously impossible to make money with stores at 255, and finished animals at 355. If the business is 1 to be placed on a sound basis, and an export trade made remunerative when there is i surplus, stores will have to enme back to a fair basis, and producers he content with a price more in conformity with values on the world's markets.

Pigs sire getting scarce mid doar in the United States, as they are in 'England, and the subject was discussed at tlu> recent, annual eoni volition of tlie American Packers' Association at Chicago, when it wai pointed out that the 54,147,000 pigs,' in the United States this year compared with 50,084,000 last year, while the average value per head lmd increased by just over 2s. Pigs were coming into the markets in shorter numbers and insufficient for the demand. At the same convention the price of beef in the near future "was also discussed, the president declaring that this had become a very serious question. It might lie. lie said. Hint prices might drop slightly for a short time, as there had been some increase in the number of cattle raised lately. This' boon to consumers would not last long, however, for ''unless many, many move cattle are grown there can be no hope of lower prices, and America may find itself an importer of meat very shortly." The Ayrshire and cross has been found an exceedingly good dairy animal. It. is the practice of the seionlifi|C dairymen of the Old Country to milk three times' a day. It is a fact which cannot ho too often repeated that breed counts for more than food in the production of value in milk. Experts writing in the English papers give it as their opinion tlmt a fair yield for a cow is not less tlmn fiOn »jiIIon« per annum. (lood milkers are alway? difficult to buy; the ones the dairyman is desirous of being rid of arc those which do not yield Satisfactorily. A century nuo yi England the fattening of calves for veal was I he first consideration of the farmer desirous of being amongst the profits at Christmas. lit is the duty of every dairyman lo be an e.vperiinentalist in the matter of feeding, and it is another duly lo publish t'lie results in the general interest. Handling and care in 'breeding have raised the pig from the condition of a savage to be bunted lo the status of a civilised creature to be fattened for pork. Try your heifers and gain their confidence; HO per cent, of milkers would

not n«e<l log-roping if'they were treated With consideration and not frightened into kicking at first. If the cows are in good condition and thriving the milk will be of the best quality, provided the food i« all right. Tf they are in poor condition and failing, tluMnilk will he correspondingly poor and deteriorated.