MODERN PIG-KEEPING

Northern Advocate, 20 July 1935, Page 14

MODERN PIG-KEEPING

Baconers the Objective,

The assuring news that the British ■Government proposes a-levy on foreign bacon and has not mentioned any proposed levy for Empire bacon should stimulate the New Zealand policy of producing baconers rather than porkers. Every effort, therefore, should be directed to finding out how baconers can be produced under New Zealand conditions as economically as possible. This is the information the Waikato Pig Recording and Research Association is going to do its best to find out. Some grain is necessary, especially in the finishing stage. The Government assistance may have to be invoked to bring about a cheapening of the grain that has to be used, especially in the matter of freight from the South Island,. One of the big bugbears is that as soon as a demand is created for a particular food the manufacturers put up the price and make it uneconomical to use. Therefore, ways must be found of producing grain on the farm. Generally speaking, maize is the easiest and cheapest grain to produce, but maize should only be fed in combination with some other grain. It is valuable if fed in moderation, but should never form the whole of the grain allowance. Roots are necessary in the winter, and easily the best root is the.

carrot. The best variety for the purpose so far tried is the Guerando, a short, wide root that when grown under the ridger system is very easy to harvest.

It is most gratifying to know that grain meals are being used for pigfeeding on a much extended scale, many merchants having recently doubled and trebled their grinding plants. There is undoubtedly a great awakening to the possibilities in pig-keeping when the right conditions are provided and when the pigs are properly fed. Some splendid plants are going up, and in several cases that have come under our notice no expense is being spared to provide the proper conditions.

Useless Competitions.

Unless carcase competitions are properly carried out they can easily do more harm than good, and this applies very forcibly to many competitions conducted in this country. A recent London report on show carcases sent Home resulted as usual. The prize-winning carcases in New Zealand failed to get a prize in London. This local failure to tell what the London trade requires is not the worst mistake in such competitions. The principal mistake is in not knowing anything about the 'feeding and management of the competing pigs. In fact, the only pigs which should take part in such competitions should be recorded pigs. Then, and only then, would the competition have any educational value. Again, the pigs of the different breeds should be truly representative. A pig of a particular bi’eed may win such a competition, but he may have been an outstanding type of its breed whereas the representatives of other breeds may have been poor specimens *of them. Take the line of pigs sent Home from the Ruakura Farm-of Instruction. There are excellent Tamworths and Berkshires on the farm, but the Large Whites are not up to the same standard. It will be-remembered that the Berkshire carcase was declared to be the best at Home. But one fact not so generally realised is that the Berkshires took about a month longer to reach their weight than did the Large Whites. Obviously in this case it was a mistake to have a breed test unless the representatives of the three breeds were of a satisfactory standard. Limonite. Generally speaking, many of the soils in the North Island are deficient in iron, and this, combined with the need of iron for young pigs on the sow, makes the provision of limonite in the lick most important. A good lick for sows is comprised of the following: Steamed bone flour, 10 parts; finely ground limestone, 2 parts; salt, 1 part; limonite, \ part; and potassium iodide at the rate of 1£ to 2oz per cwt Of the mixture. In America an iron preparation is smeared on the teats of the sows so that the young ones may obtain the iron they need. White Scours. A reader is having bad trouble with his litters. The young pigs scour badly and mgny of them die. As the young ones are scouring when' on the mother it points to infection. Temporary houses should be provided on a clean site and the sows farrowed there. The old houses should be thoroughly cleaned out and disinfected and given a spell.' Before farrowing, the sow’s udder should be thoroughly cleaned. It would be well to- give young affected pigs 3 drachms of sulphate of iron and 1 drachm of copper sulphate in a quart of water, giving the little ones-a teaspoonful of this about once a day. In any case affected pigs should be moved to fresh quarters.

Housing,

There is a general tendency in the Waikato, where the paddock system of keeping pigs is making great strides, to adopt the Massey College idea of having the house in a practically permanent position next to the race. But in the sow paddocks the sub-division of the small- paddock is regarded as most important. The house and its concrete platform is situated midway between the two portions of the paddock, the dividing fence striking the house at its centre. In wet weather the sow is generally confined, but the little ones can get into either division of the paddock as is desired. It is the sow that does the bulk of the pugging.

Experience this winter of the paddock system shows that where the house is well built, completely draught proof, and good bedding is provided it matters little what is the condition of the paddocks. With the good house and the comfortable bed the pigs thrive amazingly though they may be surrounded by mud and miniature lakes. Food and Bacon Quality. The biggest single factor in bacon quality is food, though breed and management naturally play a very important part. One of the prime features of bacon quality is the firmness of fat, and as bacon fat is naturally rather soft the problem is how to

obtain sufficient firmness. Here the weakness of maize is disclosed. Maize fed to any large extent will undoubtedly produce a softish yellowish fat. According to an important German investigation potash plays a large part in firmness of bacon fat, and several farmers in South Auckland in preparing the land for a new lay-out under the paddock system have applied potash as well as super, following a heavy dressing of lime. The Danish bacon fat is held up as the ideal. One London merchant who visited this country said the big difference between Danish and New Zealand bacon was that the fat of the former remained' firm when fried, but the fat of the latter melted away, Jt is interesting to note that in Denmark and other Scandinavian countries more potash than phosphate is used in the fertilisation of crops, so that the pigs fed on them get all the potash they need.

The Profitable Carcase,

It is strongly contended by those who have studied the question that the most profitable pig will be best secured with the first cross. Vigour and natural ability to grow quickly are always associated with the good first cross. It is said that by crossing a black pig with a white or red pig there is no likelihood of “seedy cut” developing, but this fact has not been definitely proved. There is seedy cut in all breeds, but in white pigs the seedy cut is white; in black pigs it is black. In selecting the sows of the cross the type with the neat shoulder, the level back and the good fleshed hams should be selected, and there should be at least ten well-placed teats, twelve for preference. When pig-recording ; is well established it will be possible also to make sure of sows of a really prolific strain. The boar should be of undoubted mascu-: line character. Standard of Excellence. In the standard of excellence of the different breeds in New Zealand no reference is made to the number of teats of the sows, but in England it is being urged that the rudimentary teats of the boar should also be recorded. The Australian Stud Pig Breeders’ Society has decided “that some attention should be given to the matter of teats and udders of breeding sows.” Obviously it is most important that any pedigree sow accepted for registration should have the desired number of teats, ten at the very least. It is to be hoped that in all future recording work the number of teats should be recorded. Number of teats is hereditary, and it is foolish keeping for breeding purposes sows which have not sufficient teats for a decent litter, and which will pass on their serious defect.