USE OF CROSSBREDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23150, 23 September 1938, Page 5

USE OF CROSSBREDS

IMPORTANCE TO DOMINION PORK AND BACON REARING MERITS OF LARGE WHITE PIGS The general opinion among pigrearers is that an attempt will be made in New Zealand to standardise the Tarn worth-Berkshire halfbred gow as the mother for both pork and bacon production. The wisdom of this is questioned by some authorities, who assert that, taking into, consideration tlio probability that farmers will not adhere closely to the first-cross only, but will l)e likely to accept iniv {sow with even a strain of these two breeds as a "near-enough halfbred," our product will soon lose uniformity of type, even if this can ever be secured by this method of breeding. The necessity for using a crossbred sow —except to secure the extra vigour of first-cross animals —is also not admitted by many authorities, who claim that the best strains of Large White l>igs have all the qualifications necessary for bacon pig production, while the Large White-Berkshire-cross is ideal for porkers. Large Whites have been kept as a pure breed for upward of 50 years in Great Britain. To-day there are more being bred than ever before in all parts of Great Britain and Ireland. The preference for the Large Whites, so general in countries where bacon production is of economic importance, is probably based on experience and has not just happened. Carcase and bacon competitions at Smithfield, Birmingham and elsewhere prove that the Large White is almost unbeatable for bacon production. This was al?o recently the position at the bacon championships held at Wliangarei. From Knglaml also have recently come the final results of the St. Edniundsburv bacon factory's bacon pig competition. Those show that the first four prizes were won by pure Large White?. The average marks for the past 14 years also show the breed at the top, over all others.

J n view of these facts, one wonders why crossbred sows, with all their disadvantages, are to be favoured in establishing an industry likely to be of the greatest economic importance to the Dominion.