FERN COUNTRY CLEARED.

Putaruru Press, Volume V, Issue 175, 10 March 1927, Page 6

FERN COUNTRY CLEARED.

USE OF PIGS. Useful Suggestions. j In a number of places throughout New Zealand pigs have been used with marked success to clear fern-covered areas, and it is probable that farmers 1 in this district who are troubled with ] land that has greatly reverted to fern < could improve both their holdings and ( their profits by the use of pigs. Strong fencing, of course, is essential, but although the first cost is high, the 1 expenditure is not a recurring item, j Hardy types of pigs thrive exceptionally well under natural conditions, and 1 after clearing an area, can be removed to another part of the station. During a recent visit to the district « the Minister of Lands remarked that * he had seen a large area of fern in the ‘ King Country farmed with pigs, and 1 the settler assured him that the only profits he had made came to him since he took up pig farming in earnest. Successful Practice. It is said that there is a use for everything, and 1 that certainly is true of the nose of the pig, not the least i feature of the use made of this organ by pigs being the manner in which they employ it to root up the ground in search of food. Many farmers consider this only in the light of a disadvantage, but others realise that this natural habit of pigs can be utilised and turned to profit. This is just exactly what Mr. J. L. Heckler, of Mauriceville, Wairarapa district, has done. He has fenced off areas' of fern country and turned in pigs to "cot over the area with their noses and clean out th e fern roots and weeds. This practice, judged from the point of view of a natural life for pigs, was, he considered, one that was bound to be successful, and further, taking as a guide the way wild pigs have flourished in this country, it seemed to him that the experiment was worth trying. That was some years ago, and now, with the benefit of considerable practical knowledge of the subject, Mr. Heckler can say, unhesitatingly and emphatically, that there is good money to be made from pigs on fern country. Just how much money can be made from pigs on fern depends, of course, a great deal on the man in charge of operations, and on several things under his control. Four Essentials. 1. Good, hardy, well-bred, open-air pigs must be utilised. 2. These pigs must not be confined in numbers on small areas, but given a good big run of country. 3. Native or English grasses must be available to them, either in a runoff or in places on the block fenced off to be (SlS&Ved. 4. Adequate dry shelter niust be provided for all pigs. All these arc but eomhioibgehSe requirements, and can toe Gxpi&ited by ey In:.h whe ji&g fgrii -lafid tfi eiear. Lo special ci* fliffffcilit preparations rey.ure to be hlftdo, with the exception ‘ lv -v the block to be cleared must be fOUtted With pig-proof fencing and the shelter sheds built on well-drained, dry sites, and be free from draughts. These sheds do not require to be elaborate, and can consist of four to five posts and saplings, the sides of rough timber and the roof of old corrugated iron. One side must be left open, and this is to face away from the prevailing winds; the ground makes the flooring, and the pigs provide their own bedding if they want it, but generally prefer the dry earth. Brood Sows the Ideal. The ideal pigs for the purpose are brood sows. These matrons can be turned on to the forn as soon as they have been to the boar, and left there until two weeks before farrowing, when they should be quietly driven home to a clean, snug farrowing pen. They will forage all the winter and keep in healthy, thrifty condition, and the writer has never seen a sow in better fettle for pigging than one brought in off the fern. This sow was in fine condition, strong, active, and healthy, and in common with her mates, had not received any feed other than fern roots and grass, which they had foraged for on a good big area of fern eountrv. The fine stand of cocksfoot and other grasses now there was self-sown, the seed evidently having been carried there by the pigs, birds, and other natural agencies. , TLc pig clears an area, while it at the same time forages for food, and in this way pigs gradually work over the ; whole area. After chat it is a simple matter to broadcast, or where possible hanow and broadcast, a good grass and clover mixture, especially heavy in clovers. These are ideal for fern lands, and rospo ad to a remarkable degree, sweeten and enrich the soil, and also provide another fine grazing crop for pigs. There are thousands of acres of fern country at present producing nothing and on which rates and interest charges are steadily accruing. Mr. Heckler’s successful experience in clearing this class of land with pigs suggests that if more farmers were to work along the same line and utilise the great pioneer, the pig, they would not only be well paid for their trouble, but their enterprise would contribute no small amount to our national prosperity.