PIGS UNDER TEST

Southland Times, Issue 22993, 12 September 1936, Page 14

PIGS UNDER TEST

National Recording Service BREEDING FOR PROFIT The Minister of Agriculture recently made a comprehensive statement dealing with the inauguration of a National Pig-Recording Service. This service is based on the fact that the best way to breed commercially profitable pigs is to breed only from pigs which under test have shown themselves to be capable of producing the most profitable offspring. The scheme is a highly commendable one in the national interests, as a means of building up a pig population of a greatly improved average productive value, and also as. a means of disseminating information in regard to improvements in feeding, housing and disease prevention, etc. Inspectors of stock located throughout Otago and Southland are now in a position to carry out the procedure of recording, advises Mr C. V. Dayus, M.R.C.V.S., district supervisor of the Department of Agriculture. The scheme is open to breeders who wish to enter sows, which are registered in the herd book of the New Zealand Pig Breeders’ Association, and in pig to a registered purebred boar of the same breed. All eligible sows on any particular property or pax’t of a property that is operated as a farming unit must be offered for recording. Nomination form for sows can now be obtained by a breeder from his nearest inspector of stock. These have to be completed by the breeder and returned fourteen clear days prior to the expected date of farrowing, in the case of sows farrowing during the present month or during October.

In the case of sows expected to farrow from November to April inclusive, completed nomination forms must be returned to the nearest r inspector of stock during the month ending October 31, and in all instances 14 clear days prior to the expected date of farrowing. A testing fee of five shillings for each sow r placed under test is payable at the time of nomination. Inspectors of stock in their capacity as recording officers have full particulars of the scheme, and will be able to explain the details to breeders.