POINTS FOR PIG BREEDERS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 886, 1 February 1930, Page 33

POINTS FOR PIG BREEDERS

FIGURING OUT COSTS COMMONSENSE RULES An American exchange gives the • following points on pig-raising:— i 111 what condition arc your growing 1 pigs? Are they looking thrifty? If! not the following may be one of the j reasons: (a) Not given enough feed. (b) An unbalanced ration. (c) Dirty quarters and surround- i ings. (d) Too little personal attention. 1 (e) Ascaris. If any of these cannot be solved, i make inquiries. Do you think pig prices are going to remain high for the next few years? Are not too many rushing into the business at present? When the markets are flooded again won’t good prices be paid only for select stuff? If so, then see that you produce them. What does it cost you to produce a baconer? Have you ever figured this out carefully? Do you keep accurate records to enable you to do this ? What is the average price you obtain for your baconers? Have you ever carefully studied what are the factors which increase your cost of production? Is it possible for you to correct them? The cost of a ration is what it produces —not the price a ton. Two grains of common sense are worth 201 b of balanced rations. Don’t underfeed or overcrowd. Overfeeding pigs underfeeds you. Over-fat and over-weight pigs are market misfits. Water is the cheap: est, food. The fatter and heavier the pigs the less water it contains. Greenstuffs and ashes are useful for all pigs. Whole or separated milk, even- in very small quantities, is extremely valuable for youngsters and other pigs. Feed pigs by weight rather than age. Time and money spent bn weighing is well repaid in small feed bills. Keep a check on pigs’ feed consumption and rate of live weight gain. One pig-weighing machine is a better investment than several tons of pig condiments. Weighing makes trouble today, but saves money tomorrow. Dr. Serge Voronoff, the famous rejuvenation expert, is to perform on a large scale gland grafting operations with a view to producing a race of super-sheep to increase production of wool and meat. After the operation the sheep will (according to the Yorkshire “Post”) be handed back to the French Government and their private owners, and they will be examined by a committee of experts who will compare their growth and development with an equal number of sheep ' which have not been rejuvenated. In 1932 France’s Central Wool Committee will summon an international sheep conference in Paris, when the world’s experts will be invited to compare the two flocks.