LARGE BLACK PIGS

Waipa Post, Volume 32, Issue 1784, 20 July 1926, Page 3

LARGE BLACK PIGS

«4»- , VERY SUITABLE FOR NEW ZEALAHB. (Contributed by the Large Black Pig Society of Great Britain.) In breeding Large Blacks, as with all other classes of stock, it is essen- [ tial to use only the best boars, for many a good herd has been handicapped in its future attainments by the use of a boar who is not on an equality with the sows to whom he is mated. There are plenty of good , boars in England to-day which would do much to improve the Large Black herds in the Dominion. Prices are not ; as high as they were in the yearis of the boom, and it is now possible to get some of the best blood in England for very much less than the three figures which was at one' time considered a fair price. The whole trouble has . been that the recurrence of the outbreaks! of foot and mouth disease has .' kept the ports securely sealed against export, and this has acted detrimentally to the livestock breeding industry _ in both countries. From time to time the pig world is swept by changes.of fashion which exalts one coloured pig against'another, but, taken on the whole, the siteady demand for Large Blacks has., persistently continued throughout all the changing fashions. As we have said before, Large Blacks are essentially outdoor and if folded on arable crops: in a dry situation, or grazing even the worst of pastures, they will leave a margin of profiit to their owners. Incidentally j it has been found that - pigs improve the value of even the poorest land. By irooting and disturbing the soil in " company with the-manure they leave behind them, the land becomes so enriched that, it will grow a crop where j previously it would only have grass of the woirst quality on it. In some places a great deal has been done with pigs by putting in fields of artichokes.',: and by turning inpigs to feed them off allowing them to dig up the artichokes as they require them simply supplying • .the animals with water. This method has been carried out with extraordinary success in some parts of New Zealand, and there appears to be no reason why a similar method of management should not pay in every district. - The more food that can be provided in. a natural form for pigs, the less concentrates will be required, and the Large Black has proved that it can thrive under these conditions in a really wonderful way. Most practical farmers are of opinion that, good as cross-breds may be, for bacon or pork trade, it is far more profitable to go in for one breed and to keep it pure for thereby there are always three strings to the farmers bow, that of the pedigree market, the show yard, and commercial sales. One of the greatest breeders of. Large Blacks has given it as his opinion that the boar should be purchased when he is from eight to ten months old, for if he is bought you- a g, er he may prove disappointing 'cefore he grows up. In bringing i\'£j a young: ,boar bred in the herd, this breeder Is. of opinion that he should be isolated at four months old, specially fed, having plenty of exercise. Those who know the breed are of opinion that there has been a steady improvement in quality, and type, without any loss of size or length; and this improvement is yet one more safeguard against atavism in a warm climate.