MODERN PIG-KEEPING

Waikato Times, Volume 118, Issue 19633, 20 July 1935, Page 23 (Supplement)

MODERN PIG-KEEPING

Baconers the Objective. The assuring news that the British Government proposes a? levy on foreign bacon and Jias not mentioned any proposed levy for Empire bacon should •stimulate tho New Zealand policy of producing baconers rather than porkers. Every effort, therefore, should too directed to finding out how baconers can be produced under New Zealand conditions as economically as possible. This is the Information tho ’Waikato Pig Recording and Research Association is going to do its best to find out. Some grain is necessary, especially in tho finishing stages. The •Government assistance may have to be invoiced to bring about a cheapening of the grain that has to be used, especially in the matter of freight' from the South Island. One of the big bugbears is that as soon as a demand is created for a particular food the manufacturers put up the price and make It uneconomical to use. Therefore, ways must be found of producing grain on the farm. Generally speaking maize is 'the easiest and cheapest grain' to produce, but maize should only be fed in combination with some other grain. It Is valuable if fed in moderation but should never form the whole of the grain allowance. Roots are necessary in the winter, and easily the best root is the carrot. Tho best variety for the purpose so far tried is the Guerande, a short, wide root that when grown under the ridger system is very easy to harvest. It is most gratifying to know that grain meals arc being used for pigfeeding on a much extended scale, many .merchants having recently doubled and trebled their grinding plants. There is undoubtedly a great awakening to the possibilities in pigkeeping when the right conditions are provided and when the pigs are properly fed. Some splendid plants are going up, and in several cases that have come under our notice no expense is being spared to provide the proper conditions. * * * 0 Useless Competitions. Unless carcase competitions are properly carried out they can easily do more harm than good, and this applies very forcibly to many competitions conducted in this country. A recent London report on show carcases sent Home resulted as usual. The prize-winning carcases in New Zealand failed to get a prize in London. This local failure to tell what the London trade requires is not the worst mistake in such competitions. The principal mistake is in not knowing anything about the feeding and management of the competing pigs. In fact, tho only pigs which should take part in such competitions should be recorded pigs. Then, and only then, would the competition have any educational value. Again, the pigs of the different breeds should be truly representative. A pig of a particular breed may win such a competition, but he may have been an outstanding, type of its breed whereas the representatives of other breeds may have been poor specimens of them. Take the line of pigs sent Rome from the Ruakura Farm of Instruction. There aro excellent Tamworths and Berkshires on the Farm but the Large Whiles aro not up to (lie same siandard. U will be remembered that tho Berkshire carcase was declared to be. the lies!, at Home. Bui one fact not, so generally realised is that the Berkshires look about a month longer to reach their weight than did the Large Whites. Obviously in this case il was a mistake to have a breed test unless I lie representatives of the three breeds were of a satisfactory standard. « ■* *•* * Limonito. Generally speaking many of Ihe soils in the North island are deficient in iron and this combined with iiic need ; of iron for young pigs ou the &ow j

mates the provision of limonite in the liok most important. A good lick for sows is eomprised of the following:— Steamed bone flour, 10 parts; finely gTound limestone, 2 parts; salt, 1 part; limonite, J part; and potassium iodine at the rate of li to 2ozs. per owt. of the mixture. In America an iron preparation is smeared on - the teats of the sows so that the young ones may obtain the Iron they need. * * * * White Scours. A reader is having bad trouble with his litters. The young pigs scour badly and many of them die. As the young ones are scouring when on tire mother it points to infection. Temporary houses should be provided on a clean site and the sows farrowed there. The old houses should be thoroughly cleaned out and disinfected and given a spell. Before farrowing the sow’s udder should be thoroughly cleaned. It would be well to give young affected pigs 3 drachms of sulphate of iron and 1 drachm of copper sulphate in a quart of water, giving the little ones a teaspoonful of this about once a day. In any case affected pigs should be moved to fresh quarters.

Housing. There is a general tendency in the Waikato, where the paddock system of keeping pigs is making great strides, to adopt the Massey College idea of having the house in a practically permanent position next to the race. But in the sow paddocks the sub-division of the small paddock is regarded as most important. The house and its concrete platform is situated midway between the two portions of the paddock, the dividing fence striking the house at its centre. In wet weather tho' sow is generally confined, but the little ones can get into either division of the paddock as is desired. It is the sow that does the bulk of the pugging. Experience this winter of the paddock system shows that where the house is well built, completely draught proof, and good bedding is provided, it matters little what is the condition of the paddocks. With the good house and the comfortable bed the pigs thrive amazingly though they may be surrounded by mud and miniature lakes.

Food and Baoon Quality.

Tho biggest single factor in bacon quality is food, though breed and management naturally play a very important part. One of the prime features of bacon quality is the firmness of fat ( and as bacon fat Is naturally rather soft the problem is how to obtain sufficient firmness. Here the weakness of maize is disclosed. Maize fed to any large extent will undoubtedly produce a sottish yellowish fat. According to an Important German investigation potash plays a large -part in firmness of bacon fat, and several farmers in South Auckland in preparing the land for a new lay-out under the paddock system have applied potash as well as super, following a heavy dressing of lime. The Danish bacon fat is held up'as the ideal. One London merchant who visited this country said the big difference between Danish and New Zealand bacon was that the fat of the former remained firm when fried tout the fat of the latter melted away. It is interesting to note that in Denmark and other Scandanavian •countries more potash than phosphate is used in the fertilisation of crops, so that the pigs fed on them get all the potash they need. * * * • The Profitable Carcase. It is strongly contended toy those who have studied the question that the most profitable pig will be best secured with the first cross. Vigour, and natural ability to grow quickly aro always associated with the good first cross. • It Is said that by crossing a black pig with a white or red pig there is no likelihood of "seedy cut" developing, but tills fact has not been definitely proved. There is seedy cut in all breeds but In white pigs the seedy cut is white; in black pigs it is black. In selecting the sows of the cross the type with the neat shoulder, the level back and the good fleshed hams should he selected, and there should be at least ten wellplaced teats, twelve for preference. When pig-recording is well establishit will be possible also to make sure of sows of a really prolific strain. The hoar should bo of undoubted masculine character. ■it Si * W Standard of Excellence. In the standard of excellence of the different breeds in New Zealand no reference is made to the number of teats of the sows, but in England it is being urged that the rudimentary teats of the boar should also be recorded. The Australian Stud Pig Breeders’ Society has decided “that' some attention should-be given to the matter of teats and udders of breeding sows." Obviously it is most important that any pedigree sow accept- i cd for registration should have the } desired number of teats, ten at the * very least. It is to be hoped that in all future recording work ihe number of teats should he recorded. ' Number of teats is hereditary, and it is foolisli keeping for breeding purposes sows which have noL sufficient teals for a decent litter, and which will pass on I heir serious defect.