PIGS IN NEW ZEALAND.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXIV, Issue 2, 20 February 1922, Page 94

PIGS IN NEW ZEALAND.

SOME HISTORICAL NOTES.

K. W. GORRINGE,

Instructor in Swine Husbandry, Live-stock Division.

Pigs were introduced into New Zealand by the great navigator Captain James Cook, on his second visit, in 1773. Records show, however, that they were animals which he had procured from the Natives at Tahiti- — brought from England as is commonly supposed. Cook, arrived at Dusky Bay in March, and remained there for some time. About the middle of the year, owing to scurvy among his crew, he sailed away temporarily to the Society Islands, where a supply of pigs was obtained". After his return to the New Zealand coast it is recorded that in October two boars and two sows were given by him to a chief at Table Bay, and one boar and two sows to Natives in Queen Charlotte Sound. It is also recorded that Captain Furneaux, of the “ Adventure ” (the other ship of Cook’s expedition), in June gave certain pigs to chiefs at Cannibal Cove, and others to Natives at Cape Kidnappers. Other pigs must also have been liberated at various points.

In 1793 Governor King, of New South Wales, when visiting the Bay of Islands, presented the Natives with ten sows and two boars of a very large breed, presumably large Irish. In 1805, in compliance with Governor King’s instructions to Captain Piper, Commandant of Norfolk Island, the following pigs were sent to Te Pahi, Bay of Plenty : By the Adonis,” eighteen sows and two boars by the "Venus,” two sows ; by the “ Argo,” six sows and two boars.

From Maori narrative it is evident that many pigs were also acquired by the Natives in early days from whalers and others whose ships had previously called at the South Sea Islands. It appears, indeed, that the first pigs landed at Port Nicholson were from a whaling-vessel. In the late “ thirties ” a pioneer ship of the New Zealand Company is recorded to have landed pigs of superior breeding at a calling-place on the South Island side of Cook Strait. In 1843 Mr. A. Saunders, of Nelson, imported a number of the large and small breeds of Berkshires. An article written by a Nelson resident in 1846 refers to the landing of some pigs of American breed.

In 1852 two young chiefs were by misadventure carried on to France by ship, and on their return brought back with them some pigs. The breed of these animals is unknown, but they were probably something better than the Natives had here. It is probable that in the " fifties ” most of the ships brought a few pigs of the various types now in the country, the emigrants being advised that it might be worth while to take out a few pigs of the best breeds from England, as they could easily be carried on the vessel with them. Some Berkshires and animals of other breeds were introduced in this way into the settlements and were sold at high rates.

Between 1858 and 1861 it seems that there were plenty of pigs being domesticated, and sufficient for local needs, which left • the wild pigs to increase so rapidly as to become a menace to farmers and run-

holders: North Canterbury at this time was overrun with wild pigs. It became imperative to destroy them, and contracts were let with the result that 25,000 pigs were destroyed during four years on an area of 400,000 acres to the north of Ashley, besides thousands killed by shepherds on runs. In the Hurunui district 10,000 were killed without apparent diminution of numbers. Even at the present time many districts have large numbers of wild pigs which cause damage to crops and young lambs. This is especially noticeable in and around the Marlborough Sounds, &c. ; also in several North Island localities.

From the year 1858 to 1886 it may be taken that there were plenty of, pigs in the co untry, keeping pace with the increase of the population, as instanced by the following census .returns : 1858, 40,734 pigs ; 1878, 207,337 ; 1886, 277,931. The last figures quoted are of special interest as showing that in 1886 there were more pigs in the country than in 1919 and 1920, when, after several years’ decline, the returns were only 235,347 and 266,829 respectively. The enumeration of 1921, however, shows a substantial increase to 349,892.

Very little is known as to purebred pigs imported during the “ sixties ” and early seventies,” but from the year. 1878 we have records of breeders such as J. Rowe, C. Brice, J. C. Grigg, G. E. Rhodes, the Sunnyside and Seacliff Mental Hospitals, and others in the South Island, with Slack Bros., E. J. Rogers, S. R. Lancaster, the Porirua Mental Hospital, and others in the North Island. The South Island must be credited with the first establishment of stud herds. The progeny of these herds was widely distributed, and at the present time there are a number of noted studs in both Islands. This has resulted in the very marked improvement in the type and conformation of the general run of pigs in the several provinces.. One seldom sees nowadays on our farms animals of the nondescript, rough-haired, long-nosed, hard-to-fatten sort. Farmers now realize the importance of -introducing good blood into their herds.

Another advance has been the establishment. of a pedigree herdbook for New Zealand by the New Zealand Pig-breeders’ Association (Inc.), Feilding, which was registered on 17th November, 1916. The first volume of the Herd-book appeared in 1918, and comprised a membership of 63. The second volume in 1919 had an. increase in membership to 102. The third and fourth volumes, when completed, are expected to show in the vicinity of 200 members.

During the early periods. of settlement the bacon-curing was done almost entirely on the farms, but as the population increased it was found necessary to establish this as a business, and proprietary concerns arose in the various provinces. It is not on record which was the first bacon-curing works, but among the earliest in the South Island are noted McDonald and Miller, of Green Island, Otago; Quinn and Co., Invercargill; and Green and Co., Christchurch while for the North Island may be mentioned the Wellington Bacon Company (Wilson and Martin) ; W. Dimock and Co. ; Drake, • of New Plymouth; Buchanan Bros., Eltham; and others in the Auckland Province.

Since the year 1900 considerable interest has been displayed in the formation of co-operative bacon companies, with the result that various small concerns came into existence, but from various causes these did

not meet with the success expected. It was in 1916 that the big co-operative movement took place, when an amalgamation of interests resulted in the formation of the New Zealand Farmers’ Co-operative Bacon and Meat-packing Company (Limited) (now the New Zealand Meat-packing and Bacon Company (Co-operative), Limited).

—The writer is indebted to Mr. Elsdon Best, Dominion Museum, Wellington, for assistance in gathering data regarding the early history of the pig in New Zealand. -