PIG MANAGEMENT (continued from page 24)

Te Ao Hou, July 1955, Page 62

PIG MANAGEMENT (continued from page 24) 85–100 lbs. liveweight, gradual increase to 3 ½ gallons per day. 100–115 lbs. liveweight, gradual increase to 3 ¼ gallons per day. The value of supplementing skim-milk with roots is very important and fodder beet and similar roots help to give a balanced diet. Meal is costly but can be used to advantage with young pigs and particularly over the winter. Chief points in production of high quality carcasses 1. Marketing conditions at present make it necessary to strive for the highest quality possible in both porker and baconer carcasses. 2. Careful selection of good breeding stock as certain carcass characteristics are strongly inherited. 3. Backfat on which commercial grading is largely based is capable of being controlled by feeding. The most recent trends show a preference for smaller cuts and leaner meat. Though meat should be prime and tender it must carry only a moderate fat cover. As pigs reach maturity they tend to put on fat more rapidly and may become overfat if allowed to grow at full rate. 4. Early development of lean meat is essential. 5. Careful management and observation, particularly with regard to feeding is essential for high quality carcasses. To summarise the important features in pig farming:— 1. Suitable layout with adequate housing and access to grass. 2. Selection of good breeding stock and use of a suitable cross. 3. Attention to mating and times of farrowing in relation to milk supply. 4. Careful attention to sow whilst in pig and at farrowing time. 5. Care and feeding of the litter during the suckling period so that the maximum weight has been gained by weaning time. 6. Strict attention to feeding and weights of pigs so as to obtain the maximum price for high quality carcasses. * * * The Ngarimu Scholarships for 1954 were awarded to: David Yates, Whakarewarewa Maori School, Rotorua; and Rangi Bennett, Te Hauke Maori School, Hastings, and formerly of Potaka Maori School, Hicks Bay. * * * A Puha (East Coast) dairy farmer, Mr Pehe Tu, won the Judge Carr Cup for citrus growing for the second year in succession. The award is made for citrus growing in the Tairawhiti district, which stretches from Te Araroa to Raupunga. Growers with six or more citrus trees are eligible.