PIGBREEDING.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 230, 28 September 1928, Page 17

PIGBREEDING.

A VALUABLE SIDELINE

Returns to hand from all parts of the Dominion showing the number of pigs handled, for home consumption or for export, during the 1927-28 disclose a substantial increase in practically everv instance.

Though the margin, in most instances, has not been wide, the financial gain to the producer during the ysar has teen reasonably satisfactory.

In this, however, as in other industry, management plays a big j>art in determining profit and loss. During the past decade pig-rearing has been taken more seriously by many breeders in this country. porker hat. come to be r-egarded not 3>> much as a sink for food waste of the farm, but more as an animal that will respond to a correctly-balanced diet and on such bring in worth-while profits to the farmer.

Important experiments have recently been carried out in England relative to the actual cash return to the pig farmer for the capital expended in food and upkeep Where careful management was noted, in every instance it was found ti-at the porker gave a better cash respons< to a carefully-balanced diet than under the old methods where he was expected to consume any rubbish that could not be utilised in any other way on the farm.

Showing the efficacy of the pig in converting vegetable food into flesh, experiments proved that, while pics could be made to register a live-weight increase of lib for the equivalent of 3Jib of barley, n bullock put on lib of live weight for the equivalent of 71b barley. As pigs on the average kill at approximately 75 per cent, and bullocks at approximately 54 per cent., the experiments showed that the equivalent of 4|lb of barley returned lib of pork, while it took an equivalent of 131b of barley to produce lib of beef.

While theoretically it should be possible from the expenditure of, say, £100, on feeding barley to produce pork to the value of over £200, in actual practice it is found that such a ratio is rarely obtained. The question devolves itself into one of management.

In the season 1916-27 the farms of 42 pig-breeders were kept under observation. The ratio of the aggregate feed bill for pork was that of 100 to 150. The importance of management was shown in an individual account where the ratio varied between the extreme limits of 100 to 258 and 100 to 96.

The importance of maintaining a breeding herd was shown very strongly by a study of the various accounts. While the ratio averaged 100 to 150 where breeding was adopted, it averaged only 100 to 138 where stores were brought in for fattening.

It is only recently that the breeder ha? come to realise the value of mineral matter in the feeding of live stock, particularly the relative importance of lime, and phosphoric acid. Grass, lucerne, vetches, clover, and the ordinary forage crops are all rich in lime. The seed of any of our cereals is naturally deficient in lime, and animals, particularly youn<r or those coming to early maturity, fed entirely on the latter, are liable to suffer from malformation of the bones, and from deficiency diseases such as rickets. Possibly in no animal L the latter more prevalent than in pigs.

Following on this knowledge, there has been an increased tendency of recent years to rear pigs under more uatural conditions.

One now sees more and more pigs living a simple life, running out on grass pastures, while the balance sheets show that increased financial returns are being obtained from pigs so kept. Conducted on sound, practical lines, there is a big future ahead of the pig industry of this country. There is little likelihood of there ever being huge profits in the trade for the farmer, however, but, as a side issue, especially, it should be worthy of the consideration of every practical man on the land. It must be remembered, however, that even pig-rearing and fattening requires system and management, and only with such can satisfaction be expected!