PIG BREEDING TODAY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 65, 17 April 1945, Page 6

PIG BREEDING TODAY

NEW ZEALAND TYPES

THEIR HISTORY AND ORIGIN No. 11. Contributed by A. F. Barwell Supervisor for Bay of Plenty District Pig Council. Origin of the 'Dbvon' The general impression prevails that he is directly descended from the wild pig of Cornwall and Devon, At that time considerable attention was given* by breeders Jo lessen the coarseness of hair and weight of bone and oft'al and generally improve its condition to provide, a good side of bacon. Encouragement was given by the admission of the breed as a separate class by the Royal Agricultural Society of England and further advance was made in this direction by the establish" ment of the. Large Black Pig Society at Ipswich Suffolk in 1899 and the 9 9 y publication of a herd book.

An English authority states: "The antiquity of the breed is beyond doubt; there is ample evidence that the Large Black pig } with its characteristic colour, length, lop ear line, hair and great grazing capacity ? existed in many parts of the kingdom at a date long prior to the memory of any of the present generation of breeders. With herds spread over a great area and—in the absence of an association of breeders and the consequent herd book—dependent upon near neighbours for any change of biood in

boars or sows ( it is not surprising that, there should be slight variations of type apparent between the stock of widely separated districts; but the difference is at the outset so slight that, it may safely be predicted that the course of very few years will witness general uniformity. The West country pigs possess the greater frame whereas those o£ the Eastern distiicts are ? possibly more hardy and prolific; and the exchange of blood which is likely to result must be of immense benefit to both parties." Large White 'Yorkshires' Now we come to the Large White, or Yorkshire as it used to be called. The New Zealand Pig Breeders' Association Herd Book classifies them as Large White distinguishing them from the Middle White and Small White Yorkshires, the two latter classifications not being registered m New Zealand. The origin of this breed is to be found in the white pigs that have been bred in the North of England for some hundreds of years. There were originally three more or less distinct breeds of these white pigs but during the middle of the last century they became very much mixed up; during tne past 50 years the three breeds have been kept distinct and the Small White pig has almost disappeared. Popular in North England The breeding of Large White pigs was and is. exceedingly popular in the North of England and it is impossible to pick out any individuals who were particularly responsible for its improvement. Large numbers were exported to the United States during the middle of the last century and were bred there uniler their own names and also used to produce various local breeds of pig ? Chester Jefferson County and Victorias to mention a few. During the present century Large Whites have become very popular in. Northern Europe and have been extensively used to improve the local breeds in Holland and the Baltic States. The Middle White is popular in England today but is not used as a distinct breed in New Zealand. Dominating World Markets.

One tiling has definitely emerged from a close stud}' of the Large White in other parts of the world. We find that the great bacon-pro-ducing countries today, namely Canada? the United Denmark and Holland, , use predominantly Large White pigs. Tfte figures for state that out of a total pig production of 4,497 000 in Canada three-quarters are Large White or their crosses. Originally the Large White Avas a large overgrown pig ( narrow chested and flat sided. By judicious crossing Avith Chinese pigs their fattening qualities have been vastly improved and now we find them 1 well formed compact, fine in bone, light in offal deep in carcase, \Tigorous and prolific producing y wealth of lean meat in proportion to fat' quicker in growth and early maturing qualities,' and combining a length of side, which pre-eminent-ly fits them to be the leading bacon pig of x the world. . The A few words about the I)urocJersey might be interesting. Red

pigs had been bred in the State of New Jersey, U.S.A., for some years prior to 1872 and went by the name of Jersey Reds. Their origin seems to be unknown and was in all probability due to importation in. the early days of pigs of the. old Tamworth variety. These were improved by judicious breeding and a particular family of them bred in Sarratoga New York, was the name of a particularly successful breeder. In at a place called H!k Horn the Duroc or Jersey Red Swine Club was formed and since then the breed has been known as DurocJersey. These pigs grow to an immense size reminiscent of the type greatly favoured in the hey-day. of the lard pig. The Standard of Excellence provided in the Herd Book states that boars two years old should weigh (>oolbs. and I sows age and condition 5001bs. The Same Standard sets the colour of the coat as "cherry red" without other admixtures, but usually the hair is of a lighter colour along the belly and inside the thighs, while the ears have a characteristic tip. This is a brief outline of the breeds of pigs in common use in New Zealand today. Overmuch detail has been avoided but it is hoped that the facts stated will be of in terest to breeders. The time may come when we shall have evolved a New Zealand breed of pig that fills the hill with regard to our climate J our conditions, and our food supply.