THE PIG INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1729, 21 April 1913, Page 10

THE PIG INDUSTRY.

■ MORE CAEE—MORE MONET. - With bacon at Od; to lid. per lb.-whole-sale, and ham ruling at Is. to Is. Id. per lb., it would seem that pig breeding, although-not receiving any great- attention'.at. present, could ivell be taken more seriously by tho farmer. In April, 1911, bacon was only worth 7Jd. to.Sjd. per lb., whilst at this time last year bacon commanded 9d. per lb. and ham !)!d. to lOd. 'Conducted on sound lines, pig-raising ishould surely be more profitable to-day than lit. lias been for years past, and the fact that,tho local supply is hardly equal to tho demand should tempt more farmers to embark seriously on this branch of industry. Like every branch of farming many people appear to think that anyone can breed and raise pigs without any special knowledge or attention, but the pig, like the dairy cow, only yields top returns to tho man who gives special care and attention to him. Cleanliness is one of: the first' essentials, and this, accompanied by good but, studied and economical feeding, should produce handsome returns to tho farmer, as things! now stand. Too often tho pig is the most neglected animal on the farm. The quarters arc filthy, the food is more or less slush—and then tho farmer wonders that his piggery does not contribute, a fair .share.towards lifting the mortgage. If the pig Avero -properly handled and cared for, .instead of being treated as a poor sort of .'side-line, the farmer would doubtless soon l-ocognise that he received a good return for. labour put in about the piggery.