PIG-RAISING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 43, 15 November 1918, Page 8

PIG-RAISING

|; SOME'ASPECTS " THE INDUSTRY IN'NEW j- ZEALAND ', ■'■ ■ Stocl: Division - of the' Departt of Agricnlture, in an article in the tor number of the "New i Zealand iial of Agriculture," points out that on January-31,;19h, -, and on the same date in ISIIB iliumber was 258,269, or iv reduction 1,501. Tihis, the article goes on-to eay, robably to be accounted for by dairy iers, as a result'of the good values Iteer calves, having, utilised their 1 milk and whey'for-feeding more »s mid fewer pigs, and also owing he high cost ot'other food material ible lor pig-feeding. A further debt to extensive pig-breeding lies in Ifaoi that the volume of dairy fac- ! by-products available for providing ifooil has been largely reduced in itity amT'qiiality a3<r result of .tne Stfa'eture oifdried;milk,, casein, ami i-suit-ir, the last two being wholly kifactm-ed from the by-products. ! result of all this is now apparent I distinct shortage of pigs in the Doion -. and, seeing that the pig is, I a profitablf! animal to the tanner, I a. matter for very great regret tliat f'ehurtage should exist. It is only b recently that the food shortage in it Britain was/greatly alleviated by fpnrchase. by the Imperial Governt (■! immense ■ quantities of bacon i the United■" States. This affords si ia'ble object lesson to the New Zeai I'anner seeing that his. fellow-far-k.in tho States, u'uderNpresent conms,' havo probably to pay for 'coa-; ■rated pig foods prices' averaging. as 1 as those ruling here. Many of 11, probably the majority, have not ,y iactbry * by-products available us v principal source of food material, ■.doubt, as the result of circumces, the .Imperial Government paul pod piice for the bacon, but notistar.ding this the plain-object lesson ains. A. small area of land cultiyatFor.the special purpose of providing. I for pigs can be made to pay handelyaf the cost of- comparatively e labour and small additional cxie.-- Some 'preliminary experiments : e recently carried out at the Central felopment I'arm, AVeraroa, on _ the ! s of showing the value of .the pracj of growing cheap feed for breeding 3 and growing store pigs on email Is. It is not suggested that the ]>rm--6 jf rearing more dairy farm-bred ■v calves of suitable type at, the.espe of feeding, fewer pigs is a' wroil? 1 ibub'the point for consideration ia ;thei- M'iHi improved, methods a-pro-, 'supply of pigs cannot be maintained hout reducing the. number of calves ted for beef production purposes. It japable of being done, and though in-Hng-more- labour.,ifc-would result, in 'easi-d.-profif.- 'At-present New Zea(l is hardly'able'to. meet; "its own iiiroinents,. a etate of things that uld not ~exist in so. productive a.counI so long as tha-.riecessary'labour is ilable.- --~,,,. .-;.. .-...; (.-:■■ ■, : - •' .• ,