PIGS OF THE BEST TYPE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 113, 29 May 1937, Page 19

PIGS OF THE BEST TYPE

- Mr. Arch Lowe Raises Excellent Litter SPLENDJp WEIGHTS I The remarkable development in the pig industry has brought ' to the forefront the vital question of type.. The requirement3 of the English consumer have been cl-early defhied and the type that has been generally raisfed in New Zealand has not been to his liking. In the raising of the type providing the adeal catcase for the English market much valuable advice was given to New Zealand breeders by a former GoveTnor-General, Lord Bledisloe, whp himself is a noted pig raiser. Praeti.cal application of his advice in pig husbandry in New Zealand has led to important results. At the present time a most dnteresting type of pig is being raised by Mr.Arch Lowe, of "Sunnybank," Hastings. The carcase overcomes the xaults found at Smithfields with carcases of other types. With no lexcess fat showing, and the xemarkably good cuttmg behind the shoulders make it a first quality baconer. An important feature is rapdd maturity. Mr. LoWe claims that at five months old they will scale 150 lbs. dressed weight. The pigs, which are white, are ;a ^traight' cross with a well bred Taiuworth sow slred by progeny from Miss G. Breen's pedigree Large Whites; Farrowed on Jahuary 18 and not given any epecial tre^tinent, they show a remarkable development. Mr. Lowe estimates that they afe now puttifig on 31bs. daily whdch is quite an achievement. The pigs are unusually active and have nothing gross in their ' appearance. On Friday last Mr. Lowe kllled -one of the pigs, which at 123 days of age scaled 1211bs. darCase weight.- A side inSpected yesterday showed unusually good' cutting with. an absence of wasfce condition. The remadning live pigs of thia litter- Mr. Lowe Considers ISOlbs. carcase weight at five months as being a conservative estimate. Mr. Lowe states that he took delivery of the litter when they were seven weeks Old. They had not been very well done and some had not learned to feed from the trough. The six pigs had had the range of the orchard. Their feeding had consisted of all the boiled potatoes that they wanted, about five gallons of sbim inilk a day and since maize have been reasonably fipeiied they have had a benzine tin full of cobs daily. The pigs stand higher off the ground than most other types and this height has a tendency to disguise the depth of the carcase. Mr. Lowe, who has had forty years ' experience in the breeding and handling of pigs, considers that a straight cross bred in this way would produce a type that offers a great future for the pig-raising industry in Hawke 's Bay.