FARM NOTES.

Putaruru Press, Volume III, Issue 86, 18 June 1925, Page 6

FARM NOTES.

SWINE HUSBANDRY.

INSTRUCTIVE LECTURE. ( Mr. Gorringe at Matamata- " I’ve been trying to get to Matamata for the last five years,” was the Opening shot made by Mr. W. K. Gorringe, Government Instructor of Swine Husbandry, in opening his ad- . dress in the Matamata Farmers’ I Union Hall, when he lectured under the auspices of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, the president (Mr. H. Rollett) being in the chair. However, he could not come until he had got an invitation. PURCHASE OF PARASITES. A mistake the average farmer made was the silly habit of buying another man’s pigs, i.e., going to the saleyards instead of breeding their own. They paid too much, and did not know what they had bought. They could judge only on the outward appearance, which might hide a host of internal parasites, which would transmit disease to their properties, which would seriously curtail their profits. Even at Ruakura parasite life in the piggeries was to be found, so what hope had the average farmer of securing purity in the saleyards. As Soon as the pig got down in health, this parasite life became fatal. Worm Infestation among pigs was doing more damage than anything else, there being six types of worm parasites, and all six might be in a pig at the same time. Some of the eggs of these parasitic creatures were discharged upon the ground, and might remain under the ground for ten or twelve years, but would hatch within five hours of coming into the sunlight. The kidney worm was responsible for much of the paralysis of the hind quarters; the lung worm for eolds and coughs. A coughing pig would sometimes eject lung worms upon the grass, and these would again be eaten up by other pigs, which would become infected. A pig would always eat a worm. Dirty, stagnant water was a prolific cause of disease, should not be permitted near the piggery. Good, fresh water was very

essential for pigs; if not available ' they would drink bad. water, and get ' worm infestation. In America the pig was the animal that had made cities, and it was studied scientifically. A pig should not cost more than 10s to make it ready to go on the market, but men would buy weaners at 30s when they could rear their own for 10s. But it .took a long time to make some farmers change their views, and some of them would be buying pigs when he (the speaker) was in his grave. (Laughter), f A BIG BUMP COMING. As time went on, the man who trusted to the dairying alone to pull him through would get the biggest bump he had ever had, but by rearing pigs alongside his cattle he would be getting a second cheque bigger than the dairying' one. “ We don’t know we are born in regard to pig-rearing in New Zealand.” AN UNLIMITED MARKET. There would be an unlimited market overseas for New Zealand pork and bacon, and these markets were now being sought for. KEEPING THE BRUTES IN. Mr. Gorringe reckoned .that it was easy to keep a pig within a decentlyfenced place, as long as he was fed. MAKING GOOD MONEY. Many pedigree breeders were making from £l2O upwards from a breeding sow, though these men were keeping quiet on the subject. He had found that prolificness in a sow, combined with good milking qualities, were hereditary. He had experimented by choosing the daughter of a good sow, chosen from a litter of eleven, selected with his eyes shut, and got the poorest one. He shook ; it and said, “ You little beggar, you’ve got to do as good as your mother.” He had put it out and allowed it to grow and develop in a natural way on good pasture, with a little milk and later a little grain. At ' eight months—not earlier —he had put ; the sow to the boar. It was a great > mistake to put a sow to the boar at 1 say five months. Near the end of the i period of gestation the sow was given I a little hard food; she bore litters of t 7, 11, 15, 17, going on as her mother , had done. She farrowed 94 pigs and s reared 84, and brought him in £360 r in four years, or £9O a year. She

was reared under ordinary conditions, ’ and prices were ordinary, 6id being j the highest he got. He had brought j the pigs to 1501 b for sale. Could any dairying bring half the result on .the I same acerage? With a farm devoted half area to pigs and half to cows, I he would back the pigs every time. , was the only line that would beat the ! was the only line that would bet the I pigs, but the poultry Would require a small staff to look after them, and the work and worry would drive a man grey-haired. A BALANCED RATION. Mr. Gorringe believed in a balanced ration, of green feed, a little milk, a little grain. The lecturer gave comparative examples from a chart to show the advantage tire pigs gave, on an average of only eight pigs to a litter, though the litters might average ten or twelve. At fourteen weeks a pig was “ well done,” and could be brought to that state for £1 at most. He gave figures ,to show that an acre and a half of ground would give a profit of £24, with pigs; with dairy cows, on say 2 acres, allowing say £2O per cow for her yield, taking off £7 for .the cost of production (though £l3 was the official estimate) and the pig would beat the cow every time. But to get results the pigs must be reared under natural conditions. " DIRTY AS A PIG STY.”

Mr. Gorringe gave an entertaining description of various common .types of what he said were unsanitary piggeries. He could take them to Taranaki and show them one piggery which had been in use for 35 years; “ only it looks like this now,” said the speaker, as he leaned over at a “ three seas over ” attitude. The styes should be so constructed that the whole side could be opened up to the sunlight, which would kill the germs on the dirt or dust on the floor ! and in the corners, which no sweeping or cleaning would dislodge. He 1 was decidedly opposed to the sty. “ built on stilts ” on tlie edge of a gully, with a grating floor to the sty, so that the draught came up through. Such a man would tell you that thei-e was “ method in his madness,” for he wanted the droppings to go through and save cleaning. But if he would go down at night and see the pigs trying to jump on top of each other to escape the could draught—which they were entirely unfitted to withstand—he might not think he had been so very clever. The portable house was the right type, provided that its portability was taken advantage of, and the styes moved regularly so that the sun would kill all the germs that had dropped. No animal went back more quickly if not looked after, and none put on flesh better if properly cared for. VARIETY OF FODDER. Lucerne, oats, maize, rape, crimson clover, turnips, mangolds, grass, barley peas, beans and artichokes were among the fodder crops suitable for pigs. Ten gallons of skim milk would produce 51b of pork, a bushel of maize 101 b, but both together would produce 181 b, which showed the value of a balanced ration. The grain should be started with a small quantity, starting with about a handfull of grain, gradually increasing it. There could be no absolute amount fixed, as various pigs had different digestive capacities. SMALL PADDOCK SYSTEM.

The speaker 0.. ieved in paddocks four chains long and one wide, which were easily ploughable. The pig was entitled to a piece of the best land on the farm, and not a piece away down in the swamp. A bit of rolling country, where the drainage was good, was desirable. He had got his feet wet in laying out piggeries for farmers the other day. (Laughter). Mr. Gorringe instanced -a case where he had been asked to map out a piggery on 25 acres of the best part of a farm. He would like more such requests, for he knew that more money could be made on 25 acres in pigs than 100 acres in cows. Run in conjunction with a. small dairy, pigs were more profitable still.

‘‘THE GINTILMAN THAT PAYS THE RINT.” A slump in butter-fat would send many men off their farms, but the pig had the reputation of being- “ the gintilman that pays the rint.” The lecturer dwelt upon the possibilities of the export .trade, experiments in regard to which he had been instrumental in starting. £IOO,OOO worth had gone to Australia in one year; this year up to £90,000 worth had been exported, and probably £250,000 worth would be the total for the year. Tins year the factories would not be full of unsold stuff, and bacon, instead of being a glut on .the market, would be in short supply, and a very fair average price would prevail.

High and dry ground was necessary and should not be just outside the dairy unless that place was particularly suitable; a good shelter belt was valuable indeed, to protect the pigs

from cold, biting winds and driving rain. Pigs did not mind rain, but could not stand cold wind and rain together. Plenty of fresh water was essential. Under the grazing system, with mineral-providing forage crops, pigs were not troublesome to keep in. Pigs must have mineral foods, containing calcium and phosphates, which lucerne, fgr instance, contained. Under such Conditions pigs Would never roo t—until he got into the artichoke paddock. If there was not mineral producing fodder the pigs would root continually. No animal appreciated shade more than the pig. He was trying to cut .out all permanent styes in New Zealand for young pigs.

It did not pay to keep a boar for three sows. In Denmark a co-opera-tive system prevailed. The “ A ” type of house, five by seven feet, or six by eight feet for lengthy sows, so that the sow would not get jammed in turning, and built of felt or wood, was the best type. Iron was unsuitable in this type, as it would be close to the pigs and be too cold in winter and too hot in summer. The pigs should be moved in the house, in preference to being put in a dray, when taken to pasture. The floor should be tight, the boards being well clamped together. The doors should be opened in the daytime, and swept, and the wind would sweep the dust out; the styes .should be disinfected twice a year, and especially before the farrowing sow is put in, so that the teats do not pick up parasites for the young pig to get into its system. A little lime-wash with a disinfectant in was a good wash.

THE RIGHT EXPORT TYPE. An exposition of the type of pig re quired to supply the consumers’ demand was next dwelt upon. The English market would not take fat bacon and New Zealand tendency was the same. Holland and the Netherlands dominated the London market. There was a limited demand for good pork carcases at Home, running from 601 b to 801 b. The two best pigs to produce pork in the quickest time and at the least cost were the Berkshire pig and the middle white or Yorkshire. One of these, as pui-e as procurable, should be chosen. Porkers could be forced along almost as soon as born; they should reach 601 b in ,60 days. There was a better pig still, and that was the first cross of the Yorkshire or the Berkshire, either way. The white pig dressed best, but we could not have all white pigs in New Zealand, because they would scald, and there would be a big per-

centage of rejects, except in cases where plenty of shelter from the sun had been provided. They should stick to those two breeds, the Berkshire or the Yorkshire, for they were the ground work for all our pigs. Mr. Gon-inge illustrated his remarks from a print.

The first cross Berkshire Tarn worth was the pig that had made our name on the London market. Very complimentary references had been made of a trial shipment sent Home, ,to the effect that no better bacon pig had ever been put on the London market. The speaker knew that that pai’tdcular type could be improved upon.

When there was uniform breeding of a type in a district, it sometimes

could be secured, through a pig club, selling to a firm jointly. Mr. Gorringe instanced one case where tha members of a club had got 6ld as against 6d for ordinary breeding* when they had bred a BerkshireTamworth cross. They had offered 500 carcases to a bacon company, which were wanted for an export order. He advocated the formation of pig clubs, at 2s 6d per member. Unless New Zealand adopted some system of cooperation as the Danes had- done in the pig industry they would never get far. The speaker then gave an illustration of the well-known Danish system. If every North Island pig farmer donated a pig, that would provide all the capital that would be required

meant that another id or id per lb for a North Island co-operative for export trade. In Denmark the cooperatives had the whole of the business, except for such proprietary concerns who were permitted to remain in business on sufferance, just to deal with the rubbish that the cooperative did not want. (Laughter.) In answer to questions, Mr. Gorringe said he did not approve of bedding', except for the brood sow, and then a bit of dry chaff or pieces of straw tied up. For other pigs dry boards, close clamped, were sufficient. A breeding sow should never have less than twelve teats, and likewise the boar. A boar should be turned over, to see if there were at least twelve teats, and none blind, for the boar would transmit the tendency to blind teats to the progeny, just as the sow would. In these respects the boar was just as important as the sow.

For bacon purposes, maize was unsuitable, as it discoloured the fat; maize and beans produced soft fat, whereas firm was required. Artichokes was the only root crop one could take pigs off for bacon, with just a little grain feed after. Artichokes were the foundation of winter feeding (grown on high ground), sowing about six cwt to. the acre, in drills. One acre, with a fair crop, would keep 20 brood sows for four months. The rooting among the artichokes kept the pigs exercised and warm and healthy during the winter; a brood sow should be made to exercise. Good sustaining food through the winter got the pigs ready much earlier in the spring, and would keep the works going months earlier. A sow should be given a laxative (two packets of salts, or a spoonful of castor oil in milk) two days before farrowing, to prevent constipation. The sow should generally not be fed when close to farrowing, nor be given a lot of milk immediately after; the latter caused an unnatural pressure of milk, which might poison the young pigs; tepid water, with a cup of milk in, and perhaps a handful of meal was sufficient. Very little nourishing food should be given for the first 24 hours. Rubbing a kerosened rag, wrung out, over the young pigs would prevent the sow from devouring her young. A very hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Gorringe for his very instructive address.