THE PORK INDUSTRY.

Putaruru Press, 5 January 1928, Page 8

THE PORK INDUSTRY.

FEEDING IN SUMMER. Valuable Fodder Crops. Pork can be much more economically produced when the largest proportion of the food required to raise and tatti.n pigs is grown on the farm. there are few if any districts where it is not possible to do this. It is stiange t a many pig-raisers prefer to pay lor bad foodstuffs rather than to grow good foodstuffs at a considerably less cost. The secret of success in the production of all or any class of p»K-« dependsvery largely upon the utilisation on the farm of as large a proportion of farmgrown crops and foods a- is possible, ami not in depending too much on purchased foods, be they concentrates (such as cereal meals, pollard, etc.,), or protein meals (meat meal. etC-L molasses, or oven mijk. No one food, such as skim milk, buttcr-miix, whey maize, wheat, barley, etc., can be considered a complete and balanced ration in the absence of some supplementary food, hence it is a combination of readily available, nutritious, yet inexpensive foods on which we must rely, balancing them to the best advantage possible at all seasons of the year.

Time for Planting. As is well known to farmers, summer crops must be planted during the late winter or very early spring if they are to be available for feeding off during the early or late summer; likewise autumn and winter crops must be planted during early or late summer or early autumn to lie successful. The following crops are suitable for reeding to pigs, and can be recommended. Barley for green feed (especially skinless barley) is more of an early summer crop than for use in late summer or autumn. It is especially valuable in that if it is not required in the green form it can be allowed to seed, when both grain and straw can be used; the former for the grain portion of the ration and the latter for bedding. There are several •varieties of beans, particularly velvetbeans and Bov beans. Both are well worth a trial, for, as the old saying has it, ‘once tried, always used.” In some districts cattle cabbage gives excellent results, while in some of the pig rodder trials of the Department of Agriculture Belgian field carrots have yielded heavily. Where crops, such as kale, marrow stem kale, Chou Moellier and the likeare grown during the autumn and winter months, they will carry overright into the summer months, and are certainly worth a place in the list of suitable crops. They arc good forage, but the leaves have to be gathered and fed in th e pens or yards; therefore these crops are not so useful as rape or a mixture of rape and barley, which can be pastured.

Cow peas are a good summer grain crop, but they arc not recommended as a forage cro'p, as pigs do not appear to relish the somewhat coarse cow pea plant, but they undoubtedly appreciated the grain, and as the crop is a great, soil renovator, it can be confidently advocated. Lucerne comes next though its value as the “King of Fodder Plants” warrants it being at the top of the list of crops available for use on the pig farm. Maize sown either broadcast for greenstuff or in drills for grain, occupies an important place, too, it hoing one of the principal fodder crops. - angolds are well worth a place, too, and when planted early enough, melon*, and pumpkins, squashes, cattle pumpkin ote.. Rive excellent returns in heavy yields of nutritious food, especially suitable for ling sows and boars. ihey are also valuable as “carry-over” crops for autumn and winter use. !• rencli and Japanese millet, White* Banicutn, and oats are very reliable “catch” crops for green feeding purposes, but they are not grown to anything like the extent their importance warrants. Millets are. however, specially worth a trial purely for green feed and not for grain.

Another excellent spring and summer crop for pigs is field peas. Of the sorghums there arc several excellent varieties suitable lor spring and summer feeding. Of these Saccaline takes th*» lead though many farmers speak highly of Amber Cane and Imphee, or Planter's Friend Sorghums of the saccharine (sweet) varieties are ideal crops for pig teeding purposes, but they arc not balanced rations. Of all the root crops artichokes, English potatoes, peanuts, cte.., sweet potatoes give tin- most rapid’ return, and both the tops and tubers are of value. Of Swedes and turnips we do not say much, for pigs are not very partial to them, and there are better roots available, hence we pass on to vetches as green food, ami wheat as both a green and a grain crop, arnl Ihese, together with grass, not forgetting Sudan grass) almost complete thobst of summer crops for pigs.