PIG INDUSTRY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 April 1938, Page 3

PIG INDUSTRY

DEVELOPMENTS IN MANY COUNTRIES POPULARITY OF LARGE WHITE CONTINUES. ECONOMICS OF PRODUCTION. In a comprehensive report, issued by the Meat Board. Mr L. M. Douglas, of the London office of the board, reviews the pig industry from all angles. Below are given extracts from the report, which will prove of interest to Wairarapa breeders. It is somewhat difficult to arrive at an estimate of all the pigs in the world; possibly the number is around 300,000,000, and while there are great world movements in connection with the pig industry, the figures compiled by the International Institute of Agriculture, of Rome, would seem to show that the total does not alter very much, says Mr Douglas. There are many pig-producing countries, and a great many of them look for their market in this country, Great Britain, such as Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, where the pig industry is being rapidly developed. The pig population of Czechoslovakia is now 3,250,000, and of Yugoslavia 3,126,000, practically all the export from these countries being intended for the British market. From Lithuania, one of the latest countries to develop bacon curing, Great Britain now receives something like an average of 1000 tons of bacon per annum.

BREEDS OF PIGS. The position of the various breeds of pigs shows little change compared with last year, continues Mr Douglas. The popularity of the Large White, either pure-bred or as a top cross, is maintained, although there is some evidence to indicate that the breed is occasionally lacking in streak. However, there can be no question as to the suitability of the Large White, as its progress throughout the world indicates. Mention has been made in earlier reviews of the value of cross breeding, using the Large White boar of length and fine bone to mate with sows of practically every other breed. It will be recalled that the cross of the Large White on Landrace sows has given great satisfaction in Denmark. The latter is unknown in Gt. Britain, although suggestions have been made at various times that the Landrace be imported for experiment —a suggestion that is always opposed by the pig breed societies, who consider that we have in our existing breeds equally satisfactory material. While this may be, the fact remains that some good results are being achieved in this country by crossing Large White boars with breeds like the Large Black, Essex and Wessex Saddleback, sows of these breeds being in most popular demand, although some excellent results have been secured by crossing Large White boars with half-bred —i.e., Large White x Middle White cross sows.

Commercially, however, chief demand is for Large Black, Essex, and Wessex females, each having their own particular merits, although a move has in the past been made to merge the Essex and Wessex breeds into one under the style of “British Saddleback” owing to their close similarity. To the Large White x Large Black cross we are constantly getting some fine tributes. Not the least of these is a statement attributed to Mr C. Hansen, of the Danish Bacon Company, who is farming in Berkshire, and who has the Large White x Large Black cross as approaching nearest to his ideal, the sows coming in the main from the well-known herd of Mr Frank Sainsbury in Suffolk.

SUCCESSFUL CROSSES. Some evidence of what can be done with the Large White x Large Black cross is again forthcoming from the bacon pig classes at the recent London Dairy Show. Here, the Pig Recording Cup was won for the fourth time in six years. The history of the litter from which the winning sides came is remarkable, in that they were from a litter of 12 pigs, reared, which averaged 481bs in weight at three weeks old, the age of the four pigs entered being, at killing, 24 weeks exactly, the average dead weight being 1531b5, with all four pigs reaching “A” grade. While sows often produce more than 12 pigs in a litter, it is not usual for them to rear so many as to average 481bs in weight at weaning, so the figures will commend themselves to those who study the economics of production as distinct from records covering births. The average pig breeder with an eye to economics does not care to allow his sows to rear many, if any. pigs in excess of a litter of 9-10, in view of the heavy drain on the sow’s milking capacity and the

consequence that the young pig cannot be expected to weigh well at weaning. It is noteworthy that Sweden, which has a very good name for bacon production, and where the purebred Large White is much in favour, is now displaying interest in the Large Black to the extent of purchasing the latter. ANAEMIA. This is also a deficiency disease occurring usually in sucking pigs over 3 weeks old. It has been established that it is due to a deficiency of iron. The reason it occurs usually at about three weeks old is that the pig when born has a small reserve of iron stored up in its liver, this reserve is sufficient to last the piglet from two to three weeks, and if the sow’s milk is deficient in iron, after this reserve has been exhausted, symptoms of anaemia develop. These symptoms are a pale chalky colour of the skin, loss of condition and usually diarrhoea. If neglected many of the little pigs die, and those which survive are very backward and unthrifty. To prevent this condition it is necessary to make sure the piglets are getting a little iron daily; unfortunately feeding iron to the sow is not elicctivc as it is not immediately execrated in the milk. In the summer time I if the pigs are allowed out at grass : every day there is little likelihood of! anaemia developing as they get the ■ small quantity of iron required from the grass or from the soil. It is, there- i fore, a disease which usually occurs I in winter farrowed pigs. In this case the best means of pre- i vention is to paint the sow's teats : once a day with the following mix- j lure:---Sulphate of iron 11 ounce. . Sulphate of copper .... I ounce. ■ Treacle £ pint. Water £ pint. The little pigs then get sufficient iron I when sucking to prevent the develop- ! Iment of anaemia. J