H.—29.

The co-operation of farmers is necessary relative to the danger of going too far in the production of porkers instead of giving to the production of baconers the attention that the market conditions warrant. The crux of the position lies in the fact that Great Britain absorbs only about 50,000 tons annually of imported porkers in comparison with over 400,000 tons of bacon, hams, and baconers, equivalent to approximately 550,000 tons of baconer pigs, so that the trade of the United Kingdom in imported baconers is approximately equivalent to eleven times that in imported porkers. New Zealand is doing a relatively insignificant share of the baconer trade, and may reasonably expect a greater share, whereas the share of the porker trade already being substantial an increase of it may not be easy to obtain : an adequate quota for New Zealand baconers arriving in the United Kingdom during the calendar year 1935 has been arranged. Hence the recent increase in the percentage of baconers shown in the above figures relative to the killings for export is satisfactory, and it is to be hoped that it is indicative of the trend of future production in which a greater proportion of baconers is deemed desirable. Any attempt to meet the market needs by producing baconers in oases in which porkers have usually been produced at once creates a need in respect to feed-supply. Often it will prove most economical to meet this need partly at least by farmers growing suitable crops on their farms specially for pigs. While considerable knowledge about such crops is already available, investigations to obtain further knowledge are being carried out at the Euakura Farm of Instruction and elsewhere by the Department. Other matters calling for attention if the best returns are to be obtained from the export of pig-meat are the quality and the weight of the carcasses. The quality of carcasses calls for close attention to both breeding and feeding: the trend of recent work is to attach more attention than formerly to feeding as a factor in carcass quality. A fairly serious fault has been the unduly large number of carcasses which if classed as porkers tend to be too heavy, and, if as baconers, too light. POULTRY-KEEPING. Signs of increased activity in the poultry industry suggest that the production of eggs will be increased considerably in the 1935-36 season. During the past season 11,527 cases of eggs (30 dozen in each) were exported to the United Kingdom in comparison with 12,107 cases in the previous season. The industry is satisfactorily taking advantage of the opportunity to organize given it under the Poultry-runs Registration Act, 1933, and the Poultry Board set up under that Act is functioning actively. Under the prices ruling in overseas markets, returns are not sufficient to encourage the export of large quantities of eggs, but nevertheless the development of the most advantageous export market possible is considered important as a means of disposing of eggs which are produced in the summer in excess of the needs of the local market, and which, if unloaded on the local market, would depress prices so seriously that eventually the industry would so contract that the needs of the local market throughout the whole year would not be met at a reasonable level of prices. In view of the preponderance of eggs from small flocks, export by individual producers of eggs is impracticable, and because of this an urgent need of the industry is a reliable, comprehensive, and inexpensive system of collective export. An interesting recent development in the industry has been the introduction of mammoth incubators with a capacity as great as 15,000 eggs. This development brings with it the " custom-hatching " practice the advantages of which are associated with potentialities of abuse — e.g., neglect of necessary attention to breeding resulting in the distribution of inferior stock. The Wallaeeville Poultry Station continues to be of much value to the industry because of both its educational and its investigational services. One phase of the investigational work carried out at the station has been recorded in the Journal during the year. Stock of good quality have been developed at the station, and to enable this quality to be maintained birds of suitable blood are being imported from Australia, and, in addition, Langshans are to be introduced. BEEKEEPING. Again the beekeeping industry has had a somewhat poor year, the production having decreased mainly because the long dry summer seriously affected the pastures —only in Taranaki and South Canterbury were the returns above the average. The general position may be gauged from the fact that in 1935 5,477 cwt. of honey, valued at £1.7,844, was exported in comparison with 7,342 cwt., valued at £23,784, in 1934. It should be remembered in this connection that the 1934 season was the best of several recent seasons. The grading of honey for export, carried out by the New Zealand Honey Control Board under the Honey-export Control Act, 1924, seems

10