iic Apr:'. 191 -•] 



TJie Pis Indusirv. 



239 



THE PIG INDUSTRY. 



{Continued from fj-ge 169.) 



R . T. Archer , Senior Dairy Insptctor. 



III.— BREEDS. 



VVe have now to consider the type of bacon in greatest demand, that 

 .gives the highest return, and liow to produce it. Years ago the popular 

 demand was for heavy fat bacon but during the last three decades the 

 popular taste has undergone a complete change, not only in the warmer 

 climate of Australia but also in Britain, and now the requirement is young 

 and tender bacon — juicy, lean, sweet, mildcured. Fortunately for the 

 producer this is what should return the greatest profit, for the light-weight 

 pig is cheaper to produce than the heavy-weight — for two reasons : 



FIG. 12. BERKSHIRE EOAR, •'lIIGHCLERE TOPPER." 



rst — owuig to the greater powers of digestion and assimilation of the 

 young pig a greater weight of meat is produced from a given weight of 

 food, consequently the less it costs to produce; 2nd — the lighter-weight 

 pig brings the highest price per lb. 



In this country the most popular breed has been the Berkshire. This 

 breed has many good characteristics. It is a rapid grower, well improved, 

 which enables it to make good use of the food supplied, and it can be 

 kept ready for market at any time either as sucker, porker, or baconer. 

 Two faults of the Berkshire lie in the facts that they average small litters 

 (about six) and they produce rather too great a proportion of fat to lean. 

 There are strains of the breed however that average litters of ten or twelve, 

 and those are the pigs to breed from, provided they possess the good 

 features of the breed. 



