1 86 GUIDE TO DAIRYING IN SOUTH AFRICA 



while capital and knowledge of how to cure a first- 

 class article are very important items, the chief 

 point is the supply of pigs. It is easier to guarantee 

 that ,40,000 for financing bacon factories, together 

 with the knowledge of how to work such concerns, 

 would be forthcoming within a year, than it is to 

 guarantee that 20,000 suitable pigs would be forth- 

 coming in the same length of time to keep that 

 capital well employed. From this we see that the 

 success of the bacon industry, whether it is co- 

 operative or not, must primarily rest with the 

 farmer who is to supply the pigs of the desired 

 quality. 



It has often been stated that in dealing with 

 pigs there is " more in the feed than in the breed/' 

 This however is only true in a sense. For in these 

 days of high-priced land, labour, fertilisers, and 

 implements, we have to study economy in produc- 

 tion and see that we get as much for our efforts as 

 possible. We therefore have to study such features 

 as economical use of food available, length of time 

 the animal has to be fed, and the proportion of offal 

 to useful carcase, etc. It is best, then, to use pure- 

 bred pigs or first crosses between two recognised 

 pure breeds, as such animals have those desirable 

 qualities which help to make the production of pigs 

 for bacon profitable. 



The principal recognised pure breeds are the 

 Berkshires, Large Blacks, Large Whites or York- 



