THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



209 



Pigs Grazing, 



THE above is a photograph taken by 

 "Ergates'" of some of a troop of pigs 

 grazing on Mr. John Marwiclc's farm. 

 The following is reproduced from the in- 

 terview which "Ergates" on the occasion 

 of taking the photograph had with Mr. 

 Harwich : — 



While riding round the farm I noticed 

 a coolie herding a troop of pigs. Mr. Mar- 

 wick said that throughout the neighbour- 

 hood it was the common practice to send 

 out the pigs to graze on the veld in charge 

 of a herd, who brought them back at 

 night to kraal and feed. He said the 

 coolie I had noticed "was put on the job 

 the first day he arrived, and does his duty 

 splendidly ; he moves among his charges 

 on the most friendly terms, and if he sees 

 one of them wandering off a little too far 

 from the troop, all that he has to do is 

 to give' it a call and the straggler instantly 

 closes up at a run." 



"Do you make much bacon ? " 



"No, selling pigs alive ])ays best now. 

 I used to make a good deal, but until the I 

 live price drops to per ft. it will not 

 be worth while to think of bacon curing. I 



I used to run 300 pigs or more, but now I 

 have only about 100. Pig-keeping is al- 

 together a question of food — mealies, 

 separated milk, etc. They find lots on 

 the veld, but other food is necessary for 

 them when they come home at night, and 

 for young ones, and for finishing off. The 

 Richmond Canning Company, which pro- 

 mised so well, collapsed through the 

 locusts. In 1896 I had every crop then 

 growing swept off ; where in the morning 

 there was promise of splendid crops, in 

 the afternoon there was nothing but a dry, 

 barren waste. Pigs, by-the-bye, are splen- 

 did locust exterminators : we used to put 

 the trooi) among the hoppers early in the 

 morning before the dew was off, and the 

 quickness of the grunters in devouring 

 them was worth seeing." 



"What breed do you prefer ? " 



"That depends. The middle-white is 

 a good all-round pig, though not the best 

 for getting about and roughing it. As 

 you see, I have got a middle-white boar ; 

 also a Berkshire, which I look upon as 

 a pork or butcher's pig. For bacon, in 

 my opinion, the Tamworth is hard to 

 beat." 



