1 Ava., 1899.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 187 
All this is now changed, and the farmers owe theirth 
pluck that have started up-to-date faetories, 
market in the very best form—men who have 
a market, and men whohave spared neither 
improved class of pig. 
Compare the pig of to-day to what it was a few years ago. Farmers who are 
paying attention to careful breeding and grading their pigs now have an animal that 
with ordinary care is fit for the bacon factory at 5 to 7 months old. 
I am sorry to have to say that many farmers are sti 
half the breeding gas down the throat. ~ This is a great mistake, and the sooner they 
try it in a practical way the sooner will they be enlightened. ' 
The well-bred, shapely, deep-sided, full-hammed pig is worth 50 per cent. more 
than the common, coarse-boned, slab-sided, thin-hammed, long-snouted brute you see 
so many men wasting good food with. Not so long ago we thought 50 to 60 pigs at a 
sale a big day’s Ae To-day it is not an uncommon thing to see 500 to 600 pigs 
sold and delivered in a day, with competition keen for them; and within 12 months, 
I venture to say that in Toowoomba alone you will see 1,000 pigs sold at one sale. 
The industry is making rapid strides; it has come to stay, and by careful manage- 
ment it promises to be one of the largest, ifnot the largest, and most profitable industry 
in this the garden of Australia. 
Of course when I say “in this ” I mean the Darling Downs, but at the same time 
I think that in the near future you will see the North play a very important part in | 
this Brorane industry. It has been argued by some who have evidently not taken the 
trouble to look into the matter carefully that federation will kill this industry, but the 
following figures are worth looking over. They give plain facts :— 
Queensland exported bacon in—, 
1896 ... an 
anks to the men of enterpriseand 
and are now putting pork products on the 
spent thousands of pounds in working up 
time or money in giving the farmers an 
Il under the impression that 
Ib. £ 
on + 155,000 on 3,882 
ihsfty? on on --. 680,321 we «= 17,929 
1898 ... eo rt) + 811,961 an valenly 
Queensland exported hams in— 
1896 ... ae ax -. 86,562 xa 3,020 
1897 ... RE ea +. 189,530 0 6,450 
LBC ies bebe eter! Segbattne Sods he ORs eT 
and live pigs to the tune of £2,718; making, in all, the ve handsome 146; 
the whole of this being taken by the sister colonies. Ps art ras eee 
We have at the present time in the colony about 128,000 pigs, and during 1898 the 
number killed at the factories:alone was 85,510, producing 6.973,007 Th Oona and 
bacon. 
This industry has not been bounty fed, neither 
Government. Throughout the colonies the public are daily learning to consume more 
rk products, and why? Simply because they are getting them put before them in a 
etter form, and more tastily got up. 
In America the consumption of pork products is someth 
nothing of their export trade, that in the pees 1883 exceedéd alll others (excepting wheat 
and cotton) amounting to £21,000,000. Now, if America can do this enormous busi- 
ness, surely we Australians should be able to capture some portion of so profitable a 
trade. We have our chilling establishments, fast lines of ocean-going steamers carry- 
ing cargoes of frozen products, and markets within easy reach of our shores. 
The Cape should be a fairly remunerative market, as I notice that a shipment of 
cattle from our ports realised £32 per-head. There should be room for a few ship- 
ments of pork there. 
Shipments of hams and bacon are regularly being made to Western Australia, 
Tasmania, Batavia, and to all our Northern ports. These are not pork-producing areas, 
and not likely to be, as the climatic conditions are not suitable. Therefore, there is 
every prospect of the industry forging ahead. here is also room, even in our own 
town, for a fresh pork and small goods trade. 
The demand is good for well-got-up, marketable goods. 
where one can buy a decent joint of pork, pork sausa 
dainties. These things only require putting before th 
and there would be no scarcity of customers. Owing to there being no resh-pork trade 
here, porkers are not a profitable class of pig for our farmers, as they must either sell 
them as forward stores to their neighbours or keep them until fit for the bacon-curer, 
and this may not always be convenient when feed is short. 
has it asked support from the 
ing enormous, to say 
There is no place here 
es, pork pies, and other porcine 
e people in an appetising form, 
