BACON RAISING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2058, 1 May 1907, Page 1

BACON RAISING.

The New Zealand correspondent of Ifalgety’s lteview makes the following remarks in his latest letter:— An industry closely allied to the dairy is the haeon liusiness. Prices have fallen to 3Jd, but there seems jilenty of demand, for baconers. Very unfortunately for several dairy districts their local bacon factories turned out a non-success, with the result that bacon-curing is fast falling into the hands of a very limited number, who will very soon be able to arrange their own buying prices, and we will experience a return to the condition that the business was in about nine or ten years ago, when enters almost made it a favor to take delivery of pigs at any price. This will not tend to give any increased faith in the stability of the pork-raising business, and it is a pity better facilities do not .appear for opening ali export trade for porkers. "With our climate so favorable, and milk and grain to be had in abundance, pig-raising should appeal much more to our small farmers than is generally found to be the case. To those who systematically follow it up it has proved remarkably profitable. To those who do not trouble about the preparation of winter feed, but prefer to buy in the spring, when they are urgently needing pigs, there cannot be much profit in fattening, for it will be found that numbers of other farmers are ill the same predicament, and -competition forces prices up. In the autumn slips may often be bought for about Bs, and a little grain with roots and a small grass run will enable a very fair profit to he made during the winter months, particularly if assisted by skim jnilk. ' but have some skim milk available all .„ ,—t-i,r<mgli:—instances are not rare where dairymen have made the whole of their rental, even at 25s per acre, out of their return skim liiil'k, helped in the winter time by roots; and if a more permanent outlet for cither pork or bacon wore presented •i great deal more could be attained in pig raising.