Other Animal Sciences Commons^™

Why Poor Prices For Pigs?, P C. Beck

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

A rapid increase in pig numbers and an unfavourable export situation have precipitated the present depression in the pig industry. Concentration on quality production and a gradual reduction in numbers should bring back a more stable situation, says Dairy Division pig specialist P. Beck. Big fluctuations in the pig population—the basic cause of cycles of boom and depression in the industry—would be avoided if more farmers adopted a fixed farm level policy towards the industry.

Virus Pneumonia Of Pigs, J Craig, N. Macintyre

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THIS disease is widespread in Western Australia and is undoubtedly a most serious source of economic loss to the pig industry.

The effects of virus pneumonia are such that in badly managed herds, widespread pneumonic outbreaks and deaths are common.

By contrast, in well managed herds, there is the more insidious problem of low or nil death rates, accompanied however by an appreciable fall in animal production.

Fossils And Farmers. 2. The Ice Age, D Merrilees

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

What did the giant Australian marsupials of the "Ice Age" look like?

Fossil remains found by farmers could help reconstruct them, as well as giving some idea of conditions on the Australian continent at that time, says D. Merrilees, B.Sc, acting Curator of Palaeontology at the West Australian Museum.

Points On Producing Better Pigs, P C. Beck

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THERE are many factors to be considered in the production of quality pigmeat which today is the demand of the housewife.

Poor quality means two things, bad advertisement for the industry and low returns to the producer.

Sarcoptic Mange Of Pigs, H D. Seddon, F. C. Wilkinson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THIS parasitic disease appears to be much more common than is usually recognised; for, while severe cases with chronic skin lesions are readily seen, light infestations, especially on coloured pigs often go unnoticed.

When it is realised that even lightly infested pigs require twice as much feed to make one pound gain in live weight as do uninfested pigs, then early recognition and treatment of the disease becomes an obvious economical necessity.

The Feeding Of Pigs In The Wheatbelt, S R. Dunstan

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ONE of the biggest costs in pig-meat production is feeding, and it is of vital importance for the farmer to understand what presents a balanced and economic ration, in order that he can take steps to achieve maximum efficiency.

Poisoning Rabbits From The Air, C D. Gooding

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

AERIAL baiting gives spectacular kills of rabbits in country which cannot be effectively treated by conventional means, and has been widely adopted in New Zealand and other States in Australia.

Here Mr. Gooding reports on developments in aerial baiting in Victoria, and suggests practical applications in Western Australia.

Dingo And Fox Baits, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE Vermin Control Section of the Agriculture Protection Board has devised an effective method of preparing poison for impregnating dingo and fox baits. The method is recommended where it is not convenient to use commercial 1/2 grain strychnine tablets.

It Pays To Breed Your Own Pigs, Department Of Agriculture, Western Australia

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

ONE of the most important decisions to be made by a pig raiser is whether to purchase store pigs which he will fatten for market, or to breed his own stock.

The Open Range System Of Pig Farming, S R. Dunstan

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THERE are several satisfactory systems which can be employed in planning a piggery, but under West Australian conditions, the paddock system has much to commend it.

Grazing admits an animal to the healthy influences of sunlight and stimulates exercise. The digestive processes of the pig are also stimulated and this helps to bring about more efficient utilisation of the feed.

The Argentine Ant In Western Australia, Clee Francis Howard Jenkins

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

IN November, 1954, was commenced one of the most ambitious insect control schemes ever launched in Australia.

The pest concerned was the Argentine ant (Iridomvrmex humilis) and the authorised expenditure was at the rate of £105,000 per annum for five years.

Vermin Symposium Report : Wanted : A New Approach To Rabbit Control, A R. Tomlinson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

THE main reason why rabbits have not increased as rapidly as their amazing capabilities might have led people to expect has been a series of years not suitable for full breeding.

This has been more important than myxomatosis and "1080". This was one of the thoughts taken away by those who attended the rabbit control symposium held in Perth recently.

Vibrionic Dysentery Of Pigs, M R. Gardiner

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

VIBRIONIC DYSENTERY of pigs, also known as porcine vibriosis and swine dysentery, has been recognised for many years in the U.S.A. It was first reported in Australia in 1938, in South Australia, and later in both Victoria and New South Wales.

This brief description of a disease recently diagnosed for the first time in Western Australia is given so that breeders have some chance of recognising it in their herds. Suspected cases should be reported without delay.

Swine Erysipelas : A Newly Reported Disease Of Pigs In Western Australia, M R. Gardiner

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

RECORDED in Western Australia for the first time last year, swine erysipelas is a potential menace to the pig raising industry.

This preliminary description is given to help farmers recognise its occurrence. I t is not known how widespread the disease might be, and farmers' co-operation is needed to estimate its extent.

Any suspected cases should be reported without delay.

Baconer Carcase Competitions, H G. Elliott, S. R. Dunstan

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

TO further the implementation of its policy to foster the production of high quality bacon, the Australian Meat Board in 1960 again conducted for pig growers in Western Australia, its annual Baconer Carcase Competition.

An Improved Method Of Utilising Strychine In The Preparation Of Dingo And Fox Baits, L A. Harrison

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

AT present dingo and fox baits are made from fat or other material attractive to the animal to be poisoned, into which is inserted either alkaloid or soluble strychnine.