86 ANNUAL EEPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



were members of the pig clubs three years ago are now in college, 

 and some of them are paying their way on money earned by rais- 

 ing pigs. . 



Ham and bacon clubs and home-cured-meat clubs are conducted as 

 part of the pig-club work in Georgia and North Carolina, and the 

 members are given instructions in the home curing of meats. 



PORK-PRODUCTION INVESTIGATIONS. 



The experimental work in pork production at the experimental 

 farm at Beltsville, Md., was in part a continuation of the 1914 work. 

 Five tests, including 92 hogs, have already been completed in the 

 study of the effects of copperas as an antidote for cottonseed meal 

 poisoning in a ration j^artly made up of cottonseed meal. 



The last experiment gave better results than any of the previous 

 ones. Copperas fed dry at the rate of 4 grams daily per 100 pounds 

 live weight gave slightly better results than dissolved copperas fed 

 at the same rate. One lot of hogs had access at all times to a mixture 

 composed of copperas 3 parts, sal soda 3 parts, Glauber salts 3 parts, 

 common, salt 3 parts, bran 3 parts, and sulphur 1 part, but this was 

 ineffective in preventing death. The check lot revealed the usual 

 bad effects from a cottonseed meal ration without any antidote. It 

 has been found that it is possible to reduce somewhat the danger of 

 poisoning by the use of copperas, but this is not an absolute pre- 

 ventive. 



Two experiments have been conducted with the Bureau of Plant 

 Industry in the study of replacing corn with desiccated sweet pota- 

 toes in a ration. The last experiment ran for a period of 63 days. 

 The results indicate that sweet potatoes in this form are too bulky 

 for hogs and that the animals can not consume a sufficient quantity 

 to lay on good gains. Further tests will be made. 



An experiment was conducted in cooperation with the Bureau of 

 Chemistry to determine the feeding value of fish meal and tankage 

 to supplement corn for growing and fattening pigs. Fish meal is a 

 very effective supplement in a grain ration for pigs. In this experi- 

 ment it proved equal, if not superior, to tankage. Hogs relish it and 

 are extremely fond of it. 



Plans are in progress to put into effect a project for the study of 

 the effect of feeding forage crops on the quality of pork. A building 

 which can be used for slaughtering purposes and for curing meat is 

 in course of construction. This work will be done in cooperation 

 with the Biochemic Division of the bureau, which will make the 

 necessary chemical analyses. This work has been undertaken in view 

 of the discrimination which appears to be made against hogs fed on 

 certain forage crops, and the great importance of such forage crops 

 from an economic standpoint in the production of pork. These in- 

 vestigations have an important bearing on the development of the 

 swine industry, particularly in the South and in the irrigation regions. 



HORSE AND MULE INVESTIGATIONS. 



COLOBADO WORK. 



The horse-breeding experiments in cooperation with the Colorado 

 experiment station continue successfully in the production of promis- 

 ing individuals, which demonstrate that the utility characteristics of 

 the Standardbred horse can be perpetuated by proper breeding and 



