35 



Substitutes for Skim-Milk. —For young pigs, just atter weaning, it is 

 difficult to find anything that will take the place of skim-milk. When skim-milk 

 is not available, there is danger of the pigs becoming stunted at this period of 

 their life, especially pigs that are weaned young. The Ontario Agricultural Col- 

 lege conducted two trials with Swift's digester tankage and blood meal as substi- 

 tutes for skim-milk. These two feeds proved nearly equal in value, and, since the 

 tankage costs much less per ton, it was regarded as the more satisfactory. 



In the first trial the tankage constituted about one-fourteenth of the total 

 ration, and in the second trial one- tenth of the total ration. 



About two pounds of milk to one pound of meal were fed in each trial. 



The average of the two trials shows that to produce 100 pounds of gain it 

 required : 



375 pounds meal and 34 pounds tankage. 



390 pounds meal and 737 pounds skim-milk. 



The pigs getting tankage ate their feed quite as eagerly as those getting skim- 

 mil"k, and continued thrifty throughout the experiment. 



Tankage, therefore, proved a very satisfactory substitute, as far as gains in 

 weight were concerned, but, when skim-milk can be obtained at 15 cents per 

 hundredweight, it is cheaper than tankage at prevailing prices, according to this 

 test. 



In a second trial, tankage made by the Harris Abattoir Co., of Toronto, was 

 compared with skim-milk for young pigs. The tankage was fed in proportion of 

 one pound of tankage to six pounds of meal. The tankage pigs made an average 

 gain of 1.02 pounds per pig per day, the skim-milk group, 0.93 pounds, and the 

 check group, on meal only, 0.74 pounds. Placing a value of $33 per ton on the 

 meal, we find that in this test the skim-milk was worth 37 cents per 100 pounds, 

 and the tankage, $3.93 per 100 pounds. This test, therefore, like the preceding 

 one, shows that it is economical to furnish young pigs with feed rich in protein, 

 and that it is good practice to use a feed like tankage when skim-milk is not 

 available. It also goes to show that young pigs can be raised economically with- 

 out skim-milk. 



In other experiments by the writer, the results of which have not been pub- 

 lished, other substances, such as linseed meal, " black-strap " molasses, and tea 

 from alfalfa hay, have been tried, but none of these approached tankage in efficiency 

 as a substitute for skim-milk for young pigs. 



The Michigan Experiment Station also compared tankage with skim-milk for 

 young pigs. The pigs on skim-milk made slightly larger gains, but, when skim- 

 milk was valued at 80 cents per 100 pounds, and tankage at $1,631/^ per 100 pounds, 

 the tankage-fed pigs made cheaper gains than the skim-milk pigs. 



PRErAKATION OF FeED. 



Cooking and Steaming. — Years ago there was a popular belief that 

 cooking or steaming feed increased its digestibility, and hence its feeding value. 

 The work of experiment stations and private investigators has thoroughly exploded 

 this idea, and indicates that digestibility may be decreased rather than increased 

 by cooking in the case of many feeds. There are some feeds which are rendered 

 more palatable by cooking, such as potatoes and beans, but in the case of feeds 

 which are eaten readily without cooking, it may be taken as settled that cooking 

 or steaming is poor economy. Instead of being a commendable practice, cooking 

 is something which should be avoided as far as circumstances will permit, and 

 employed only when feeds are not acceptable in the raw state. Where economy 



