THE DIGESTIBILITY OF MAIZE CONSUMED 



BY SWINE 



Brief preliminary report on work done coöperatively by the? 



Chemical and Animal Husbandry Sections of the Iowa 



Agricultural Experiment Station. 



S. C. GUERNSEY and JOHN M. EVVARD 



(Chemical Section) {Animal Husbandry Section) 



Maize, the most abundant of our fat and energy producing 

 cereals, being the grain in greatest demand for meat production, has 

 been the subject of numerous interesting and practical experiments, 

 especially in connection with swine. The Iowa Station has con- 

 ducted feeding trials to compare the value, in the production of 

 pork, of whole corn on cob, shelled corn and ground corn, the two 

 latter being fed both dry and soaked. 



For further comparison of the manner in which swine utilize 

 maize fed in these forms, digestion trials were conducted with 

 heavy-weight hogs, about twelve months old and 200 Ib. in weight- 

 also with light-weight swine, approximately 80 days old and weigh- 

 ing about 70 Ib. The comparative digestibility of maize fed in five 

 forms to swine of different age and weight, was thus studied. 



The apparent digestibility was determined by weighing and an- 

 alyzing the feed and corresponding feces, the latter being collected 

 in rubber bags which were held in place on the animals by means of 

 a specially constructed harness. In preparation for analysis, all 

 moist samples were treated with formalin and air-dried. 



Experiments have been conducted in three different years : the 

 first, in the summer of 1909, with ten heavy-weight hogs; the 

 second, in the summer of 19 10, with the same number of light- 

 weight animals; the third, in the fall of 191 1, with as many of both 

 light- and heavy-weights. 



With both classes of swine each year, two different lots of five 

 animals each were subjected to a digestion trial extending through 



369 



