16 



Wheat. This grain has a higher feeding value than barley, but requires 

 mixing with other meal to get tlie best results. It combines very well with 

 barley, or barley and middlings. 



Oats. Owing to the amount of fibre in this food, hogs cannot digest it 

 so well as can cattle. Oats are more suitable for matured breeding stock 

 than for young or fattening pigs, though a few finely ground oats may be used 

 in a mixture to give variety, and to lighten heavier meal, such as that from 

 peas, wheat, or corn. For young pigs, they are better to have the coarser 

 hulls sifted out. 



Rye. Rye has a feeding value a little lower than wheat, and a little higher 

 than barley. It may be used in practically the same way as wheat. 



Corn. This is a fattening food, and is not conducive to the development 

 of bone and muscle. When fed alone, it gives poor results in producing gain 

 in weight; and its bad influence upon the quality of bacon has already been 

 described. If fed at all, it should be mixed largely with barley or middlings, 

 or both; and some form of succulent food or skim-milk should always be fed 

 with it. Owing to its tendency to produce soft bacon, it should be used as 

 little as possible for hog feeding, when bacon production is the object. 



Middlings. This by-product is also called shorts, though some millers 

 ■make a distinction between shorts and middlings. It is almost universally 

 used for young pigs, and mixed with skim-milk when such is available. If very 

 floury, it is safer to mix a little bran with it, or some finely ground oats with 

 the coarser hulls sifted out, when used for very young pigs; otherwise it some- 

 times causes indigestion. Soaking for a few hours, or scalding, improves it 

 for young pigs. It combines well with almost any kind of meal, and makes a 

 good food for pigs of all ages. 



Bran. The use of bran in pig feeding is rather limited. It contains too 

 much fibre, and is rather too bulky to be fed in large quantity to pigs. Some- 

 times a little of it can be used to advantage for the purpose of diluting or 

 li<ihtening other foods, as has been indicated. It can be used in larger quantity 

 for matured breeding stock, where the object is to hold the animals in light 

 breeding condition. 



'& 



Skim-milk. With the exception of whole milk, there is perhaps no food 

 better S'uited to pigs of all ages than skim-milk. It is especially beneficial in 

 the case of young pigs, and tends to promote the development of bone and 

 muscle. For fattening purposes, milk has been found to have the greatest 

 feeding value per loo pounds, when not more than three pounds of milk are 

 fed for each pound of meal. Fed in this way, as low as 327 pounds of skim- 

 milk liave proved equal to 100 pounds of meal. This is an exceptionally good 

 showing, however. In Danish experiments, it required, on an average, about 

 600 pounds of milk to equal 100 pounds of meal: but in these cases a very 

 rnuch larger proportion of milk to meal was used than the proportion men- 

 tioned above. In feeding skim-milk, therefore, the feeder must take into 

 account the relative cost of milk and meal, in deciding what proportions to 

 feed. 



A strong point in favor of skim-milk, is the excellent quality of bacon it 

 produces. It tends to correct the evil influences of corn, when fed in con- 

 junction with that food; and our experience is that when it is used hogs pro- 

 duce firm bacon though kept in comparatively close confinement. 



^ Whey. Though unsuitable for very young pigs, a limited amount of whey 

 gives very good results after the pigs are three or four months old. We have 

 obtained the best results from whev feeding bv using onlv enough whev to 

 make the meal into a thick slop. When fed in this way. we have found that 

 It requires from 12 to 14 pounds of whey to be equal in feeding value to one 



