farmers' institutes. 279 



the grain is high priced it will not under ordinary circumstances defray 

 the expense of grinding. For example, averaging all of these results 

 on corn, it has been found that a hundred pounds of gain required : 



Whole corn I 521 pounds. 



Ground corn I 49.5 pounds. 



Difference in favor of grinding, 26 pounds or 5 per cent. 



This means that with corn at 40 cents a bushel, a saving of 5 per 

 cent, would amount to about 2 cents a bushel which would scarcely bear 

 the expense of grinding under ordinary circumstances. 



These experiments were conducted chiefly with hogs that were old 

 enough to do their own grinding. The results, therefore, do not apply 

 with the same force to pigs that are just being weaned. This is a critical 

 time in the life of a pig, and" it will pay to grind the feed if even for a 

 short time, or until they get well started. At this time it is especially im- 

 portant also to supply them with something besides corn. If oats are 

 cheap, or wheat that will not grade on account of having been wet or 

 for some similar reason can be procured at about the price of corn, it will 

 pay to mix equal parts wheat and corn, or 2-3 corn and 1-3 oats, and 

 grind the whole together and feed in a stifif dough but perfecdy sweet. 

 Under no circumstances should the grain be allowed to sour, nor should 

 it be fed in a thin slop so as to tempt the pig to gulp it down without 

 masticating it and mixing with it the proper amount of saliva. Scours, 

 indigestion and improper assimilation follow in the wake of feeding the 

 foods in a sloppy condition. 



Again, it sometimes happens in the case of older hogs that have 

 been fed for a long time on an exclusive corn ration, that they cease to 

 thrive, and this difficulty may sometimes be partly remedied by grinding 

 or soaking the feed, and oftentimes by cooking, but a much more effec- 

 tive remedy will be to give them a limited amount of ship stuff with the 

 corn in winter; and in summer, by allowing them the run of a good 

 clover, cowpea or Soy bean pasture. When hogs with plenty of corn 

 are free from any specific disease, and yet cease to thrive, it is certain 

 that they need a greater variety of feed. A limited quantity of arti- 

 chokes or cull potatoes boiled will be very helpful at this point. Noth- 

 ing is as good at this time as skim milk fed sweet. 



THE VALUE OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF PASTURE, 



The Missouri Experiment Station has just completed a very inter- 

 esting experiment, in which bluegrass, red clover, alfalfa and rape past- 

 ures were compared. It is to be borne in mind that clover and alfalfa 



