The Brood Sow and Her Litter. 373 



ing stock and of pigs up to the age of four months. As the correspond- 

 ents replying to this list represent the ownership of more than one thou- 

 sand brood sows, producing more than thirteen thousand pigs yearly, the 

 value of their answers is very great, since the most successful farmers 

 are, as a general thing, usually right in their practices. 



FEEDING GROWING ANIMALS. 



Underlying and controlling all practices of farming and stock rais- 

 ing are basic principles, which either consciously or unconsciously are- 

 recognized and followed by the most successful farmers. These prin-- 

 ciples have been discovered and demonstrated by investigators on agri-- 

 cultural subjects until they can be stated and discussed with a very cer-- 

 tain degree of accuracy. The truth of these two statements is nowhere 

 more clearly demonstrated than in the practices followed with brood 

 sows and their litters. As will be seen from the answers to the list of 

 questions, the fact is recognized that the brood sow, whether pregnant 

 or suckling her pigs, is being called upon to manufacture from common? 

 feeding stuff the bone and muscle for her growing young. In other 

 words, she is a machine transforming one kind of material into a sub- 

 stance of the same material, but of entirely different form. In doing 

 this the machinery, ]ier body, must be kept in proper running condition, 

 and the raw material, the food, must be of the proper composition in or- 

 der to furnish the finished product, the pig, with the necessary food ele- 

 ments. 



Of prime importance to growing pigs, and all other growing ani- 

 mals, is the question of bone and muscle forming foods, for until the age 

 of four months, which time only in the life of the pig this bulletin is in- 

 tended to discuss, the desire of the hog raiser is to grow rather than to 

 fatten the pig. Only the food containing an abundance of ash can fur- 

 nish the nutrients required for the formation of bone ; only feeds con- 

 taining an abundance of protein can furnish the nutrients necessary for 

 the formation of muscle. So, the growing animal, must have a ration 

 containing a high percentage of protein and ash. The fat and starchy 

 feeds, and also protein, are used for the production of energy and heat 

 and for laying on fat. In other words, the ash and protein feeds are 

 used for making machinery and repairing the old tissues, while the fats 

 and starches are used for the fuel to run the machinery and for storage 

 of energy in the form of fat. As the object of the feeder is to grow, 

 rather than fatten the pig or pregnant sow, the per cent, of fat-forming; 

 food should not be as great as when the fattening period is reached. 



In addition to the question of food nutrients which effect all grow- 

 ing animals, there are other factors effecting the food of the brood sow. 



