382 Missouri Agricultural Beport. 



out by Professor Forbes in Bulletin 201 of the Ohio Experiment Station, 

 from which the following extract is taken: ''The lack of mineral nutri- 

 ment in the hog's ration often results in the animal breaking down on 

 the way to market. It is often responsible, also, for the breaking down 

 of sows with litters. The secretion of milk calls for more calcium and 

 phosphorous than corn contains. To make- good the deficiency, the sow 

 takes calcium phosphate from her own bones. This appears to cause a 

 weakening of the tendenous attachnients, but may proceed until the shaft 

 of leg bone fractures. These cases of breaking down of brood sows are 

 curable without special difficulty. " "A young hog in one of the au- 

 thor's experiments, after several weeks on a low-ash ration, broke a leg, 

 but made a complete recovery after a number of weeks on a high-ash 

 ration." 



Of course, the demands on the sow are not as heavy when the pigs 

 are small as when large, and we find that the practice is to increase the 

 feed as the demand upon the sow grows by the pigs getting older. This 

 is shown by such replies as the following: ''While pigs are young, I 

 feed slop of tankage, oilmeal, etc., with corn, and increase the amount of 

 corn as the pigs grow," or, "For a few days after farrowing, I feed one 

 ear of corn and a thin bran slop twice daily, and after three days I in- 

 crease the feed until in two weeks she gets one-half gallon of rich slop 

 and four ears of corn daily," or, "When pigs are two days old begin 

 feeding and feed strong until pigs are weaned." As the time for wean- 

 ing the pigs approaches, the milk-making feeds should be gradually de- 

 creased and the grain ration made to consist more and more of corn, thus 

 gradually causing the sow to "dry up." 



THE YOUNG PIGS. 



The first four months in the pigs' life determine to a very large ex- 

 tent the kind of hog that will be produced in the end. In fact, a pig well 

 started after weaning is in pretty good form for making a valuable 

 porker. During this period the framework for the future fat hog is be- 

 ing produced. Too much fat and not enough frame at this period in its 

 life often results in the pig becoming fat and "chubby" before it has 

 reached a desirable size, and after reaching such high condition it is usu- 

 ally unprofitable to try to carry it to a very much heavier weight. For 

 this reason it is desirable to make young pigs grow rapidly rather than 

 get too fat while yoiuig. For this reason there should be an abundance of 

 muscle and bone-producing feeds and plenty of exercise. This is especi- 

 ally true if any of the young stuff is to be kept for breeding purposes. 



The value of bone-producing feed is showTi by the results of a trial 

 made at the Nebraska Experiment Station where four pigs, weighing 95 



