886 



Missouri Agricultural Bcport. 



Kind of feed used. 



Total replies 



Corn alone 



Shipstuff or shorts 



Mill feed (kind not mentioned) 



Milk 



Bran 



Linseed oil meal 



Oats 



Tankage 



Wheat 



Meat meal 



No. using 



this kind 



of feed. 



70 

 9 



27 

 3 



25 

 8 

 9 

 7 

 5 

 4 

 1 



Per cent 

 of total 

 replies. 



12.9 



38.6 



4.3 



35.7 



11.4 



12.9 



10.0 



7.1 



5.7 



1.4 



It will be noted that feeds are used that make a rather narrow ra- 

 tion, or one tending to make the pigs grow rather than fatten them. 

 This is due not only to the fact that the proper kind of growing feed 

 must be given, but also to the fact that pigs at this time of their lives 

 often get too fat and do not make the proper growth. This tending to 

 become too fat is overcome by limiting the feed somewhat and by giving 

 an abundance of exercise. Hence, for unweaned pigs the feed must be 

 of a rather narrow nutritive ratio, and not given in as large quantities 

 as the pig will eat, and in addition an abundance of exercise must be 

 furnished. This condition requires that the pig must have some kind of 

 a green feed, such as clover, alfalfa, bluegrass, etc., which not only fur- 

 nish the food nutrients but also induce exercise. 



Weaning the Pig and Feeding After Weaning. — With the proper 

 care there should be no decrease in the growth and development of the 

 pig after weaning time. The weaning is often a time when the pigs stop 

 growing for a period of a week or two. But if the right kind of feed 

 is given them and they are eating well, there need be no delay in devel- 

 opment. There are two distinct methods of weaning the pigs prac- 

 ticed by our correspondents. One of these methods is to let the pigs run 

 with the sow imtil she weans them or until they wean themselves. This 

 method is not as generally practiced as the other, since only eleven out 

 of seventy- three replies mention this practice. Of course, this system 

 makes strong pigs, but no stronger than if they are weaned earlier and 

 given the right kind of feed, and it is much harder on the sows than if 

 the pigs are removed earlier. 



The other method practiced, and the one used by sixty-one out of 

 seventy-two farmers making reply on this question, is to remove the sow 

 after the pigs have learned how to eat well. The age of weaning varies 

 from six to fourteen weeks with our correspondents, with a general aver- 

 age of nine weeks. The weight at weaning time varies from 20 to 70 

 pounds, with an average weight of 42.5 pounds per pig. When weaning 



