76 



Estimating that four fifths of the nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash 

 of the food are saved in the manure, and that they are worth, respect- 

 ively, 17 cents, 6 cents, and 4^ cents per pound, "which is 25 per cent 

 lower than they cost in commercial fertilizers in Vermont," the total 

 fertilizing value of the manure from the food, which was estimated to 

 cost $36.22, would be $22.06. The gross cost of the food consumed per 

 pound of increase in live weight was 3.33 cents, and the value of the 

 fertilizing ingredients in the food was 2.(»8 cents, making the net cost 

 of the j)ork per i)ound, live weight, 1.25 cents. The value of the food 

 consumed for each pound of increase in dressed weight was 4.06 cents? 

 and the fertilizing value of this food 2.54 cents, leaving the net cost of 

 a pound of dressed pork 1 .52 cents. Since the pork sold for 5.25 cents 

 a pound, there was, on this basis, a net gain of 3.72 cents per pound. 



While the pigs, on the whole, were fed at a i^rofit, most of it was made 

 in the early periods. 



At an average live weight of 155 pounds the pigs vs'ere still yielding a profit above 

 the cost of their feed. This profit had ceased when they weighed 208 pounds. It can 

 be said, then, that the experiment shows conclusively that in the case of these pigs, 

 under the best of care, there was no profit in keeping them after they weighed 200 

 pounds apiece, and it would have been more profitable to sell them at about 175 to 

 180 pounds weight, and feed what they consumed during the last weeks of their life 

 to younger pigs. * » * jf -^g suppose the manure to offset the care, and subtract 

 from the amount received for the pork the amount paid for the grain fed, the remain- 

 der may be considered the amount realized for the skim-milk." The amount real- 

 ized from 100 pounds of skim-milk for the several pens will be, period I, 32 cents; II, 

 25 cents ; III, 23 cents ; IV, 14 cents ; average of the w hole four periods, 24 cents. 



Among the conclusions are the following : 



(1) Pig feeding is profitable even at the low price of 5J cents per 

 pound dressed weight, provided the pig is sold at an early age, i, e. by 

 the time it reaches a live weight of 180 pounds, or soon after. 



(2) Grain can be fed to young pigs with profit ; in feeding it to pigs 

 weighing over 200 pounds there is a loss. 



(3) Young pigs should be fed a ration in which the flesh-producing 

 material is more prominent than the heat or fat-produciug. 



(4) The old saying, "Grow the pig and then fat him," should i)e 

 changed to" Grow the pig and then sell him." 



(5) This system of feeding and selling makes it possible to raise two 

 sets of pigs in twelve months. 



(6) The fertilizing value of the manui e from the food consumed by the 

 l)ig is, in Vermont, equal to nearly one half the value of the pork, and 

 constitutes the largest gain from the feeding. 



(7) In' these trials the three breeds, Berkshire, Chester White, and 

 Yorkshire, showed but little difl'erence, whatever difference there was 

 being in favor of the Chester White. 



[In brief, the two points especially brought out in this experiment are, 

 the value of skim-milk as food for pigs, and the fact that the largest 

 jjrofit is from young animals. These results coincide essentially with 



