ANIMAL PKODUCTION. 367 



cheaply made at a cost of 4.51 cts. per pound on alfalfa and corn 3 : 1 and was 

 most expensive on alfalfa alone, costing 5.48 cts. per pound. 



In a supplementary period of 31 days the lot which had been fed alfalfa 

 alone was given a ration of alfalfa and corn 1 : 1.2, and made an average daily 

 gain per head of 0.85 lb. at a cost of G cts. per pound, and requiring G.7S lbs. of 

 feed per pound of gain. 



The calculated return per ton of alfalfa hay ranged from .$4.03 for the lot fed 

 alfalfa hay ;ilone to .$34.68 on alfalfa and corn 1 : 3. 



" Hog raising in New ^Mexico is an undeveloped industry, although the condi- 

 tions are very favorable in many sections. 



" Alfalfa, the leading crop in New Mexico at the present time, forms an 

 excellent pig feed when combined with grain. 



"Alfalfa fed alone is a very poor food for fattening i)igs. 



" In order to preAent undue waste when feeding alfalfa to pigs, the hay should 

 be fed in a slatted rack placed in a flat bottomed trough. The spaces between 

 the slats should not exceed 2.5 inches and the trough should extend at least 

 18 in. beyond the rack in every direction. The coarse stems left by the pigs may 

 be fed to stock cattle." 



The bulletin contains some notes on swine diseases, though the authors state 

 that up to the present New Mexico pigs have not been seriously menaced by 

 diseases. 



Animal husbandry, ,J. ,J. A'ernon {Ncuv Mealco tit a. Rpt. 1!)06, pp. 2/1-29). — 

 An experiment on jiig feeding is reported which has been noted from another 

 publication. (See p. 3(i6.) 



Finishing hogs for market, C L. Willoughby and 1'. N. Flint {Geonjia 

 ifsta. Circ. 61, pp. 8, figs. 2). — With a view to studying the possibilities of produc- 

 ing fat and lean carcasses a pig weighing 138 lbs. was started on a ration of 

 5 lbs. shorts, 2 lbs. bran, and 6 lbs. skim milk in comparison with a similar pig 

 on a ration of 7 lbs. of shelled corn per day, the quantities in each case being 

 increased as the test continued. In 61 days the pig fed the mixed ration made 

 an average daily gain of 1.08 lbs., while the pig fed the fattening ration of corn 

 gainetl on an average 1.07 lbs. per day. The cost of a pound of gain in the 2 

 cases was 8.7 and 8.8 cts., respectively, and the digestible nutrients required 

 per pound of gain 4.67 and 5.59 lbs. The proportion of dressed weight to live 

 weight was practically the same for the 2 pigs, being 77 and 78 per cent, respec- 

 tively. The pig fed corn showed considerably more lard and body fat than the 

 pig fed the mixed ration. The authors' conclusions follow : 



" Hogs fed on protein material such as shorts and skim milk will make more 

 nmscle and better bone than hogs fed on a diet of corn. 



" It requires less feed (digestible) to produce the same gain when using a 

 large percentage of protein than when feeding corn alone. 



" A large share of the flesh is converted into lean meat when feeding a pro- 

 tein ration ; a corn ration produces considerably more lard and cheap body fat. 



'* The cheapest method of raising pigs from weaning time is to use good range, 

 pasture, forage and root crops, with a small quantity of grain. This gives a 

 start toward lean meat production. 



" Although certain breeds belong pre-eminently to the bacon or lean meat 

 type, yet all hogs at present grown in Georgia can be fed so as to produce the 

 lean type of carcass by i)roperly balancing their feed with protein materials 

 during the final finishing or fattening ])eriod. 



" Local butchers and the consumers of pork should be educated as to the 

 superior merits of animals finished by the 'lean meat' method of feeding; and 

 tlie producers of this class of meat should soon ask and secure a higher price 

 per pound for their product than for pork that is fattened by the exclusive corn 

 method." 



