FOODS ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 



279 



The gains made during 90 days and the food consumed per pound of 

 gain for the different breeds are shown below : 



Results of feeding pigs of different breeds. 



Breed. 



Berkshire 



Taiuworth 



Poland-China . 

 Chester-White 



Yorkshire 



Duroe- Jersey.. 



Grain con- 

 sumed per 

 pound of 

 gain. 



Pounds. 

 3.27 

 3.31 

 3.33 

 3.40 

 3.41 

 3.58 



The breeds are arranged in the table in the order of economy of gain, 

 but in the author's opinion the experimental data are not sufficient for 

 general conclusions. The pigs were slaughtered and the flesh of rep- 

 resentatives of each breed judged by an expert as regards its suitability 

 lor export bacon. General deductions on this point are not drawn. 



Feeding trials with crossbred swine, W. P. Wheeler (Hew York 

 State Sta. Rpt. 1896, pp. 658-605). — A tabular record is given of feeding 

 five lots of crossbred pigs from birth until time of marketing, when 7 

 months old. The sow was fed with each lot until the pigs were 8 weeks 

 old. The several lots were given like rations at similar stages of growth. 

 For the first 4 weeks, wheat bran was fed with skim milk, which latter 

 always formed part of every ration. During the second period of 4 

 weeks, a mixture of equal parts of wheat bran and wheat middlings 

 was fed. Other grain mixtures, containing corn meal in increasing 

 proportions, followed. 



Eating wheat bran at $18 per ton, corn-meal middlings at $20 per ton, 

 and skim milk at 25 cts. per hundred pounds, the cost of the gain in 

 weight of the different crosses during the 28 weeks was as follows : Tam- 

 worth-Duroc cross, 3.83 cts. per pound; Yorkshire-Tain worth, 3.25 cts.; 

 Tamworth-Poland China, 3.44 cts.; Ohio Improved Chester-Poland 

 China, 3.01 cts. 



After the pigs were removed from the sows, the cost of food per pound 

 of gain for the different lots was: TamwortliT Yorkshire cross, 2.48 cts.; 

 Tamworth-Duroc, 2.41 cts.; Yorkshire-Tarn worth, 2.17 cts.; Tamworth- 

 Poland China, 2.33 cts.; and Ohio Improved Chester-Poland China, 2.37 

 cts. "It will be seen from these figures that there was little difference 

 in the efficiency with which each lot utilized the food." 



A considerable difference was observable in the rapidity of growth of 

 the different crosses. The Tamworth-Poland China pigs at the end of 

 the test averaged 202 lbs. each. This was 11 per cent heavier than the 

 average of the Yorkshire-Tamworth cross, the lot nearest them in size, 

 and over 30 per cent heavier than the Ohio Improved Chester-Poland 

 China cross. 



