FOODS ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 519 



of stock to l)egin with, good gains as (■conomirally made as possible, and a well- 

 finished, liigh-solliiig product in the end. The latter attainment will largely depend 

 wpon the preceding factors. Inferior stock will not give snfificieut return to justify 

 the exjiensc of feeding for early maturity." 



On fattening eszperiments and slaughter tests ^vith STvine, 



M. Heetek (Milch Zf;/., :jr, {1890), Xo. 44, pp. (J97-699).— The belief is 

 somewhat widespread in Germany that the preponderance of English 

 blood in swine is responsible for the fact that so nnich of the pork is 

 poor in quality and not suited for the making of sausage and similar 

 purposes. The following test was therefore made with 15 pigs, 13 of 

 which were from the same litter, and were crosses of a Berkshire boar 

 on a half blood Meissen sow. Seven of the pigs were boars. Six were 

 castrated when 4 weeks old, and the seventh when 3 months old. At 

 the same time 2 of the 6 sows were spayed. The remaining 2 pigs used 

 for the test were from another litter of the same age. They were crosses 

 of a Berkshire boar on a sow with no Meissen blood. They were sows 

 and were not spayed. The feeding of the pigs is discussed at some 

 length. They were slaughtered when 10 months and 18 days old, the 

 average weight being 120 kg. They were judged by experts. The live 

 weight, the weight of flesh and fat in the carcass, and relation of weight 

 of the carcass with and without fat to the live weight of each animal 

 are given in tabular form. 



From this test and a test made the previous year the author draws 

 the following conclusions: With abundant but not unusual feeding, 

 cross-bred swine with a large proportion of English blood furnish the 

 quality of pork which is desired. The opinion that such swine furnish 

 low-grade pork is without foundation. It is possible to delay the cas- 

 tration of pigs beyond the usual time, and this may increase the pro- 

 portion of flesh produced. Spaying was without effect on growth or 

 the i)rodnction of flesh. 



Molasses as food for swine, E. Frederiksen ( JJgeskr. Landmand, 

 1896, No. 28; abs. in Milch Ztg., 25 {1896), No. 35, pp. 556-558).— A test 

 of the feeding value of a feeding stuff made from palm- nut cake and 

 molasses was made with 15 jiigs divided into 3 lots of 5 each. Three 

 of the pigs in lot 1, 2 in lot 2, and 1 in lot 3 were barrows, the others 

 sows. The average weight of the animals in each lot was 71.7, 70.6, 

 and 71.9 lbs., respectively. The test began March 2 and lasted 80 

 days. All the pigs were fed a basal ration of 3 lbs. buttermilk and 12 

 lbs. whey per head daily. Lot 1 was fed barley in addition, lot 2 barley 

 and molasses feed (2:1), and lot 3 barley and molasses feed (1:1). In 

 every case 2 lbs. jjer head daily of the additional food was fed at first 

 and the amount was gradually increased to 4 lbs. The comi)osition of 

 the molasses feed is quoted. The food consumed, the gain made by 

 each pig, and the average results are given in tabular form. 



The average daily gain in weight of lot 1 was 1.11 lbs., of lot 2 1.05 

 lbs., and of lot 3 1.10 lbs. — i)ractically the same in each case. Ten of 

 the pigs were sold and slaughtered. The fat was firm and of the best 

 11008—2^0. 



