680 EXPEKIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Pig-feeding experiments, J. "Withycombe {Oregon Sta. Rpt. 1901, pp. 22, 23). — 

 Three feeding tests with pigs are briefly reported. In 3 months 12 pigs having 

 access to 0.16 acre of clover and fed in addition 317 lbs. of shorts and 1,276 lbs. of 

 skim milk, made a gain of 253 lbs. In 6 weeks, 10 pigs on an acre of June-sown 

 rape and receiving no grain ration gained 154 lbs. 



A comparison of boiled clover and clover silage was made with 2 lots of 3 pigs each, 

 all from the same litter. In 122 days lot 1 consumed 619 lbs. boiled clover, equiva- 

 lent to 551 lbs. dry matter, and lot 2 consumed 2,032 lbs. clover silage, equivalent to 

 488 lbs. dry matter. In addition, each lot was given 488 lbs. of wheat and barley 

 chop, 1:1. The gains made by the 2 lots were 154.5 and 128 lbs., respectively. The 

 pigs were then rearranged to form 2 uniform lots of 3 animals each. Lot 1 was fed 

 cooked wheat and barley chop and lot 2 the same materials dry. In 3 months each 

 lot ate 1,834 lbs. of chop and 1,800 lbs. skim milk. The total gains were 328 and 470 

 lbs., respectively. 



Soft pork; an investigation into its character and causes, F. T. Shutt 

 {Canada Cent. Exp>t. Farm Bui. 38, pp. 47, ph. ,?).— The nature of soft pork is dis- 

 cussed and analytical data, noted from another source (E. S. R., 12, p. 581) are quoted. 

 Chemical studies were also made of immature or unripe pork from pigs recently 

 weaned. This pork contained a higher percentage of olein than firm pork. 



" It seems probable that the fat of all young pigs contains a large amount of olein, 

 and is consequently more or less soft. From this and subsequent work we are 

 inclined to think that age and maturity or ripeness are factors of importance toward 

 a ' firm ' fat. [When the same ration was fed to mature and immature pigs] the fat 

 of [the latter] invarial^ly possesses a larger percentage of olein than that of the 

 remainder of the pigs on the same ration, which were not slaughtered until they had 

 reached a live weight of 180 to 200 lbs." 



The author believes that the olein content furnishes the most reliable indication of 

 relative firmness. Pork containing 68 per cent of olein or less is rated as "very 

 firm;" that containing between 68 and 71 per cent, "firm;" between 71 and 73 per 

 cent, "moderately firm;" between 73 and 75 per cent, "soft," and over 75 per 

 cent, "very soft." These ratings correspond to the following factory ratings: Very 

 firm, from 85 to 100 points; firm, 75 to 85; moderately firm, 70 to 75; soft, 50 to 70; 

 and very soft, less than 50 points. 



Two series of feeding tests are reported. In the first series the feeding stuffs used 

 were corn, oats, barley, shorts, beans, peas, clover, and mangels, alone or in combi- 

 nation. The grains were fed whole or ground and the feeds dry, soaked or cooked. 

 In one test the pigs were pastured on clover. The pork rating highest was produced 

 on a ration of soaked oats, peas, and barley (1:1:1), the olein content being 67.2 

 per cent and the melting point 35.6°. The pork rated lowest was produced on a 

 soaked corn-meal ration. Its olein content was 92.4 per cent and the melting point 

 27.7°. The more important conclusions follow: 



"Of all the grain rations employed, that consisting of equal parts of oats, peas, and 

 barley gave the firmest pork. It may further be added that the fat was deposited 

 evenly and not too thickly, and that this ration gave a very thrifty growth. . . . 

 "When half the grain ration . . . consists of corn meal, the resulting pork shows an 

 increased percentage in olein; in other words, a tendency to softness. 



"In this ration (half corn meal, half oats, peas, and barley in equal parts) the 

 feeding of it boiled gave a slightly higher olein content, but this is only apparent 

 when the average from the four pens is taken into consideration. 



"Considering the effect of feeding the ration of oats, peas, and barley during the 

 first period (to a live weight of 100 lbs.) and corn meal during the finishing period, 

 compared with the reverse of this plan — that is, corn first, followed with oats, peas, 

 and barley — we may conclude that the former gives a firmer pork. 



' ' In both methods mentioned in the preceding paragraph, no marked difference 



