1919] ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 75 



with as much as 50 per cent of the inheritance of Shropshire or Dorset blood. 

 Satisfactory size was dominant in all crosses except in those having from 25 to 

 50 per cent American Merino inheritance combined with as much as 25 to 50 

 per cent of Shropshire inheritance. The results of crossing also indicated that 

 the hornless character of the Shropshire is dominant in the female offspring. 

 The absence of folded skin in the mutton breeds appears to be dominant over 

 the presence of folds in the fine-wool breeds. 



The Merinos and Rambouillets transmitted satisfactorily their density and 

 fineness of fleece. The fine-wool breeds stood first in fall and winter lambing, 

 followed closely by the Dorsets, but most of the Shropshires lambed in March 

 and April. In several of the simple crosses the lambing time was about midway 

 between the periods of lambing for the two breeds represented. The prolificacy 

 of the different breeds and crosses was as follows : Merinos 114 per cent, Ram- 

 bouillets 114, Merino-Dorsets 138, Shropshire-Dorsets 139, Shropshires 139, and 

 Dorsets 148 per cent. 



Pork production in North Dakota, W. H. Peters and D. J. Geiken (North 

 Dakota Sta. Bui. 127 (1918), pp. 253-278, figs. 18).— This bulletin discusses 

 briefly some of the more important phases of swine management, points out the 

 value of certain crops for pasturing swine, and reports the results of a number 

 of feeding trials, giving numerical data in tabular form. 



The average results of all the station's trials with feeding grain alone to hogs 

 in the dry lot are considered as indicating that under these conditions of feeding 

 it takes about A.\ lbs. of grain to make 1 lb. of pork. It was shown also that it 

 is more difficult to keep pigs in good health and to produce a good firm quality 

 of pork under these conditions than when the pigs are kept on pasture. 



From the results of feeding experiments in 1916 and 1917 with pigs on alfalfa 

 pasture it is concluded that alfalfa is the most successful pasture crop for hogs, 

 and that a ration of 3§ lbs. of grain per 100 lbs. of live weight of pigs per day 

 fed to young growing animals on alfalfa pasture produces better and more uni- 

 form hogs, and also gives a larger profit than either a lighter or a heavier grain 

 ration, In a trial in which the pigs were pastured on sweet clover, it was found 

 that this crop did not prove very palatable to them. Canada field peas at the 

 station were not found satisfactory for providing summer pasture. At the 

 Edgeley Substation in 1917 four acres of field peas pastured by 100 pigs during 

 the greater part of August produced a gain of 1,750 lbs., which, at 12 cts. per 

 pound, gave the field an acre value of about $52.50. Hogging off Canada field 

 peas when mature proved practical and profitable. Hogging off the early 

 maturing varieties of corn through the fall months was also found advantageous. 



Feeding good alfalfa hay to brood sows in winter made possible a saving of 

 from i to $ of the grain that otherwise would have been required. 



Fattening hogs by the use of the self-feeder, J. S. Malone (Oklahoma Sta. 

 Rpt. 1917, p. 22). — A feeding test was conducted from November 29, 1916, to 

 February 28, 1917, to study the value of self-feeders, of Kafir corn for the fat- 

 tening feed, and of tankage, peanut meal, and cottonseed meal as protein sup- 

 plements. Kafir corn was fed through a self-feeder with each one of the sup- 

 plements, and in one instance with the three supplements together. The net 

 profit per lot of 7 hogs from Kafir corn and tankage was $121.10, from Kafir corn 

 and peanut meal $96.35, from Kafir corn and cottonseed meal $96.08, and from 

 Kafir corn combined with the three supplements, $130.34. In the calculation 

 the values per 100 lbs. of the different feeds were as follows : Kafir corn, $1, 

 tankage $3, peanut meal $2, and cottonseed meal $1.50. 



Feeding value of skim milk, H. W. Norton, jr. (Michigan Sta., Quart. Bui., 

 1 (1918), No. 1, pp. 17, 18). — A summary of the results of a large number of 

 feeding trials by different experiment stations throughout the country was 



