500 EXPERIMENT STATION KECORD. 



average l.lil ll)s. of grain an<l 2.4 lbs. of .«kiin milk ])cr head daily, the cost of the 

 ration being 0.013 ct. "The Razor])aek sows ate less feed on the average than any 

 of the other l)reeds, while they ate mnch more in ])roportion to their live weight, 

 though they made a slight gain in weight, while the sows of the other l)reeds lost 

 slightly." 



As regards the gains, i-ach ])ig in the litters averaging 2:!. 5 lbs. at bii'tli inade an 

 average gain of 4 lbs. i)er week for tlie 12 weeks ))efore weaning, those avi-raging 16 

 lbs. an average gain of 3.(i lbs. i)er pig ])er week, and those averaging less than 15 

 11)S. an average gain of 2.9 lbs. per j)ig per week. "Many prominent breeders seem 

 positive that a small or medium-sized litter will make better gains in the aggregate 

 than a large one, and it not unfrequently occurs that where a large litter is farrowed 

 they kill some of the pigs at birth. From the data presented it would seem that 

 owing to the vitality transmitted to the pigs from their prolific dam or from some 

 other physiological cause, the pigs in large litters are more thrifty and better feeders 

 than those in a small litter." 



From the time they were 4 weeks old until weaned the pigs were given some grain. 

 After weaning the feeding test was continued for 8 weeks, the sows and pigs being 

 divided for convenience into 4 uniform groups. Lot 1 was fed corn meal and skim 

 milk about 1:8, lot 2 corn meal and shorts 2 : .'], lot 8 corn meal and beef meal 2:1, 

 and lot 4 concentrated feed and skim milk aVxjut 2 : 3, the concentrated feetl consist- 

 ing of corn meal, shorts, and beef meal 4:3:1. Before weaning the average daily 

 gain per pig in the first month of the test was 0.4 lb., in the second 0.47 lb., and in 

 the third month 0.69 lb.; in the first month after weaning it was 0.71 lb. and in the 

 second month 0.81 lb. 



The amount of feed required per pound of gain and its cost were calculated in 

 every case, and "the amount eaten by the sow while she was suckling the pigs is 

 always charged to the pigs, less the sow's feed of maintenance." On this assumption 

 a pound of gain required from 1.7 lbs. grain and 6.1 lbs. skim milk in the first month 

 of the whole period to 3.9 IVjs. of grain and 6.2 lbs. of skim milk in tlie last month, 

 the cost of a pound of gain ranging from 2.21 cts. to 3.96 cts. 



With 2 pigs from each litter, the feeding test was continued on the same rations as 

 before for 12 weeks, that is, until the pigs were ready for slaughter. The first 4 

 weeks of this period the average net gain per pig was 29.1 lbs. and for the last 4 weeks 

 it was 32.4, the cost of a pound of gain being 3.19 cts. and 4.20 cts., respectively. 

 The corresponding values for the first 4 weeks of the nursing period were 8.8 lbs. and 

 1.17 cts., and for the test as a whole 22.1 lbs. and 2.8 cts. per month. On the basis 

 of these figures the author calculates that on an average it requires 2.77 lbs. of 

 digestible nutrients, at a cost of 3.12 cts., to produce a pound of gain with pigs from 

 birth to maturity, the nutritive ratio of the ration being 1: 3.99. 



At the close of the test the pigs were slaughtered and the live weight and dressed 

 weight, weight of internal organs, and other similar data recorded. The breaking 

 strength of the thigh bones was also tested and it was found that there was a marked 

 difference depending upon the character of the rations fed, the bones of the pigs fed 

 corn and beef meal having a breaking strength of 1,200 lbs., which was about 8 times 

 the weight of the body. Those of the pigs fed corn and shorts had a breaking 

 strength of 835 lbs. or 4.3 times the average weight of the body, and the bones of the 

 pigs fed corn and skim milk 977 lbs. or 3.8 times the average weight of the body, 

 and of the group fed the grain and beef meal ration it was 1,169 lbs. or 5.2 times the 

 average weight of the body. 



" From these data it would seem that the beef meal in the rations had a marked 

 influence on the strength of the bones in the different pigs, while the rations con- 

 taining a large proportion of corn seemed to have the effect of greatly weakening the 

 bones of the pigs to which they were fed." 



