900 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Among otlicr points regarding tlie feeding and managenient of pign, tlie author 

 diyi'iisM's the jiroper time for wt'aning on tiie l)a.sis of information secured from a large 

 nundx'r of pig raisers. Aithougii hreeders differe<l widely, tiie majority favored 

 weaning at (3 to 10 weeks of age. 



In the section dealing with experimental pork production, the investigations car- 

 ried on at the experimental stations in Canada and the T^nited States are summarized 

 and discussed. Comparing ground and ungrouml corn the average results, judged 

 purely on the basis of feed required per pound of gain, are in favf)r of corn meal, 4.79 

 lbs. of the meal being required as compared with 5.24 ll)s. of the whole grain. When 

 the cost of grinding is taken into account the advantage is not S(j obvious, and the 

 conclusion was reached that "it is l)eyond anyone to say that an advantage may be 

 expected to follow the feeding of corn meal sufficient to pay the cost of grinding." 

 When other small grains were considered the results sunnnarized showed a wider 

 variation between the value of the ground and unground grains than in the case of 

 corn, and the results were more uniformly favorable to grinding. In the case of wet 

 and dry feed the average results showed an advantage of a little over 2 per cent in 

 favor of soaking. 



A sunnnary of the experiments with cotton-seeil meal sliows that the cause of the 

 poisonous symptoms, whit^h often follow its use, is not defhiitely known. "Points 

 that may in time lead to the discovery of the trouble are that old meal seems to be 

 more fatal than fresh, that cotton-seed meal is more fatal than cotton seed in any 

 condition, and that the poisonous agent is not in the oil, but seems to be entirely left 

 in the cake when the oil is expressed, it is also well known throughout the South 

 that decomposed cotton seed has little, if any, dangerous character, and it has been 

 pretty clearly established . . . that the meal is so changed by the ])rocesses of 

 digestion that hogs following steers which are being fed a heavy cotton-seed meal 

 ration are not injured by the droppings." As regards the feeding value of cotton- 

 seed meal, the results of different investigators have not been uniform. 



The value of commercial l)y-proilucts, dairy by-products, jjasture and })asture sub- 

 stitutes, and similar topics are also discussed, as well as tests which have to do with 

 feeding for bacon production. 



In addition to census returns the section devoted to statistics of pork production 

 and trade includes statistics of domestic, foreign, and miscellaneous trade in pork and 

 pork products. A large amount of the statistical material is based oa data gathered 

 by the Bureau of Animal Industry. The bulletin contains a complete index. 



Skim milk for pigs, (I. H. Trie (Arizona Sla. Bid. 47, pp. 300-303). — Accord- 

 ing to the autlior 2 pigs weighing 81 lbs. following steers and fed 6,000 11)S. of skim 

 milk in addition in 113 days gained 248 ll)s. and increased ^16.12 in value. In the 

 form of pork the skim milk was worth 26.8 cts. per 100 11 is. 



In another test, which is briefly reported, pigs fed skim milk in addition to alfalfa 

 and barley gained 1.48 lbs. per head per day. Those fed skim milk and alfalfa 1.32 

 lbs., and those fed skim milk and barley 1.32 lbs., while those fed skim milk only 

 gained 1.05 ll)s. The feeding period covered from 19 to 49 days. The estimated 

 value of the skim milk, judged from the returns in pork, ranged from 18.2 cts. in the 

 case of the pigs fed skim milk only to 28.4 cts. in the case of those fed skim milk and 

 alfalfa. 



Alfalfa and skim milk v. alfalfa, skim milk, and barley as rations for 

 growing pigs, T. F. McCoxnell (Arizona Stn. Ept. 1903, pj). 337-341). — A lot of 5 

 pigs hurdled on alfalfa and fed skim milk with barley in addition made a total gain 

 of 58.8 lbs. each in 10 weeks. Four pigs fed in a similar way without barley gained 

 43.5 lbs., the weight of the pigs in each case at the beginning of the trial being 

 about 105 lbs. per head. Lot 1 (fed grain) required 9.23 lbs. of skim milk, 4.73 lbs. of 

 rolled barley, and the alfalfa grown during the experimental period on 105.11 sq. ft. 

 to produce a pound of gain. In the case of the lot fed no grain 16.45 lbs. of skim 



