FOODS ANIMAL PRODUCTIOlsr. 375 



of the test the pigs were slaug'htered iind judged by an expert. The 

 author\s conclusions follow: 



"Exc'lusive corn feeding during a somewhat extended period gave very unsatis- 

 factory results in point of gain, and produced bacon of extremely soft, undesiral)le 

 character. The exclusive feeding of pea meal resulted in unthrifty animals and i^oor 

 gains; but a mixture of 3 parts pea meal and 1 part middlings by weight gave 

 good gains and produced bacon of excellent quality. An exclusive ration of barley 

 gave satisfactory gains and produced exceptionally firm bacon. A two-thirds ration 

 of barley with all the rape the hogs would eat, followed by about 3 weeks' exclu- 

 sive barley feeding at the close, gave economical gains on the whole and produced 

 bacon of good quality, though scarcely so firm as that produced by barley or by peas 

 and mi<ldlings. 



"Barley appears to be an exceptionally safe and valuable food for swine, whether 

 fed alone or in combination with other foods. Peas should always be fed in combi- 

 nation with other foods, in which case they give good results. Exclusive corn feeding 

 is no doubt risky under any conditions, but the practice can not be too strongly 

 condemned when followed for any considerable length of time." 



Fattening hogs "with drought-resisting crops, H. M. Cottret.l 

 and J. G. Hakey {Kaums ,sta. Bui. Do, pp. 69-9o, figs. it*). —Eight 

 series of feeding experiments with pigs are reported on the value of 

 crops which resist drought and are adapted to the Kansas uplands. 

 These include Katfir corn, soy beans, and alfalfa. Corn meal, cotton- 

 seed meal, and skim milk were fed in addition in some of the tests. 

 Pure-bred Berkshii-e and Poland China pigs were used in the lirst 3 

 series, and in the remainder, cross-bred pigs, mostly Berkshire-Poland 

 Chinas of average quality. Series 1 to 6 were made in the winter, 

 series 7 in the spring, and series 8 in the fall and winter. Care was 

 taken in each case to insure uniform lots. In the second series the 

 pigs were fed in closed sheds. In the other series they were fed in the 

 winter in sheds open to the south and in the summer had access to low 

 sheds without sides. All the lots were given salt, wood ashes, and 

 charcoal. The tests which had to do with soy beans were briefly 

 reported in a previous publication (E. S. R., 12, p. 1-12). 



The results of the different series are given in full in tabular form 

 and are discussed in detail. General deductions are drawn from the 

 work as a whole. Among the more important are the following: 



"[The fact that] average mixed-bred hogs require from 10 to 30 per cent more 

 food per hundred pounds of gain than the pure-bred hogs is a strong argument for 

 better breeding. . . . The hogs that made the best gains in these experiments were 

 well boned, with l)oth fore and hind quarters well developed, rather rangy, well 

 developed through the heart, with heavy-boned legs of fair length. The average 

 amount of feed required to produce 1 lb. of gain was 5.28 lbs. of grain, with variations 

 in feed ranging from 3.69 to 7.49 lbs. of grain. It is noticeable that the hogs requiring 

 the least amount of feed per pound of gain had soy-bean meal in their rations. The 

 6 lots of hogs having soy beans as part of their ration required an average of 4.11 lbs. 

 of grain per pound of gain, while the 19 lots not fed soy beans required an average 

 of .5.64 ll)s. of feed per pound of gain, an increase in food required of over 37 per cent. 

 The moral of this is, raise and feed soy beans. Skim milk and alfalfa hay also 

 greatly reduced the amount of grain recjuired per pound of gain. 



8873— No. 4 () 



