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IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



yield. If by judicious feeding we could increase the efficiency of our 

 feeds by ten per cent, it would mean a vastly increased output from a 

 given crop. Secretary Ellis, from reliable sources, estimates the yield 

 of our corn, hay. fodders and all feed crops in the State in 1902 at the 

 vast sum of $200,000,000. Two thirds of this ought to go into live stock. 

 A ten per cent increase in the efficiency of this feed would mean 

 $13,000,000 more to the farmers. 



It is our purpose to discuss some of the conditions under which our 

 feeds may be more efficiently used in the production of pork. 



(JIVE -V VARIETY OF FEEDS. 



Pigs do better on a variety of feeds than on any single feed. This 

 is a principle of universal application in all classes of stock feeding. 

 This proposition is well understood by the farmers, but still it is ignored 

 so completely that we think it well to give it some emphasis. Just how 

 much better the pig will do if fed a variety, we will let the pig himself 

 testify, for whatever other mean thing a pig may do, he will not tell a 

 lie. The following are some of the results. Many other tests have 

 been made, all pointing to results much the same. 



TABLE 3-SINQLE FOOD VS. VARIETY— WISCONSIN STATION— FIVE LOTS, 

 FOUR IN EACH LOT. 



It will be observed that by combining shorts and corn half and half 

 there was a saving of nearly one hundred pounds of the mixture in pro- 

 ducing one hundred pounds of gain. By the use of one half oats and 

 one half corn more than one hundred pounds was saved. . By the use 

 of a little clover hay, over two bushels of corn w^as saved in producing 

 one hundred pounds of gain. iVt that rate clover hay would take the 

 place of five bushels of corn in bringing a hog up to two hundred and 

 fifty pounds, marketable size. How is the clover hay fed? Better prob- 

 ably to chaff it in cutting box, dampen it or steam it. but it may be fed 

 dry in racks. The Montana Experiment Station found that alfalfa fed 

 in racks, and corn, gave better results than alfalfa cut and wetted and 

 meal added. The Nevada Station found results in feeding three lots 

 of pigs, carefully selected for uniformity, four in each lot on alfalfa 

 hay and other combinations as follows: 



