FOURTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART VI. 467 



While hay alone was fed at a loss of four and a half pounds in 

 twenty-one days, turnip:; and alfalfa made a slight gain, but when the 

 ration was made richer and of great variety the gain was over one pound 

 per day for each pig. 



Every experiment and all the experiences of farmers attest th'3 

 value of a variety of feeds, still a large per cent of farmers make no 

 sort of effort to provide such variety. When it is remembered that in 

 many cases the variety may be supplied by utilizing feed stuffs that hogs 

 do not ordinarily eat and which are of comparatively little value, the 

 importance of the proposition becom-es doubly valuable. For instance, 

 corn stalks cut at proper stage made into ensilage may be used by pigs 

 with wonderful benefit. 



VALUE OJF PASTURE FOR PIGS. 



We will now state two propositions bearing on economy of produc- 

 tion, first, while the pig is not considered primarily a grazier animal, 

 from the fact that he can not be expected to make gains and grow fat if 

 turned onto common pasture grass like cattle, sheep or mules, yet as a 

 matter of fact the pig will make better returns for the amount of grass 

 eaten than any other farm animal. Moreover, the pasture will increase 

 the efficiency and value of the grain fed in connection with it. The 

 second proposition is this: the pig is a gross feeder and will eat too 

 much of rich feeds, as grain, more than he can use economically, more 

 than he can digest well, consequently greater gains from a given 

 amiount of corn are obtained if the pig is fed less than he can or will 

 eat. This statement applies with special force in cases of a long feeding 

 period. The two propositions just announced are brought out in the 

 following table. 



TABLE 4-VALUS OP PASTURE-FULL FEED VS. PARTIAL FEED— WISCONSIN 



EXPERIMENT. 



In the case of lot I fed full in dry lot, five hundred and thirty-seven 

 pounds of corn was required for one hundred pounds of gain. In lot II 

 full fed and having run of clover field there is a sudden drop in the amount 

 required. But when we take advantage of the second proposition also 

 and reduce the corn to three fourths full feed, as in lot three, we have a 

 still larger drop, or stated more directly, the increased efficiency of the 

 corn given is marked. Nearly three bushels less of corn to produce one 



