476 IOWA DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



here but I think it might be used to a certain extent in the ration 

 to good advantage. On the whole, however, I think you would get 

 better results from alfalfa. The ensilage will serve as part of the 

 ration and to some extent suply the succulence in the ration. It 

 has been used for brood sows to considerable extent and we might 

 rely on it to some extent for the succulence but not for growth and 

 development for the pigs. 



''Have you had any experience with pumpkins?" 

 Prof. Curtiss : Nothing better as long as they last but that is only 

 for a limited time. They constitute one of the good things of the 

 farm that every hog raiser ought to grow. You cannot rely upon 

 them for the main part of the ration but to supplement corn and 

 other grain feeds they serve an excellent purpose. There is a 

 common impression that the pumpkin seeds have a tendency to elim- 

 inate worms. I know that they do tend to put pigs into thrifty 

 condition better than most any other feed you can use at that time 

 of the year. You cannot keep them on hand throughout the entire 

 winter. You can use them in the fall and store them for a time 

 but they will not keep for any great length of time. 



''Wliat would you suggest along the line of ventilation T ' 

 Prof. Curtiss: The same principle that applies to the ventila- 

 tion of all barns. There is too little attention paid to the ventila- 

 tion and the lighting of our farm buildings in general. Perhaps 

 that is true of hog barns more than any other. The lighting is 

 very simple and it pays to have plenty of it. In the matter of 

 ventilation, the ventilating chutes extending from the floor to the 

 roof will furnish fairly good ventilation. The system used in ven- 

 tilating dairy barns can be used but it may be simplified in the 

 hog barns. There should be, however, the ventilating chutes and 

 other means of admitting air without a draft. 

 ''Is it not true that straw is a natural ventilator?" 

 "Yes, you get naturally a great deal of ventilation there although 

 you can have straw shelter and have it so close that you lack ven- 

 tilation with that but straw walls and straw covering do naturally 

 furnish much ventilation. The rail pens covered with straw are 

 all right provided you do not have too many hogs in the enclosure. 

 One point is that we ought not to keep too many pigs in the same 

 sleeping quarters. Divide them and keep not more than twelve or 

 fifteen together so that they cannot pile up. A great deal of trouble 

 comes from hogs piling up and getting heated and steaming, espe- 

 cially when they are fed out in the cold where they are exposed." 



