178 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



to acquire more knowledge on the "how and why" of feeding this crop, to 

 the end that the greatest possible profit may be realized 



A feeling of weariness is experienced by the sensible hog breeder when 

 half-posted characters advocate the doctrine of withholding corn from the 

 brood sow during the gestation period and from the growing pigs until they 

 are ready to be fattened for the market. If it becomes necessary to do this 

 we had better go out of the hog business— a change that I do not presume 

 will be made during the days of this generation. 



Do not understand me to advocate an "all corn" ration. The u?e of 

 pastures in summer, including the grasses, clovers, rape and sorghum, 

 must be employed in conjunction with corn if we are to keep up the stamina 

 of her herds, while supplementary foods, such as mill products, the by-prod- 

 ucts of flax and corn or of the packing house, must be used when no green 

 food is available. For growing pigs I know of no supplementary food that 

 will excel sweet skim milk, especially if it is fed warm, fresh from the sep- 

 arator. Where skim milk is lacking breeding stock, until it is eight or nine 

 months old, should, in our opinion, have a liberal allowance of the supplemen- 

 tary foods mentioned above. Our herd of pigs three months old is receiving a 

 mixture composed of five parts corn, three parts shorts, one part ground 

 oats and one-half part tankage and alfalfa meal, these being fed in the form 

 of a thick slop. This ration, you will see, is composed of a little more than 

 half corn. In addition the pigs are receiving a liberal ration of dry, shelled 

 corn, scattered night and morning over a clean part of their blue grass 

 pasture. The skim milk supply does not admit of feeding more than about 

 one quart per day to each pig, but on the ration described above the herd 

 is making highly satisfactory gains. 



As hog breeders I know you are eagerly watching the investigations of 

 those scientific men who are engaged in improving the corn crop, especially'' 

 those who are endeavoring to establish varieties that are richer in flesh form- 

 ing constituents than those now grown. You doubtless know that it has 

 been found possible to increase the protein content of corn to the extent of 

 two or three per cent, and we are now only waiting to ascertain whether or 

 not this percentage may be kept up, and especially to see if this may be 

 done without lessening the yield. If the protein content of our corn could be 

 increased two per cent I believe it would practically do away with the 

 necessity of feeding high-priced by-products — a condition which would in 

 turn lead to cheaper production. 



The day may come when we shall have some sayso in the matter of regu- 

 lating prices, but at present it seems as though we are sadly at the mercy of 

 a buyers' ring or combine. If it is impossible to accomplish anything in this 

 direction it certainly is not impossible to work along the lines of lessening 

 the cost of production, and in this way we may arrive at that point where a 

 reasonable margin of profit is afforded the man who produces hogs for the 

 meat market. As before mentioned, I believe our experiment station work- 

 ers can do much for the swine breeder by continuing along lines that are 

 already well started in some institutions. 



While a straight corn ration could be fed at less cost than the one men- 

 tioned above, )et I believe that the effect of these nitrogenous supplemen- 

 tary foods in building up a good frame will more than repay for the extra 

 cost of this food. Of course it should be understood that these hogs are to 



