10 Dec, 1917. J Feeding the Vnb<jni Pig ihromjh Lucerne. 761 



by tlie presence of gases such as oxygen and caibcnic acid gas. Filtered 

 and purified, and then laden with valuable salts, and charged with life- 

 giving forces, water brings vitality to the cells, to enable them the better 

 to resist the invasion of enemies, and to throw oft" noxious matter. The 

 low content of essential minerals in many of our soils has led to the 

 evolution of native grasses which suit the conditions as far as growth is 

 concerned. The low percentage of mineral salts ordinarily found in the 

 iierbage of csrtain districts is aggravated in dry times by the lessened 

 transpiration of water, because the amount of mineral in the leaves ojf 

 grass iiiunt be according to the movement of water from tlie soil through 

 the plant. 



In view of the super-refineinout of the flour, and the general 

 use of tank water, milk as a food has a very special significance 

 for the nutrition of the nerves and formation of teeth, and yet 

 I find many persons, young and old, who have an aversion to 

 it, and many housewives who make the serious mistake of stinting 

 the milk supply. Dirty methods of milking, and the repeated use cf 

 dirty water to wash hands and udders are of some influence in this con- 

 nexion, and the common sight in country iowns of cows drinking from 

 dirty gutters no doubt helps to turn folk against' milk. Even if milk 

 is absolutely sterile when drawTi from the udder, such foul w-atcr may 

 lead to its contamination after being drawn, owing to the soiling of the 

 cow's body, whence organisms may reach the bucket, and, therefore, no 

 milking cow should have access to gutters. The purity of the water used 

 for wasliing up in the dairy is also important, and certain faults in cream 

 and milk are due to organisms in the water that the utensils are rinsed 

 with, and obviously, disease may be sjiroad in the same way. As a 

 matter cf sentiment, from a business point of view, and in relation to 

 the health of the community, a good water supply for cattle and for 

 dairy use is an essential requirement. 



FEEDING THE UNBORN PIG THROUGH LUCERNE. 



The data contained in the following article, tlioua;h nccc.«-;arily 

 requiring correction for climatic differences between this country and 

 America, seems to us worthy of note, and it will be seen that the advocacy 

 of lucerne (or alfalfa) in pig rearing, to which attention has so 

 frequently been directed in these columns, is borne out by the results of 

 actual experiment under carefully devised conditions in the United 

 States : — 



A feeding experiment in the winter of 1910 at the low-a Station 

 showed that when the brood sow received daily 3.65 lbs. of shelled corn, 

 the new-born pigs averaged 1.74 lbs. ; when fed 2.75 lbs. of shelled corn 

 and 0.43 lbs. tankage, the new-born pigs weighed 2.23 lbs. each; and 

 when fed 3.74 lbs. of shelled com and 1.11 lbs. of alfalfa in a rack the 

 average weight of the new-born pigs was 2.29 lbs. It is gratifying to 

 know tliat the unborn pigs, fed corn and alfalfa through the dam, not 

 only gain good size, but they were also strong, and were produced at a 

 cost considerably less than those fed on corn alone. In an experiment 



