FISH MEAL IN ANIMAL FEEDING 379 



however, the corn requirement was only 3G9 pounds, combined with 32 pounds 

 of fish meal. 



Here we have practically 8 per cent less corn required when fish meal was 

 consumed, and also 13 per cent less fish meal than of tankafje. 



Considering the whole matter in another way we find that in these 12 tests 

 100 pounds of fish meal was equivalent in freding value to 117 i)ounds of 

 tankage plus 91 pounds of corn. If we convert these figures into dollars and 

 cents, charging the corn at 84 cents tlio bushel and the tankage at $4 the 

 hundredweight. 100 pounds of fish meal was worth $G.04. The fish meal was 

 worth approximately $2 per hundredweight more than the tankage, or 

 practically 50 per cent more. 



The above figures are applicable to those conditions under which one is 

 feeding pigs in dry lot and using either one of these two anim*al source sup- 

 plements to balance the corn. Of course if the fisli meal or the tankage is 

 combined with other feeds in such a manner as to make a high-class protein 

 supplement then we would not expect nearly so much difference between the 

 tankage and the fish meal. 



Naturally if one is buying fisli meal for feeding purposes, the higher the 

 protein content, other things being equal, tlie greater should be the value 

 per bag. 



And fish meals wlaich caiTy as much as 3, 4, or 5 per cent salt, especially 

 the latter figures, are likely to be worth less than similar fish meals carrying 

 1 per cent salt or less. Salt is a splend'd feed for pigs, but if it is fed in too 

 large quantities it detracts from the gains and increases the feed requirement. 

 If one has too much salt in the fish meal or other protein supplement which he 

 feeds, then he is forcing the pigs to take more salt than they require for normal 

 body functioning; hence tliere is a detraction from the efficiency of the feed. 



There isn't any question but that high-grade fish meal is a splendid feed for 

 pigs as well as poultry, and judging from the above figures one can certainly 

 pay more for the fish meal than he can for stra'ght 60 per cent protein tankage, 

 even though the fish meal runs only 55 per cent protein or so. 



Evvard and others (1930) said: 



The high protein regular fish meals prepared from haddock (69.2 per cent 

 protein), menhaden (58.8 per cent proten), and herring (68.24 per cent 

 protein) proved superior to tankage in margins per pig. particularly per month 

 on the basis of feed prices charged in this experiment. Fish meals of high 

 quality produced by the right kind of drying and manufacturing ];rocess 

 should logically be looked on with much favor when one is seeking a superior 

 animal source supplement for corn balancing. Comparative cost prices as 

 well as feeding value should of course be given due consideration in mak'ng 

 selections. 



A high bone and relatively low protein fish meal is much better adapted to 

 the fortification of supplemental mixtures of vegetative source feeds than as a 

 lone supplement to corn. 



The Canadian source fish meal " Fasterfat " with 64.12 per cent protein fed 

 to Lot G did not give as good results as tankage. The relatively short show- 

 ing of this Canadian meal may be accounted for by the relatively high price 

 for the distantly secured product as well possibly as to the particular method 

 of manufacture used in its preparation. We need to know more about the 

 relative efficiency of the dilTerent drying systems used in the making of dry 

 fish meal from naturally wet fish and fish by-products inasmuch as there are 

 indications that some processes produce a better final product than others 

 even though the same raw material is used. 



Cod-liver meal was fed to Lot K in order to test its palatability and gener- 

 ally wholesome qualities when consumed in relatively large amounts. From 

 these standpoints this meal showed up very well altliough financially, largely 

 due to the high price of the meal ($130 a ton), the feeding of this by -product 

 of cod-liver oil manufacture, as a lone supplement to corn, proved inadvisable. 

 The addition of 2, 3, or 4 per cent to perhaps as high as 8, 9, or 10 per cent 

 of a vitamin D potent cod-liver meal to suitable supplemental blends should 

 prove efficacious in many cases not only for the bone growth vitamin 

 standpoint but also from the protein quality viewpoint. 



