382 TT. S. BIT^EAU OF FISHERIES 



hundred farmers. The feed dealers were especially invited, as those in charge 

 of the station feel that their education in proper feeding methods is of prime 

 importance to the farm prosperity of the State. 



Mr. Robison, who was in charge of the hog-feeding experiments, said that 

 the most important fact brought out by his work was that fish meal should 

 be consideretl in the hog ration. The lots where corn, fish meal, and salt 

 were fed put on gains at a lower cost than those fed on rations which depended 

 on tankage exclusively for protein. Two kinds of fish meal were used, haddock, 

 which is available in comparatively limited quantities, and menhaden. Both 

 of these seemed equally good, and lowered the cost of gain from $1 to $2 per 

 100 pounds under the other rations used. 



The Ohio experiment was the second in which a leading agricultural station 

 recommended fish meal as being superior to other protein supplements for swine. 

 Last Febniary, the Iowa State College, concluding a year's tests, announced 

 that best results could be obtained with hogs by using equal parts of fish meal 

 and tankage in the ration instead of using only tankage for protein. * * * 



The protein supplement thus derived by using butli fish meal and tankage 

 results in faster gains on less feed, lower feed cost, and greater profit, the Iowa 

 authorities said. This announcement was followed by an almost sensational 

 demand for fish meal in Iowa and near-by States, with a resultant falling off 

 in the purchases of tankage. It was hailed by feed manufacturers and dealers 

 as one of the most interesting of recent developments in feeding practices. 



Fink (1896) reported the feeding of 3 pounds of fish meal per day 

 per steer. The fish meal was mixed in the ration for 90 days. Fa- 

 vorable gains in weight were made. 



Paterson (1920) in cattle-feeding experiments, testing the suit- 

 ability of fish meal for fattening cattle, showed that the animals re- 

 ceiving the fish meal made the greatest gains in weight. The animals 

 receiving decorticated peanut cake in the ration made average weekly 

 gains of 14.7 pounds, whereas tho.se on fish meal gained 15.1 pounds. 

 In further feeding tests, lasting 110 days, the average weekly gains 

 per head for the group receiving decorticated cotton cake amounted 

 to 15.3 pounds and for the fish meal group 15.6 pounds. The car- 

 casses of the animals fed on fish meal were inspected and showed no 

 bad effects or tainting of the meat. 



Hoard's Dairyman (1925) reported extracts from an address made 

 by Prof. George W. Cavanaugh, of Cornell University, before tlip 

 Certified Milk Producers Association, as follows : 



There is no evidence whatever to show that the odor which usually is found 

 with fish meal contaminates in the slightest degree either the milk or the eggs 

 produced from cows or chickens which have had fish meal in their feed. Fur- 

 ther, certified milk produced from a herd which has received fish meal in the 

 ration has been distributed in three important cities in New York State, i. e., 

 Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo, during the past year and a half or two years. 



Certain effects on the animals receiving this ration are worthy of note. Ten 

 one-year-old heifer calves were placed in a yard which contained a shed opened 

 at one side. For a period of one year, in addition to the regular ration of hay 

 and silage, they received a grain ration containing fish meal. These animals 

 were measured and weighed each month during the year. At the end of the 

 year they had an average height of 2% inches in excess of the standard height 

 and an average weight 300 pounds in excess of standard weight. One of the 

 reasons why I think this increase in weight and height was obtained, is that 

 the fish meal, which contains the finely ground bones of the fish, furnished the 

 bone-making lime and phosphoric acid in exactly the right proportions. 



The herd which some two years ago was placed upon this ration had pre- 

 viously been troubled by big neck, or goiter, in the young calves. Since the 

 animals have been receiving this ration no case of goiter has been observed 

 among the calves. The manager of the herd also reports that there has been 



