III. FEEDING TRIALS WITH OROSS-BRED SWINE. 



At all times during the year euoucjh growing pigs, or older 

 animals lor breeding, have been kept to consume the skim milk 

 from the dairy. Five lots of cross-bred pigs have been grown 

 together in a feeding trial. This trial was continued from birth 

 of the pigs until time of marketing, when about seven months 

 old. The several lots were treated alike and had rations similar 

 to those fed in some feeding trials of preceding years when pigs 

 of other breeds and crosses were used. Those used this year 

 were mostly of the Tamworth cross. The sow was fed with each 

 lot until the pigs were eight weeks old. 



For the first four weeks, wheat bran was fed with the skim 

 mi lie which latter always constituted a part of the ration. A 

 mixture of equal parts by weight of wheat bran and wheat mid- 

 dlings was fed for the second period. Other grain mixtures, 

 containing corn meal in increasing proportions, followed. The 

 mixture numbered 2, in the accompanying tables, contained equal 

 parts of corn meal, wheat bran and wheat middlings. Mixture 

 No. 3 contained four parts corn meal and one part each of wheat 

 bran and wheat middlings. Mixture No. 4 contained ten parts 

 corn meal and one part each of bran and middlings. Mixture 

 No. 5 contained twenty parts of corn meal, two parts of bran and 

 one part of middlings. A small quantity of charcoal was ^^'fi 

 once a week. The food was weighed for each feeding and the 

 pigs were weighed once a week. The average results of feeding 

 are shown in the accompanying tables, arranged in periods (;f 

 four weeks according to the different ratioins. 



In estimating the cost of food, wheat bran rated at |18 [>er 

 ton; corn meal and wheat middlings at |20 per ton, and skim 

 milk at 25 cents per 100 pounds. These prices, much higher than 

 those of the market during the past season, were assumed to 

 allow more direct comparison of the results with those of former 

 feeding trials given in preceding reports. 



