FARM ANIMALS 207 



gain was made on a ration containing one-third 

 soy-bean meal and two- thirds corn meal. As com- 

 pared with an exclusive corn ration, the pigs fed 

 the ration mixed in the proportion just mentioned 

 made gains twice as great. At the same time it 

 required only three hundred and ten pounds of 

 mixed soy-bean and corn meal to produce one hun- 

 dred pounds of pork, while on corn meal alone five 

 hundred and fifty-seven pounds were required. 

 The importance of balancing rations in this manner 

 is, therefore, apparent. 



Dry vs. Wet Grain. Considerable controversy 

 has been had concerning the merits of dry and wet 

 feeding of pigs. A majority of careful experiments 

 on this point, however, show that on an average 

 seven per cent, greater gains are made by feeding 

 wet materials than from the same amount of dry 

 material. Occasionally, however, the opposite re- 

 sults are obtained. Thus, in Utah better gains 

 were made on dry bran and corn meal or dry ground 

 wheat than when these materials were fed wet. 

 Similarly, in experiments in Idaho there seemed to 

 be a small margin in favor of feeding both whole 

 grain and meal in the dry form rather than wet. 

 The relative advantages, however, were not suffi- 

 ciently marked to make any great difference in 

 favor of either method. Ordinary farm practice 

 should be guided by the preponderance of evidence 

 gained from careful experiments, which indicates 

 a slight advantage from wet materials and a some- 

 what larger advantage from soaking whole grain 

 for pigs. Whether or not this be done would de- 

 pend on the expense of the operation and the con- 

 veniences at hand for carrying it out. 



Whole Corn vs. Corn Meal. A large difference 

 of opinion has always prevailed regarding the value 



