FARM ANIMALS 209 



weather the question may arise regarding the rela- 

 tive value of feeding corn or other materials warm 

 or cold. It is a decided help to the thrift and 

 health of pigs to feed warm meals at least once or 

 twice a day during cold weather. Grain need 

 never be cooked for swine and, in fact, experiments 

 show that most grains are more readily digested in 

 a raw than in a cooked condition. With roots, 

 again the question of whether they should be fed 

 raw or cooked is to be answered differently in the 

 case of different roots. For example, potatoes, 

 turnips and pumpkins give better results cooked 

 than raw while sugar beets, common beets and other 

 roots need not be cooked. 



Condimental Feeds. This is a rather delicate 

 question to discuss in connection with pigs as well 

 as with other animals for the reason that such 

 diverse opinions prevail. As a rule, there is no 

 special objection to the use of proprietary stock 

 feeds. Some of them contain a suitable amount of 

 nutriment to keep pigs or other animals in good 

 condition. The chief objection to them usually 

 lies in the fact that the price is excessive and far 

 beyond their real value. Under ordinary condi- 

 tions the farmer can prepare his own condiment al 

 foods and do it much cheaper than by means of 

 purchased material. As a matter of fact, if suita- 

 ble variety is introduced into the ration, and par- 

 ticularly if the rations are balanced, using corn as 

 the basal part of the grain fed and supplementing 

 it with wheat, barley, cotton seed meal, peas, bran, 

 middlings, screenings, etc., there is no occasion for 

 the use of condiment al feeds, since pigs do not get 

 off their feed and do not require any stimulant. If 

 the need is felt for a tonic feed, small quantities 

 of linseed meal may be given. The condiments 



