FEEDING SWINE 



299 



was cooked (steamed) ; it required, on the average, 490 pounds of 

 uncooked feed per 100 pounds gain and 561 pounds of cooked feed 

 a loss of nearly 15 per cent in the efficiency of the feed, not con- 

 sidering the expense of cooking. This practice has now been gen- 

 erally abandoned, except in the case of a few feeds, like potatoes, 

 field peas, roots, chopped musty hay, etc., which are occasionally 

 steamed by some feeders to induce a larger consumption or improve 

 the palatability of the feed (p. 67). 



l 2 3456789 10 II 12 



ILLINOIS 



IOWA 



KANSAS 



NEBRASKA 



MISSOURI 



OKLAHOMA 



TEXAS 



INDIANA 



OHIO 



GEORGIA 



MINNESOTA 



WISCONSIN 



FIG. 75. Diagram showing the acreage of corn and the number of swine and cattle listed in 

 the twelve leading corn-growing States in the Union, according to the census of 1910. 



Soaking Feed. Soaking or wetting feed for swine is practised 

 by some feeders who believe they obtain better results thereby. It 

 has been shown, however, that no decided advantage is secured by 

 this method. The average results of twelve trials conducted at 

 eight different stations, as shown by Eommel (loc. cit.), came as 

 follows : Feed required per 100 pounds gain, dry feed 444 pounds, 

 wet feed 434 pounds, a difference of 2 per cent in favor of the latter 

 feed. The pigs, in general, ate more soaked or wet feed than dry 

 feed, ajid often made slightly better gains on the former feed, but 

 the returns per unit of feed eaten were not, as we have seen, appre- 



MILLION) ACRES OF INDIAN CORN 

 Vtm NUMBER OF SWINE, MILLIONS 

 OF CATTLE. MILLIONS 



