FEEDS FOR SWINE 661 



a field of cowpeas and corn after the corn ears and perhaps some of the 

 cowpeas have been picked. Sometimes, however, the cowpea seed is used 

 as a supplement to corn or other carbonaceous feeds. Trials at the 

 Alabama Station 102 show that a mixture of cowpeas and corn produces 

 more economical gains than corn alone or cowpeas alone, just as we 

 would expect from the chemical composition of these feeds. In these 

 trials pigs fed half cowpeas and half corn required only 414 Ibs. feed 

 on the average for 100 Ibs. gain, while those fed corn alone needed 68 

 Ibs. more. 



979. Peanuts; peanut meal and peanut feed. Peanuts are of great 

 importance in the South for swine feeding. Commonly the pigs are 

 turned into the fields to do their own harvesting, as is pointed out later. 

 If pigs are fattened on peanuts alone, soft pork is produced, but this 

 may be largely overcome by finishing them on suitable feeds after they 

 are taken from the peanut pasture. (1005) 



Peanut meal, or peanut oil meal, the by-product resulting from the 

 production of peanut oil from hulled peanuts, is one of the most valuable 

 protein-rich feeds of plant origin. (258) Not only does such meal 

 contain over 40 per ct. crude protein, but also the protein is of such 

 character that it is an efficient supplement to the cereal grains. Futher- 

 more, there is no trouble from soft pork, if peanut meal relatively low 

 in fat content is fed and only enough is use'd to balance the ration; for 

 example, one part of peanut meal to 5 or 6 parts of corn or grain 

 sorghum. 



In 4 trials at the Arkansas, Iowa, Ohio, and Texas Stations 103 pigs fed 

 peanut meal and corn gained as much as others fed tankage and corn. 

 They required 343 Ibs. corn and 68 Ibs. peanut meal for 100 Ibs. gain, 

 while the pigs fed tankage required 391 Ibs. corn and 35 Ibs. tankage. 

 Good results were secured in dry lot feeding as well as with pigs on 

 pasture, and in self -feeding, free choice, and in hand-feeding alike. In 

 these trials 100 Ibs. peanut meal was equal in feeding value to 71 Ibs. 

 grain plus 52 Ibs. tankage. 



The value of peanut feed, from unhulled peanuts or partially hulled 

 nuts from which most of the oil has been expressed, will depend chiefly 

 on the amount of crude protein it contains in comparison with meal from 

 hulled nuts. In trials by Burk at the Texas Station 104 when pigs were 

 fed a ration consisting of 29 per ct. peanut feed from unhulled nuts 

 (ground whole pressed peanuts) and 71 per ct. milo chops, soft pork was 

 produced. Had the peanut feed formed a smaller part of the ration, the 

 pork would probably have been satisfactory. In 3 trials at the Kansas, 

 Mississippi, and Texas Stations 105 in which peanut feed has been com- 



102 Duggar, Ala. Bui. 82; Gray, Duggar, and Ridgeway, Ala. Bui. 147. 



103 Dvorachek and Sandhouse, Ark. Cir. 45; Eward, Iowa Station, information 

 to the authors; Robison, Ohio Bui. 349; Burk, Tex. Bui. 201. 



l04 Tex. Buls. 201, 228. 



10B McCampbell, Kan. Cir. 78; Griswold, Miss. Station, information to the 

 authors; Burk, Tex. Bui. 201. 



