Investigations with Swine. 



499 



a suckling pig to weigh 70 Ibs. when 70 days old, and sometimes, tho 

 rarely, it may exceed that high figure. 



815. Gain from birth to maturity. At the Wisconsin Station 1 

 the author recorded the average gains of 12 litters, containing 84 

 pigs, during 10 weeks between farrowing and weaning time. The 

 figures below the bar, derived from Article 819, are appended to 

 show the decreasing rate of gain until the pig is ready for the 

 market. 



Weekly rate of gain of pigs from "birth to maturity. 



It is shown that the average pig, weighing 2.5 Ibs. at farrowing, 

 gained .1.9 Ibs., or 76 per ct. of its birth weight, during the first 

 week. During the second week it gained 2.6 Ibs., but the per cent of 

 gain reckoned on the weight at the beginning of the week dropped 

 to 59. The average 320-lb. pig gained 9.8 Ibs. in 1 week, which was 

 but 3.1 per ct. of its initial weight. It thus appears that pigs gain 

 more and more in pounds each week until they are mature and fat, 

 while there is a steady decrease in the ratio of gain to body weight. 



816. Economy of young pigs. In trials by the author at the 

 Wisconsin Station, 2 5 sows and litters were fed 70 days on corn meal, 

 wheat middlings, and sour skim milk. The un weaned pigs were also 

 given all of the same food they would consume at a separate trough. 

 At 10 weeks the pigs were weaned, and the feeding continued for 

 7 weeks with the sows and weaned pigs separately. While suckling 



1 Rpts. 1889, 1890, 1897. 



2 Ept. 1897. 



