420 A STUDY OF FARM ANIMALS 



relative capacities. It is true that hogs will do well on succu- 

 lent forage crops and pastures, but even then the total 

 amount eaten is comparatively small. The older class of 

 hogs in winter will eat the leafy roughage of alfalfa or clover 

 to some extent, but too much of this should not be fed. 

 The standard grains, and mill products are best suited 

 to the digestive tract of the hog. 



The preparation of the food for swine has received con- 

 siderable attention. Various experimenters have amply 

 demonstrated that cooking the food for swine injures the 

 digestibility of the proteins, and that better results are ob- 

 tained by feeding raw rather than cooked food. Soaking 

 grain may be advantageous, especially in the case of old 

 corn that is hard and dry. In comparative experiments in 

 feeding soaked whole wheat and dry whole wheat, conducted 

 by the author at the Indiana station, and by Snyder and 

 Burnett at the Nebraska station, a slight advantage came 

 from soaking the grain. The grinding of grain for hogs has 

 been somewhat advantageous. Prof. W. A. Henry, of Wis- 

 consin, fed ground and shelled corn in comparison for ten 

 winters,* and found that on the average it required 501 pounds 

 of whole corn and wheat middlings for 100 pounds of gain, 

 and only 471 pounds of corn meal and middlings for an equal 

 gain. Evvard, of Iowa, and King, of Indiana station, have 

 found that no special advantage is secured by grinding corn 

 for young pigs, but as they pass beyond 3 or 4 months of age 

 somewhat better gains are made from ground or soaked grain. 

 Corn-and-cob meal is not to be recommended for the pig, 

 but, if fed, the cob should be ground fine. 



The relationship of age of pigs to digestibility of food and 

 gains in weight has been shown in digestion experiments 

 conducted by Prof. Evvard, of Iowa. He found that a pig 

 weighing 60 pounds digests corn fed in different ways with 

 somewhat more efficiency than one weighing 200 pounds. 



*Feeds and Feeding, 1917. 



