.,'90 SWINE IN AMERICA 



liber wliich the swine will leave after chewing- the stalks. 

 Pig-s relish chewing the stalk for the sweetness in it, but 

 leave enough saccharine matter in the fiber to make it 

 attractive to cattle, especially the younger stock. This 

 fiber is indigestible, and the cattle, if allowed to pick it 

 up. will frequently eat a sufficient quantity to cause im- 

 paction and harmful if not fatal results. It is not safe to 

 let cattle into yards where swine are given green corn 

 stalks. 



CORX SUPPLEMENTS AND SUBSTITUTES 



The proper supplementary feeds which balance corn in 

 a ration not only enable the hog to show better results in 

 fattening, but they also make possible a more economical 

 ration. Feeding a hog on corn alone, wdiatever the form, 

 is a false economy by wdiich the feeder cheats both him- 

 self and the hog. Its natural supplements are those 

 which furnish protein and ifiineral matter, and, if not 

 easilv available on the farm are usually purchasable so as 

 to be used at a profit. Some, such as clover, alfalfa and 

 other pasturage, are unquestioned as to their desirable 

 qualities, and others, such as the prepared meat scraps 

 from the great packing houses and knowm by their trade 

 names of meat meal or tankage, have rapidly come in 

 favor for the large amount of protein they supply. The 

 ash or mineral matter of the corn grain is considered in- 

 digestible for swine, and the absence of mineral matter 

 impairs tlie nutritive process and injures the structure; 

 yet it is neither difficult nor expensive to supply hogs 



