304 SWINE IN AMERICA 



of the Carcasses of Pigs," Bulletin Xo. 53 of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture, Division of Chem- 

 istry. 



CHARACTER OP FEED NEEDED 



The constituents most desirahle in feed for swine de- 

 pend greatly upon the use to which the animal is to put 

 them. A newly born pig's body is largely water, and to 

 grow he must have food that will produce tissue. That 

 is why the milk, primarily designed to furnish proper 

 nourishment for growing animals, needs to be, as it is, so 

 rich in nitrogenous substance. Later, when the time 

 comes that he is intended for quick-fattening, he should, 

 naturally, be supplied with feed containing much fat 

 making material, and it is that quality which has given 

 corn its high place in finishing hogs for slaughter. It is 

 readily seen, therefore, that different kinds of feed will 

 be needed to furnish the most beneficial results, accord- 

 ing to the stage of growth of the animal, the energy re- 

 quired for its maintenance, and the end to which the ani- 

 mal is destined ; yet it does not necessarily follow that a 

 ration should be one-sided or be dominated by one ele- 

 ment to the exclusion of a variety. Losing sight of this 

 is a mistake that has been made more frequently in the 

 use of corn than any other feed ; not so much, perhaps, 

 because it is rich in carbonaceous matter, as by reason of 

 its convenience and cheapness in the regions where it 

 flourishes. 



METHODS OF HANDLING FEED 



To specially prepare feed it may be soaked, ground or 

 cooked. As a general practice cooking feed for swine 



