352 SWINE IN AMERICA 



Bulletin No. 51, of the Central experimental farm of 

 Canada, "Bacon Pigs in Canada," summarizes the main 

 conclusions reached: "In Europe barley is looked on as 

 the ideal feed for fattening and finishing otT bacon hogs. 

 In Canada most experimental work goes to support this 

 view. So favorably is it known, in fact, that it has prac- 

 tically become a standard by which other foods are 

 judged, so far as their value for bacon production is con- 

 cerned. It should be used ground. Soaking for 24 

 hours or longer before feeding will, in part, make up for 

 lack of grinding. It is not a very good feed for suckling 

 sows nor for very young pigs. It may be fed alone to 

 advantage, but will gi\-e somewhat better results if 

 ground peas, shorts or oil meal in small quantities or 

 well-ground oats be added. It makes a prime quality of 

 bacon wherever other conditions permit." 



In the same bulletin details are given of an experiment 

 made with two grade Berkshire pigs, which were fed on 

 barley, beginning about January i. "The barley was 

 given three times a day. chopped (coarsely ground) and 

 mixed with water at the time of feeding. No more was 

 given than would be eaten up clean at each meal. The 

 results shown in the table on page 353 indicate that the 

 barley in this experiment realized in pork 50 cents per 

 bushel ; farmers at that time were selling the same grade 

 of barley at an average of 25 cents per bushel, a dififer- 

 ence of 100 per cent in favor of feeding it." The pigs 

 were purchased and sold at five cents a pound, live 

 weight. The table shows that it took an average of four 

 pounds and 1 1 ounces of barley in the four months of 

 feeding for the production of one pound of pork. 



