PRINCIPAL SWINE FEEDS AND THEIR USE 143 



feed that is ground in such cases. For sucking pigs we think a 

 little soaked shelled corn effectual in getting them started, this 

 being fed along with the dry. We also think that for suckling 

 sows the soaking of some of the shelled or ground corn is ad- 

 vantageous. 



Corn and Cobmeal. Corn and cobmeal is a poor swine feed; 

 for young growing pigs it is a delusion and a disappointment, 

 being too fibrous and coarse. It actually requires more corn grain 

 to produce 100 pounds of gain on young, growing pigs when such 

 feed is fed than where dry ear corn as allowed or soaked shelled 

 corn or any other ordinary preparation. Soaking the corn and 

 cobmeal helps some, but even then it is unprofitable. About the 

 only place the swine show that corn cobmeal can be used with any 

 degree of satisfaction is with the brood sow that is being carried 

 through the winter, but even in that case corn and cobmeal has 

 little to recommend it as compared to ear corn or shelled corn. 

 To illustrate the point, experimental evidence is submitted. We 

 had four groups of yearling sows on four preparations. Lot 1 

 was fed ear corn ; Lot 2, corn and cobmeal ; Lot 3, shelled corn ; and 

 Lot 4, ground corn. They received in addition to 4 pounds of corn 

 grain per head daily (the cob was thrown in extra, over and above 

 grain in Lot 2) % of a pound each of meatmeal tankage, linseed 

 oilmeal and wheat middlings, together with as much salt as they 

 wished at free-will. The results tell an interesting story. Inas- 

 much as the feed was kept the same in all groups, so far as the 

 grain was concerned, the average daily gain per sow, compara- 

 tively speaking, tells a true tale. Lot 1 gained .65 pounds daily; 

 Lot 2, .66 ; Lot 3, .67 ; and Lot 4, .61, showing clearly that ear corn 

 was as good as the corn and cobmeal, or the shelled corn, but that 

 ground corn was the poorest of all. We don't know just how to 

 explain this, and hope to repeat the test, so far as the ground corn 

 is concerned, but feel certain that the corn and cobmeal will not 

 show up to any better advantage. 



The salt consumption is interesting. More than four times as 

 much salt was eaten where corn and cobmeal was allowed as where 

 ground corn was fed, showing that the cob introduced into the 

 ration encouraged salt consumption, possibly because of the high 

 potassium content, but inasmuch as salt is cheap this makes little 

 difference. That all of these rations were splendid, and that any 

 of the preparations did not adversely affect the new-born pig to 

 any degree is shown by the average weight and vigor of the differ- 

 ent groups. The little pigs from the ear corn fed sows weighed 

 2.51 pounds each on an average; corn and cobmeal pigs, 2.48; 

 shelled corn pigs, 2.42; and ground corn pigs, 2.47. This is a 

 "toss-up," and we should consider all groups as having done 

 equally well. The average vigor was close to 90 percent perfect 

 in all cases. This goes to show that with a large amount of corn 

 in the ration, properly balanced, for brood sows, good, strong, husky 

 pigs can be produced, and we have found that when milk is used to 



