PRINCIPAL SWINE FEEDS AND THEIR USE 147 



germs of wheat contain a toxic property and, other things being 

 equal, it militates against the use of wheat from a physiological 

 standpoint, but only to a minor degree, because there is so little 

 germ present in proportion to the total amount of wheat. Thorough 

 preparation should be given wheat. It should be ground and prob- 

 ably wet or better still soaked before feeding. In some grinding 

 experiments as much as 50 to 100 pounds of wheat has been saved 

 on each 100 pounds of gain by the grinding and wetting (or soak- 

 ing) process. Wheat is suitable for fattening, and will put on a 

 high finish. It is better than barley, although not so good as corn. 

 Wheat is adapted to all classes of swine. So far as supplements 

 are concerned, wheat has about the same deficiencies as corn or 

 barley, hence the same supplement may be used. If a little wheat 

 or barley or preferably both be mixed with corn, less meatmeal 

 tankage is required to balance the ration, although this difference 

 is not large. In other words, less tankage is required with a mixture 

 of corn, barley and wheat than with any one of them alone in order 

 to secure the best results. 



In a senatorial inquiry (March, 1918,) carried on by the Com- 

 mittee on Agriculture and Forestry, of which Senator Gore of 

 Oklahoma is chairman, the statement was made, that 12 pounds of 

 wheat is equal to 20 pounds of corn grain. This is misleading, 

 and not in accord with the facts. Of course 12 pounds of good 

 kiln-dried wheat is equal in feeding 1 value to 20 pounds of real 

 soft corn that runs over 45 percent moisture, but average wheat 

 if compared to good No. 2 corn has no such high relative value as 

 the testimony indicates. Good average wheat is about equal in 

 feding value to good dry corn, pound for pound, but when it is 

 taken into consideration that the wheat must be prepared a part of 

 this relatively high comparative value of wheat is sacrificed. 



Eye. Rye is a particularly good economic feed where the land 

 is poor, and it can be used to good general advantage in pork pro- 

 duction. It is ordinarily considered alongside of corn, wheat and 

 barley as a basal feed, but it is the poorest all-around feed of the 

 four. It is considered that rye must be ground and soaked in order 

 to be used to advantage, because of its hard, flinty kernels. If rye 

 is fed whole many of the kernels pass undigested, as in the case 

 of wheat or barley, hence the reduction and softening process is in 

 order. Rye is generally used as a partial ration to better advan- 

 tage than as the entire basal ration. In this case it may be used as 

 a partial basal concentrate. Rye sometimes contains ergot, which 

 is detrimental to swine, causing them to abort. Because of this 

 rye has received much really undeserved criticism, which criticism 

 should be charged up to the ergot, but unfortunately rye harbors 

 the ergot growth, and hence must take the consequences of the 

 ergot's unfavorable influence. Good clean rye, however, is fed to 

 advantage. It is generally presumed that large quantities of rye 

 are troublesome, tending to cause digestive disorders, but the evi- 

 dences of this are conflicting. The same supplements may be used 



