PRINCIPAL SWINE FEEDS AND THEIR USE 157 



relished by pigs of all ages and classes. We feed it at our experiment 

 station with good results to pregnant sows, little pigs, suckling 

 sows and fattening hogs. We feed it from the time of impregnation 

 to the time of marketing, going through the entire gamut of swine 

 production. The fact that meatmeal tankage has gone up in war 

 times to $110 and $115 a ton is evidence of the high favor in which 

 it is held by the feeding fraternity. 



Fishmeal. This is a product which is coming more and more 

 into use, and it will give good results in swine husbandry. Being 

 a fish product it is similar of course in nutrition 'to meatmeal tank- 

 age, although it has the objection of having a peculiar flavor. 

 Swinemen can make use of it, feeding it about the same as meat- 

 meal tankage. The better grades of fishmeal should meet an en- 

 couraging market in the grain-producing sections. 



Linseed Oilmeal. This is a standard swine feed, and used as a 

 partial ration is all right. It produces a creamy slop, and helps 

 out considerably in producing good coats on pigs. It even affects 

 the new-born pig through the pregnant sow, as some of our exper- 

 iments show. Linseed oilmeal should not be used as a lone sup- 

 plement to corn in a drylot, nor to barley, nor wheat, nor rye. It 

 works very well on pasture, however, as alfalfa, rape or clover, 

 when fed in conjunction with corn. Mixed with meatmeal tankage 

 or with milk, it makes a splendid all around supplement. Linseed 

 oilmeal mixed with middlings is not very satisfactory, and in some 

 cases we have had abortions from such a mixture, due presumably 

 to nutritional deficiencies. Add tankage to the mixture and the 

 evil is apparently offset. Oilmeal has for years been accused of caus- 

 ing abortion in swine. There is no question in my mind but that it 

 does, if fed injudiciously as a lone supplement to corn, for instance, 

 or possibly to any other grain. Where it is fed in conjunction with 

 alfalfa, rape, red clover pasture, alfalfa hay, or meatmeal tankage 

 or milk, we believe that the abortion troubles would be limited to 

 a minimum, and thus oilmeal would tend to come into its own 

 more effectively. Avoid a heavy, sudden feed of oilmeal, partic- 

 ularly with pregnant sows. Oilmeal added to corn and other grain 

 rations is instrumental in producing a good quality bf quite firm 

 fat. In limited quantities it is relished by swine, particularly when 

 mixed with other feeds, but when fed alone it is not very palatable. 

 When allowed in a self-feeder alongside of tankage, for instance, 

 pigs will eat about a pound or two of oilmeal along with 3, 4 

 or 5 pounds of tankage. Ordinarily they eat from one-third to 

 one-fifth as much oilmeal as of meatmeal tankage, both being 

 allowed when corn is used as the basal feed. It is not fair in 

 feeding tests to compare oilmeal and corn to tankage and corn. 

 This shows oilmeal up to a serious disadvantage, because the oil- 

 meal and corn ration has certain deficiencies which milk, tankage 

 and pasture overcome. It is much fairer to show what oilmeal 

 will do when added to a corn and tankage ration or to a corn 

 and alfalfa ration, especially when the corn and oilmeal and 



