PRINCIPAL SWINE FEEDS AND THEIR USE 161 



pounds of corn, and in carrying the pigs from weaning time to 

 225 pounds in weight it took 225 days on wheat middlings ; whereas 

 on corn it took 143 days where tankage was fed in addition. The 

 wheat middlings group did very well in the early part of the feed- 

 ing period, but when the pigs reached a weight of about 160 pounds 

 they began to do poorly, from the fattening standpoint, presum- 

 ably because of the fibrous content of the middlings. They simply 

 could not keep up with the corn and tankage-fed pigs. Middlings 

 are palatable to all classes of swine and are particularly good for 

 the boar and brood sow when fed in conjunction with meat prod- 

 ucts, milk products, or good pastures. 



Wheat Bran. This is a bulky, fibrous feed, more adaptable 

 to the dairy cow than to swine in general, although the brood sow 

 can use some to advantage sometimes. Wheat bran is good in 

 overcoming constipation, and, generally speaking, is a better medi- 

 cine than feed for swine. There are so many feeds that are better 

 for young, growing pigs than bran that we would discourage the 

 use of the wheat bran, excepting as a medicine. 



Cottonseed Meal. This swine feed is used to considerable 

 advantage in the south, but not very much in the northern sec- 

 tions. If it comprises much of the ration for any considerable 

 time, pigs are liable to be lost from its use. So far it has not been 

 demonstrated with swine that the poisonous effects of cottonseed- 

 meal can be obviated in any major quantity for any considerable 

 period of time, soaking, cooking and other remedies having been 

 tried. Iron sulphate mixed with cottonseedmeal is said to be of 

 value, but some cast a question on its efficacy. Anyhow, cotton- 

 seedmeal has not made much of an inroad into the corn-balancing 

 competition with our substantial supplementary feeds for swine 

 production, although it is used largely in the feeding of cattle. We 

 recommend to those who would use cottonseed meal that they alter- 

 nate it in the ration, feeding it for say two weeks and then discon- 

 tinuing it for say two weeks, alternating with meatmeal tankage or 

 milk or linseed oilmeal. 



Cull Beans. Beans are good for pork production, but had best 

 be cooked. They should also be fed as a partial ration. In prac- 

 tice considerable baking soda mixed with beans in cooking is said 

 to be of much advantage. Ordinarily culled beans can be bought 

 in the northeastern section of America to good advantage, but in 

 the cornbelt it is seldom that we see them. 



Gluten Feed. This feed has been disappointing in its results 

 with swine. It is a much better cattle and sheep feed. Swine 

 do not relish it when fed alone, although when mixed with milk they 

 take to it. As a lone supplement to corn it is inefficient and should 

 not be used in drylot in that manner. It is quite fibrous; in fact, 

 almost too much so for ideal fattening purposes. Our best results 

 have been secured with gluten feed when it has been mixed with 

 tankage, half and half, and allowed on rape pasture. In this case 



