Feeding and Care of Pigs 



145 



TABLE XXXIV. AVERAGE VALUE OF AN ACRE OF FORAGE 

 IN REDUCING COST OF GAINS 



The above table illustrates the usual method of express- 

 ing the money value of an acre of forage. It should be 

 clearly understood, however, that these values are de- 

 termined by the saving in the cost of producing the gains 

 solely, and do not include a valuation of the important 

 benefits derived from the faster gains and earlier market 

 finish, as well as other advantages. It may be profitable 

 to grow forage crops even though the rent of the land and 

 the cost of growing the crop are greater than the returns 

 gotten when expressed by the above method of valuation. 



It should also be pointed out in this connection that 

 the effect of limiting the grain feed to pigs on forage at 

 the point where only fair gains are made, or so as to secure 

 the same gains on forage as are made in the dry lot, is to 

 increase the value of the crops when estimated by this 

 method. For example, if two lots of pigs, one in the dry 

 lot and one on forage, are fed the amounts of grain which 

 will insure the same average rate of gain in both lots, the 

 showing of the forage crop would be much better than 

 if both lots had been full fed for maximum gains. The 

 average results shown in Table XXXIII are less favorable 



