604 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



kinds of milk ; for 2,250 pounds of corn meal fed with 1,533 

 gallons of skim-milk had produced 990| pounds of dressed 

 pork, whilst 2,211 pounds of corn meal fed with 1,899 gal- 

 lons of creamery buttermilk had yielded, under otherwise 

 corresponding circumstances, 889| pounds of dressed pork, 

 as the total returns from six pigs on each side. It was 

 stated on that occasion, that, in our opinion, a more judi- 

 cious distribution of an increased proportion of corn meal, in 

 case of the skim-milk diet had evidently rendered the latter, 

 pound for pound, more efficient during the second experi- 

 ment, as compared with the first. 



Having adopted the same local market prices of the three 

 articles, which served in the daily diet during both experi- 

 ments, — corn meal per ton, $22.50; skim-milk, 1.8 cents 

 per gallon ; buttermilk, 1.37 cents per gallon, — it was found 

 that the cost of feed consumed, per pound of dressed pork 

 produced, in the first experiment, amounted in case of the 

 creamery buttermilk diet to 4.6 cents, in case of the skim- 

 milk diet to 5.8 cents ; whilst in the second experiment it 

 amounted, in case of the former to 4.2 cents, and in case 

 of the latter to 4.85 cents. In calculating the cost of the 

 food consumed in each case on the above-stated market prices ^ 

 the creamery buttermilk had proved the cheaper article ; the 

 higher nutritive value of the more concentrated shim-milk 

 from our dairy had been more than offset by the lower mar- 

 ket price of the creainery buttermilk. The adoption of an 

 equal market price per gallon of skim-milk and of creamery 

 buttermilk, 1.37 cents per gallon, would have caused a reduc- 

 tion in the above-stated cost of feed, per pound of dressed 

 pork, of from .65 to .75 cents in favor of the skim-milk. 



Before proceeding with the description of the five suc- 

 ceeding experiments, it seems advisable to offer a few 

 explanatory remarks regarding the standpoint assumed in 

 the planning and management of the work here under 

 discussion. In the published detailed record of the second 

 feeding experiment (see Third Annual Report), it may 

 be noticed that the character of the daily diet was 

 changed from time to time by adding a larger propor- 

 tion of corn meal to a given amount of skim-milk, or 

 buttermilk. The quantity of feed offered daily to the ani- 



