220 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [J 



an. 



fed is limited. There remains a large surplus of skim-milk, 

 which the farmer usually feeds to pigs. This I look upon 

 as the most important farm use of this product ; and my sub- 

 ject then resolves itself into a consideration of the most 

 profitable methods of feeding skim-milk to pigs. Many of 

 you have been doing this all your lives, and very likely you 

 could teach me much upon the subject ; but, in the hope 

 that something I shall say may set you to thinking, may 

 perchance l)c a hint in the right direction, I crave your 

 attention for yet a little longer. 



At the outset, in considering methods of feeding skim- 

 milk to pigs, I desire to say a few words as to the kind of 

 pigs to be selected ; for upon the proper selection of the 

 animals the financial result will largely depend. Nothing 

 is better known among farmers at the present day, perhaps, 

 than that the results of feeding varj^ with the animal ; and 

 yet not a few among your number exercise less care in the 

 selection of your swine than would, I believe, pay. Without 

 attempting to decide among all the different breeds, I pro- 

 pose to point out the present tendency of the popular taste, 

 which makes itself felt in our markets, as well as the 

 leadinoj characteristics of each of the more common breeds 

 of swine. 



While a few years ago the demand was for a large and 

 excessively fat hog, and while it is even yet true that our 

 markets take many such, it is equally true that the highest 

 prices are ol)tained for a younger animal, neither over-large 

 nor over-fat. With increasing familiarity Avith the quality 

 of the ham, bacon and pork from such animals, the taste 

 and demand for them can but increase ; and when it is 

 recognized, as I hope to make clear later, that pound for 

 pound the production of such pork costs less than the pro- 

 duction of the large, over-fat article, the advisability of a 

 change in practice must be evident. As a rule, you feed 

 your pigs too long ; you have animals of too slow a habit of 

 growth, not coming to maturity early enough. 



In the second place, our Massachusetts markets demand 

 white pigs. It is indeed true that in the great pork-produc- 

 ing sections of the country the leading breeds are the Berk- 

 shire and the Poland-China, both breeds which are nearly all 



