134 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



ceous matter. Of course, the more nitrogenous matter we 

 get in addition the bet cr. But still, our foods for fattening 

 pigs are much more likely to be deficient in available carbon 

 than any other constituent. For every pound of nitrogenous 

 matter found in a fat pig, the pig has probably consumed ten 

 pounds in its food. Of mineral matter the excess in the food 

 is even still greater. For our present purpose, therefore, we 

 may confine our attention to the available carbonaceous matter 

 in the food. It will be seen that one hundred pounds of corn, 

 over and above the food required to susta'n the vital functions, 

 is capable of producing one hundred and forty-six pounds of 

 "store" pig. 



After the pigs had been shut up to fatten ten weeks, Lawes 

 & Gilbert killed and analyzed another pig from the same 

 litter as the above. He weighed one hundred and eighty- 

 five pounds and contained seventy-eight pounds of fat. 



The amount of corn required to produce this one hundred 

 and eighty-five pounds of fat pig, therefore, over and above 

 the amount required to sustain the vital functions, would be 

 two hundred and twenty-eight pounds ; or, one hundred 

 pounds of corn would produce eighty-one pounds of fat pig. 

 Of the actual growth in live-weight of the pig shut up to 

 fatten, it will require, over and above the food required to 

 sustain the vital functions, one hundred pounds of corn to 

 produce fifty-four pounds of increase. In other words, two 

 pounds of corn will produce a little more than one pound of 

 increase. 



I think these figures are worth looking at. I can hardly 

 think it is good economy to keep a pig nine months to get 

 ninety-four pounds of live-weight. Some people seem to 

 think that it is necessary to keep pigs in a "store condition" 

 to enable them to lay up flesh. They think if we kept them 

 fattening from the start we should get little lean meat. I do 

 not think there is any truth in this idea. This store pig 

 analyzed by Lawes & Gilbert contained, in the carcase, 

 eight pounds two ounces of dry, lean meat. After fattening 

 ten weeks longer, his brother contained fourteen pounds one 

 ounce of dry, lean meat. In other words, nine months of 

 store feeding give us eight pounds of dry, lean meat, and ten 

 weeks of fattening feeding give us six pounds. We get less 



