1889.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 459 



III. Feeding Experiments with Pias : Skim Milk, 

 Corn IVIeal, Corn and Cob Meal, Wheat Bran and 

 Gluten Meal. 



Our annual report for 1887 contains a description of seven 

 successive feeding experiments with growing pigs, which 

 were instituted mainly for the purpose of ascertaining the 

 cost of the feed required for the production of a definite 

 weight of dressed pork. 



In the first and second cases, creamery buttermilk and 

 home-made skim milk with corn meal had furnished the sole 

 ingredients of the daily diet of the animals on trial ; whilst, 

 during the five succeeding ones, wheat bran and gluten meal 

 had been added as fodder constituents. (For details, see 

 Fifth Annual Report, pages 55 to 83.) 



In comparing the final results of the difierent experiments 

 from a financial stand-point, adopting in all cases, for obvi- 

 ous reasons, a corresponding local market value of the 

 fodder articles used, it was found that feeding skim milk or 

 creamery buttermilk and corn meal in connection with wheat 

 bran and gluten meal, as described in the Fifth Annual 

 Report, experiments III., IV., V., VI., VII., had lessened 

 the net cost of production of dressed pork. 



This reduction appeared, however, to be due in the 

 majority of experiments (III., IV., V. and VI.,) rather to a 

 higher commercial value of the manurial refuse resulting, 

 than to a higher nutritive effect of the stated change in the 

 character of the diet. The results obtained in the seventh 

 experiment alone furnished an exception to this circum- 

 stance ; for, in this case, the smallest quantity of the total 

 weight of the dry feed consumed showed not only a high 

 commercial value of the manurial refuse resulting, but also 

 the highest nutritive effect. The subsequent reprinted sum- 

 mary of the seven experiments may serve as a further illus- 

 tration of the previous discussion. 



