120 SECOND THOUSAND QUESTIONS IN AGRICULTURE 



Moldy Corn for Hogs. 



Will it hurt hogs to feed them corn that has been piled over ct 

 place where horses have stood and got slightly moldy and sweated 

 in the fodder? 



Swine are less particular about the condition of their feed than 

 any of the other farm animals, and it might not hurt them to eat 

 slightly moldy corn if it is not fed top heavily. The safer plan, how- 

 ever, is to steam the corn before feeding it, or to scald it with boiling 

 hot water, if the inquirer refers to the grain, and in case fodder is 

 meant, to chop it fine and then treat it in the manner stated. In the 

 latter case the feed will be greatly improved in both palatability and 

 feeding value by the addition of some cane molasses. F. W. W. 



Cocoanut Meal for Swine. 



What value has cocoanut cake or meal as a feed for brood sows 

 and growing pigs? How can I make a balanced ration with it in con- 

 junction with barley and cooked potatoes? 



Cocoanut meal is mostly used for feeding cows in this country, 

 but it also makes a good swine feed when mixed with grain, or mill 

 feeds, although these animals do not relish it quite as well as do other 

 farm stock. It is of a medium protein content and high in fat, con- 

 taining on the average about twenty per cent protein and eight to ten 

 per cent fat, with a fiber content below ten per cent. It has the draw- 

 back that it turns rancid readily and is not palatable to stock when in 

 this condition. It is preferably fed in mixtures with other concen- 

 trates. If either skim milk, alfalfa meal, or alfalfa pasture is available, 

 a mixture of barley and cocoanut meal, equal parts by weight, or in 

 the proportion of 2:1 will give satisfactory results, fed with potatoes, 

 to brood sows and growing pigs. If neither skim milk nor alfalfa is 

 available, some other high-protein feed must be added in order to 

 balance the ration, and tankage is best adapted for this purpose. This 

 may be included in the ration to the extent of ten per cent of the 

 grain feed; if mixed with the barley and cocoanut meal in the propor- 

 tion given, this will make a very palatable ration for sows and growing 

 pigs. F. W. W. 



Hogs on Barley Alone. 



I have read that hogs fed entirely on barley had made gains of 

 100 pounds for each 418 pounds fed. Is that correct? Can young pigs 

 be successfully raised on a ration composed entirely of barley from 

 the time that they are weaned? We have no alfalfa. 



Approximately 425 pounds of barley are necessary for 100 pounds 

 of gain on hogs from weaning time up to market weight. The last 

 hundred pounds up to this time will undoubtedly take more grain 

 than this, if nothing but the grain is fed, but the earlier gains are 

 enough more economical to keep the average down to that amount. 

 Whether or not it is profitable to raise pigs in a small pen, fed on 



