132 HARRIS ON THE PIG 



The five pigs that died were in five different pens, feeding 

 on different food. But it appears that they all belonged 

 to one of the purchased lots of eight, and possibly to one 

 litter, and, as Messrs. Lawes and Gilbert remark, "the 

 loss was probably due to the bad constitution of the ani- 

 mals." The weather, however, was very hot, and unfa- 

 vorable to the health of pigs kept closely confined and 

 fed on rich food. 



The gain of some of the pigs in this series was quite 

 remarkable. Thus, in pen 2, which was allowed 3 Ibs. of 

 barley-meal per pig, per day, and bean and lentil meal 

 ad libitum, one of the pigs gained 120 Ibs. in eight 

 weeks, or 15 Ibs. a week. Lj the same pen, the other two 

 pigs gained, one 65 Ibs., and the other 99 Ibs., during the 

 same period, and on the same food. In pen 5, with bar- 

 ley-meal alone, ad libitum^ one of the pigs gained 142 

 Ibs. in the eight weeks, or 17 3 1 4 Ibs. a week. One of the 

 other pigs in this pen gained 87 Ibs., and the other pig 

 died. 



It is very evident from these experiments that the suc- 

 cess of a pig-feeder will depend much more on good judg- 

 ment in selecting, or on care in breeding, the pigs he in- 

 tends to fatten, than on the particular kind of grain given 

 to them. 



The best result of any pen in this series was where the 

 pigs were allowed a mixture of 1 part bran, 2 parts bean 

 and lentil meal (say pea-meal), and 3 parts barley-meal. 

 The three pigs on this food gained 310 Ibs. in eight weeks, 

 or within two pounds of 13 Ibs. each per week. Another 

 pen, having precisely the same food, gave almost exactly 

 the same gain, or 307 Ibs. in eight weeks. An adjoining 

 pen, having the same food, but a greater proportion of 

 bean and lentil meal, and less barley-meal, gained 283 Ibs. 

 in the eight weeks, or about 11 s | 4 Ibs. each per week. One 

 hundred pounds of the former mixture gave 20 Ibs. of in- 

 crease j of the latter, 18 1 1 4 Ibs. 



