158 



SWINE 



pound at the beginning of the feeding period, and rises 

 to .7 pound during the first seven weeks. Following this 

 it declines to .6 during four weeks' time, then maintains 

 a level of .65 pound for the next seven weeks. After this 

 the greater part of the nitrogenous feeds is removed from 

 the ration during four weeks' time and the pigs are fin- 

 ished principally on corn with just a little of some other 

 feed added. 



CUT 20; PROTEIN REQUIREMENT OF MARKET PIGS. 



The 1 amount of protein shown above need not be taken 

 as absolute, but should be modified to suit the length of 

 the feeding period. As practiced by the writer, the mar- 

 ket pig is fed for six months, from the third month to 

 the ninth month of its life, according to this formula. 

 Thus the pig is eight months old at the close of the feed- 

 ing period. With this practice the last eight weeks is 

 considered the fattening period, and the first 18 weeks 

 the growing period. This growing period is divided in 

 the middle by a period of four weeks, during which the 

 protein curve drops for the purpose of reducing the factor 

 of waste. With a short growing period a continuous in- 

 crease during the period would be all right, but when a 

 comparatively large quantity of protein is fed, for a con- 

 siderable length of time under practical conditions, the 

 tactor of waste apparently becomes so great that feeding 

 is relatively more unprofitable. 



It must be remembered that the quantity of protein 



