164 SWINE 



for instance, such a ration is never as good as one that 

 contains more feeds. The greater the number of feeds 

 the better the ration. This is true because different feeds 

 contain different materials, some of which probably are 

 not as yet differentiated from the regular classes of nutri- 

 ents, but at the same time are necessary in the metabo- 

 lism of the pig. In order to be sure to supply these as 

 nearly as possible, and in order to make the ration pala- 

 table, it is always better when it contains a large number 

 of feeds rather than a small number. 



THE APPETITE OF THE PIG. 



The total amount of digestible nutrients needed by a 

 pig, or rather the total amount that he can use to the best 

 advantage, is determined very largely by the pig's appe- 

 tite. A pig that is put on full feed seemingly will not 

 make the gains in live weight that he would if he were fed 

 a little less than this. However, the amount of feed that 

 will be eaten depends largely upon the extent to which 

 the pig's appetite has been developed, which is deter- 

 mined by the way he has been bred and by his ability to 

 use the digested material. The latter depends upon vari- 

 ous conditions. While the quantities of digestible nutri- 

 ents specified previously are given as the amounts neces- 

 sary to produce the best results, it is not necessarily true 

 that all pigs will eat this quantity. In fact, under certain 

 conditions, they could not eat this much under any con- 

 sideration. At other times this function of the pig will be 

 developed to such an extent that he may use to the best 

 advantage even considerably more. In order to develop 

 a pig's appetite he should never be overfed. If once he is 

 overfed, he will probably never again eat as much as he 

 would if this had not happened. Furthermore, the 



