AUTHOR'S METHOD OF FEEDING 189 



feed pigs. Swine feeding from this point of view is put 

 upon the basis of taking a basket of corn and throwing it 

 across the fence into the feed lot. This, however, is not 

 even the first principle of practical and successful swine 

 feeding. 



A bunch of pigs should be given their feed in such a 

 manner that each individual pig gets its proportionate 

 part of the various food nutrients of the ration. Further- 

 more, the ration should supply the pigs the required 

 amounts of each of the different nutrients. Various 

 conditions, as already noted, may modify the total amount 

 of feed that might be consumed by the particular bunch 

 of pigs in question, to the best advantage. 



In general, pigs should be fed in small droves and these 

 should be made up of individuals of the same age, as well 

 as of the same size. As already learned, the requirement 

 of a pig gradually changes as he grows older and heavier; 

 consequently, if pigs are to be fed together, they should 

 be of the same size and age in order to require the same 

 quantity of feed. If pigs of different sizes are fed to- 

 gether, the larger ones are likely to get more than their 

 proportionate part because they will crowd the smaller 

 ones away from the trough. Any system of feeding ac- 

 cording to which the pig may be given its feed that will 

 fulfill these conditions, is a good system. The several 

 methods of administering the ration may be considered 

 as follows : 



The Feed Trough. This may be set in the fence paral- 

 lel to the fence so that the feeder can approach the 

 trough from the outside and the pigs from the inside of 

 the feed lot. A panel may be placed immediately above 

 the trough and hung at either end of the upper side. By 

 having a latch slipping crosswise at the center of this 



