Miscellaneous ^Studies — Xuiritio)i Problems. 99 



The pigs in the experiment were fed as follows : 



Lot I, Basal ration, poor in phosphorus. 

 Lot II, Basal ration -f- precipitated calcium phosphate. 

 Lot III, Basal ration-j- bone ash. 

 Lot IV, Basal ration-j- ground rock phosphate. 



Lot V, Ration of unwashed wheat bran, rice, and wheat gluten, used 

 as a check. 



For a considerable period all the pigs throve fairly well, the no 

 ration was entirely satisfactory. As time went on, those in Lot I 

 fell behind the others; they had no appetite and remained lying 

 down ; later they lost control of their hind quarters and had to be 

 carried to the trough at feeding time: they had reached a broken- 

 down condition. At the end of 4 months when a pig of each lot 

 was slaughtered, the findings given below were obtained : 



Feeding scant and full allowance of organic and inorganic pliosphorus to 



pigs. 



The pigs of the first lot, getting little phosphorus, had light, 

 weak thigh bones, of low specific gravity and low in ash. The 

 ones getting a liberal supply of inorganic phosphorus, especially 

 those fed ground rock phosphate, had heavier skeletons than either 

 the low-phosphate lot or even those getting organic phosphate in 

 the unwashed bran. The thigh bones of the rock-phosphate lot 

 were the largest in size and the highest in ash and specific gravity. 



In general the pigs getting inorganic phosphorus— precipitated 

 calcium phosphate, bone ash, or ground rock phosphate — grew as 

 fast as or faster than those fed organic phosphorus supplied in the 

 unwashed wheat bran. From this it seems settled that pigs, at 

 least, can digest and build into their skeletons inorganic phos- 

 phorus and lime when supplied in such forms as precipitated cal 



