Investigations with Swine. 



509 



such as that Station used for summer shelter in the pastures. Check 

 lots were kept in the well built Station piggery, which afforded much 

 greater protection. Wheat shorts and gluten and oil meals were fed 

 all lots with the following results : 



Open compared ivith closed winter quarters for pigs in Canada. 



It is shown that, while both lots made about the same daily gain, 

 the pigs in the colder quarters required 160 lbs. more concentrates 

 for 100 lbs. of gain, or 44 per ct. more feed than those in warm 

 quarters. Grisdale reports that brood sows in the board houses re- 

 quired only 25 per ct. more feed, showing that large animals can 

 withstand severe cold better than small ones. The health of the 

 animals w^as good under both conditions. Shelton of the Kansas 

 Agricultural College^ found that during a cold winter large hogs in 

 warm quarters likewise required 25 per ct. less feed than those in 

 exposed quarters. (495, 734) 



829. Wintering old brood sows. — Grisdale of the Ottawa Experi- 

 mental Farms,- wintering 27 mature brood sows in single-board 

 cabins, found the average total food consumed per head from No- 

 vember 1 to March 31 (133 days) to be: 



Bran 221 pounds 



Shorts 106 pounds 



Roots 1,260 pounds 



Clover hay _ 69 pounds 



Grisdale reports that if young sows are to be kept thrifty and 

 growing in winter they must get more meal than older sows. 



830. Length of fattening period. — At the Wisconsin Station^ the 

 author fed in pens 18 pigs of good breeding and high feeding powers 

 a ration consisting of one part wheat middlings and two parts ground 

 corn, with salt and wood ashes additional. The gains by weeks and 

 by 4-week periods were as shown on the next page. 



It is seen that the heaviest and most economical gains were made 

 early, and that as the trial progressed the weekly gains diminished 

 and the feed consumed for 100 lbs. of gain steadily increased. 

 Grouping the results into 4-week periods, we find that for the first 



' Ept. Prof. Agr., 1883. = Ept. 1909. ' Ept. 1897. 



