512 



Feeds and Feeding. 



and then eat sparingly, only to follow Mdtli another gorge. They 

 seemed to thrive best with abundant pasture and bulky food. The 

 second cross with the improved breeds produced pigs of fine form 

 that were good feeders. None were immune from hog cholera, the 

 original pair dying of that disease. Carlyle writes: "These trials 

 show that this cross with razorbacks is capable of improving certain 

 weaknesses in our pure-bred Berkshires and Poland Chinas." 



Unmixed razorhachs compared until cross-hreds. 



Stoekbridge of the Florida Station,^ comparing razorbacks with 

 pure-bred Duroc-Jerseys, found that the natives gained equally well 

 and gave a larger percentage of meat, which was superior in qual- 

 ity. (100) 



835. Spayed and unspayed sows. — At the Utah Station- Foster 

 and Merrill secured a daily gain of 0.82 lb. with spayed sows and 

 0.86 lb. with unspayed sows, no difference in their appetites being 

 noticed. 



836. Barrows v. sows. — In feeding trials mostly by the author at 

 the Wisconsin Station,^ the weights and gains of 98 sows and an 

 equal number of barrows were as follows: 



Sows Barrows 



Av. weight at beginning of feeding period, pounds 136 144 



Av. gain per animal during feeding period, pounds _.. 102 107 



It is shown that the barrows, weighing somewhat more than the 

 sows, made slightly better gains. Data obtained in feeding 1,216 

 pigs at the Copenhagen (Denmark) Station* showed practically no 

 difference between barrows and sows as to gain, shrinkage, or quality 

 of carcass. (507) 



837. Proportion of carcass.— Coburn^ gives the following in re- 

 lation to the percentage of dressed carcass that pigs will yield on 

 slaughtering after being deprived of feed for 12 hours; 



Per ct. Per ct. 



carcass carcass 



Live weight, 100 lbs 72 Live weight, 250 lbs.._-— 77 



Live weight, 150 lbs 73 Live weight, 300 lbs 79 



Live weight, 200 lbs 75 Live weight, 350-500 lbs. .. 80-87 



= Rpt. 1901. ^Epts. 1897-1906. ' Swine in America, p. 535. 



" Bui. 70. ' Ept. 1895. 



