Value of Various Feeding Stuffs for Swine. 



517 



all, but in limited quantity at first, for if much is eaten digestive 

 derangements follow. As the kernels harden, the corn may be more 

 liberally supplied. Pigs that have grazed on clover, alfalfa, or 

 other pasture incur the least risk from new corn. Coburn^ quotes 

 Atkinson as stating that a given area of standing corn will go three 

 times as far after it begins to dent as it will if fed off when in the 

 roasting-ear condition. (16) The Virginia Station^ found that pigs 

 fed new ear corn made as good gains as others fed old corn. 



843. Soft com. — Coburn^ states that soft corn is considered ex- 

 cellent for swine and especially for young pigs, many breeders be- 

 lieving they can obtain better gains from soft than from sound, 

 hard corn. As soft corn contains less starch than mature corn, it is 

 advisable to feed some old corn for finishing. Soft corn may be used 

 during cold weather without danger, but should not be carried over 

 into the warm season, as it will ferment and thereby become unfit for 

 use. (154) 



844. Field feeding corn. — Gaumnitz, Wilson, and Bassett of the 

 Minnesota Station* turned 1 lot of pigs into ripe standing corn and 

 fed another lot ear corn in a yard, with the results shown in the fol- 

 lowing table. Rape sown broadcast in the corn field before the last 

 cultivation furnished succulent feed to the foraging lot, and both lots 

 received an allowance of wheat shorts. The amount of corn eaten 

 in the field was carefully estimated. 



Field feeding of corn compared with feeding corn in yard. 



How fed 



First trial 



Lot I, foraging corn 



Lot II, fed ear corn 



Second trial 



Lot I, foraging corn 



Lot II, fed ear corn 



32 



Length 

 of trial 



Days 

 49 

 49 



61 

 61 



Average 

 daily 

 gain 



Ear corn and 



siiorts for 

 100 lbs. gain 



Lbs. 



835* 

 1,042* 



635 



677 



•Weight of green corn used. 



The table shows that the foraging pigs made larger gains and re- 

 quired less concentrates for 100 lbs. gain than those fed ear corn. 

 The foraging pigs wasted no more corn than those fed in the yard, 

 picking it up as close as is usually done in husking. The cost of an- 

 nually fencing off the cornfields into small areas, $1 to $2.50 per 



Swine in America, p. 287. 

 ■ Bui. 167. 



Swine in America, p. 276. 

 Bui. 104. 



