FEEDING SUGAR TO PIGS. 311 



while not of the very first quality, brought a very satisfactory 

 price on the market. The French experiments were upon the 

 same lines. By commencing w r ith 60 grams per diem (2. 10 oz. ) 

 it is possible to force the consumption of oleomargarine to 480 

 grams (about 1 Ib. ) for two calves, this being combined with 

 about 18 quarts of skimmed milk. At first about ^ of an 

 ounce of sugar was used for every quart of milk fed. These 

 experiments lasted from November until February. The orig- 

 inal weight of the calves was llOlbs., and their final weight 

 311 Ibs., the daily increase being about 2.3 Ibs. 



Practical experiments in Germany seem to show r that there is Feeding sugar 

 more money to be made in feeding sugar to pigs at the actual to P'9 S - 

 price of the market, than to sell it in its raw state. Examples 

 may be given showing that when sugar was selling at $2 per 

 cwt. the resulting increase in swine flesh was worth more than 

 double that amount. Hence if pound per pound increase can 

 be gained by sugar feeding there is that much financial profit. 



Experiments in Germany were made upon pigs undergoing 

 two modes of feeding: one with and the other without sugar. 

 The increase in one case w r as 570 grams per diem, and the other 

 600 grams, which data, however, offers nothing especially char- 

 acteristic or interesting. 



It was proposed that the protein percentage should be in- 

 creased in the rations during a period of four weeks, the normal 

 ration with four pigs being per individual and per diem 550 

 grams while with sugar it was 1 kilo. This increase of weight 

 of 1 kilo per diem, Maercker says, is a new departure in pig 

 feeding, and in order to be profitably applied, it demands spe- 

 cial privileges in the way of government taxation. This, it is 

 thought, may be a starting point for numerous changes in the 

 whole question. 



The most recent experiments in this direction were with a 

 ration consisting of potatoes, milk, crushed barley and sugar, 

 having a nutritive ratio of 1:8, feeding as much as 12 kilos of 

 sugar per 1000 kilos live weight; pigs of an average weight of 

 50 kilos to 55 kilos showed an increase in weight per diem of 

 957 grams, while without sugar, and using the same ration, the 

 increase was only 500 grams. 



