PROFITABLE FEEDING BEFORE MATURITY. 133 



the cause of its requiring a greater amount of milk the 

 third week to produce a pound live weight, is explained by 

 a " derangement of the digestive organs during this week, 

 as shown in a tendency to constipation." He also remarks 

 that "the milk to produce a pound live weight constantly 

 increases." 



The experiment of 1868 was continued afterward for 

 twenty weeks, upon corn meal. This experiment was 

 divided into five periods of four weeks each. The amount 

 of corn meal required to make one pound live weight is : 

 first period, 3.81 pounds; second period, 4.05 pounds; 

 third period, 4.22 pounds; fourth period, 5.24 pounds; 

 fifth period, 5. 98 pounds. 



In 1869 another experiment was tried, with a larger num- 

 ber of pigs, and very nearly the same result in respect to 

 amount of meal required to produce one pound of live 

 weight, and substantially the same increase in quantity of 

 feed required to produce one pound of live weight as the 

 pigs grow larger and older. 



An examination of the meal experiment will show that 

 in the fifth period, when the pigs were from twenty-four to 

 twenty-eight weeks old, it took 75 per cent, more of meal to 

 make a pound of live pork, than in the first period, when 

 the pigs were from eight to twelve weeks old. And other 

 experiments have shown that this ratio of increase in food 

 to make a pound live weight, substantially goes on with 

 the age and weight of the pig. 



In 1874 the writer tried a similar experiment with ten 

 calves fed upon skim-milk. The calves and the milk fed 

 were weighed and calculated for each week. The first 

 week it required 11.02 pounds of milk for one pound of 

 gain; second week, 12.18 pounds; third week, 13.17 

 pounds; fourth week, 13.40 pounds; fifth week, 14.60 

 pounds; sixth week, 15.05 pounds; seventh week, 16.71 

 pounds; eighth week, 16.80 pounds; ninth week, 17.01 



