THE PIG. 465 



system. Corn or corn-meal is very inadequate for this pur- 

 pose, it being 66 per cent, starch, 7 per cent, fat, and only 

 about 10 per cent, nitrogenous food, with too small a por- 

 tion of phosphate of lime to build the bones. We have 

 seen the worst results from attempts to grow good pigs upon 

 corn-meal alone. We saw one case of three pigs fed upon 

 corn-meal, prepared in the best way, to induce them to eat 

 largely of it with the expectation of producing a large 

 growth at an early age. The result was, that, at 130 days old, 

 these pigs were mere squabs of fat, almost spherical in form, 

 and their bones and muscles so weak that two of them could 

 not stand but a moment, and had to sit upon their haunches ; 

 yet these pigs only weighed 90 Ibs. each at least 40 Ibs. 

 less than if they had been fed a proper ration. It is very un- 

 skillful feeding that will not produce an average growth of 

 one pound live weight per day. If the feeder has plenty of 

 skim-milk, then cooked corn-meal mixed with the milk 

 makes a very desirable ration the skim-milk being rich in 

 albuminoids and the mineral elements necessary to grow a 

 muscular and rangy young animal. Length and breadth of 

 body are necessary to build rapid growth upon. This devel- 

 opment cannot be attained without the proper food ; but 

 with either of the rations above recommended, and es- 

 pecially the skim-milk and corn-meal ration, the best 

 result may be reached. Skim-milk alone has too large a 

 proportion of albuminoids to carbo-hydrates, being about 

 four-ninths of muscle-forming food, or 1 of casein and 

 albumen to 1.25 of milk, sugar and oil. The proportion 

 should be, as in whole milk, 1 to 2.25. If, then, one quart 

 of skim-milk is added to 1 Ib. of cooked corn-meal, the 

 starch and oil of the meal will make the proportion right ; 

 and, fed in this way, a quart of skim-milk is about equal, 

 in food value, to a pound of corn-meal; or 112 Ibs. of 

 skim-milk fed with 56 Ibs. of cooked corn-meal, is equal in 

 growth of pork to two bushels of corn. But if the milk 



