472 FEEDING ANIMALS. 



summer, why not nicely-cured clover hay in winter ? 

 Having established the necessity of grass, in its season, for 

 the promotion of health, the writer experimented also on 

 the use of clover hay in winter as an addition to the grain 

 ration. 



Having four pigs of the same age, and about the same 

 weight, they were divided into two lots of two each. Each 

 lot weighed 150 Ibs. at the commencement of the experi- 

 ment. One lot was fed corn-meal, wet up with hot water, 

 and allowed to stand some ten or twelve hours. The other 

 lot was fed about two quarts each of short-cut clover-hay, 

 mixed with corn-meal, wet up with hot water, and allowed 

 to stand the same length of time. Each lot was fed with- 

 out stint upon its ration, and the experiment continued for 

 120 days. As in the experiment with grass, the lot on 

 clover-hay and meal had the best appetite, ate the most 

 steadily and showed greater thrift ; but the lot on meal 

 alone were apparently healthier than those on meal alone 

 in the other experiment; but they were older, and, the 

 weather being colder, were not so feverish. This latter lot 

 gained 110 pounds per head ; whilst the lot on clover, hay 

 and meal gained 143 Ibs. each, or 30 per cent. more. Since 

 this we have often fed pigs upon fibrous food in winter, and 

 always successfully. Feeding clover-hay in winter may be 

 novel ; but why should it not be considered as appropriate 

 to feed pigs clover-hay in winter, as to feed cattle or horses 

 clover-hay in winter ? The pig eats green clover in sum- 

 mer, if he can get it, as profitably as the cow or horse ; and 

 when farmers understand the true system of feeding, clover- 

 hay will generally make part of the winter ration of pigs. 



COB-MEAL AS PIG FOOD. 



As bearing upon the necessity for coarse food in the 

 ration, we will give some experiments made with the meal 

 of corn and cob ground together. 



