Maine Agricultural Experiment Station. 1918. 



the superintendent found convenient. In general the swine 

 were fed cooked turnips with adition of ground feed. Corn 

 on the cob was occasionally thrown over the manure to keep 

 the swine at work stirring the manure. During the little over 

 6 months the swine were fed 600 pounds of small cull potatoes, 

 9130 pounds of turnips, 1375 pounds of middlings, 1030 pounds 

 of corn meal, 300 pounds of soy bean meal and 2090 pounds 

 of corn on the cob. This corn on the cob included the soft 

 ears and nubbins and smaller ears after the better part of the 

 corn had been selected for seed. It took about 15 minutes a 

 day to feed and care for the swine and from one to two hours a 

 week to cook the mash. The total time spent on the care and 

 feeding was 85 hours. The food used cost $121.80. The cost 

 of the labor was $17.50. These items added to the purchase 

 j>rice ($48.00) of the pigs made the entire cost $187.30. The 

 -pigs at the end of the experiment were sold for $218.40 leaving 

 a cash income balance of $31.10. The value of the manure was 

 sufficient to more than meet any charges for investment and 

 upkeep. Based on the cost of the pigs the percentage gain was 

 65 per cent. Based upon the total cost it was a little over 15 

 per cent. 



Beside being directly profitable swine materially improve 

 farm manure, particularly that dropped by horses and sheep. 

 It is a conservative estimate that the plant food annually voided 

 by farm animals and poultry in Maine has a potential value of 

 about $10,000,000 dollars, and it is doubtful if by present meth- 

 ods of care one-half of this plant food actually finds its way 

 back to the soil. The trials reported last year in Bulletin 260 

 with the manure platform and swine indicate that by a little 

 care most of this plant food can be saved. In the 2 years 

 that the platform has been used the swine have made a good 

 return on the investment and the added plant food saved was 

 all clear profit. And in many instances this conserved plant 

 food will be the difference between keeping live stock at a 

 profit or keeping them at a loss. 



