FEEDING SWINE 



297 



The greater economy of young growing pigs as compared with 

 older ones for making gains from a given amount of feed is plainly 

 seen from the table and accompanying chart. While pigs of less 

 than 50 pounds live weight require only 293 pounds of feed per 100 

 pounds gain, pigs weighing 150 to 200 pounds require 482 pounds, 

 and hogs weighing over 300 pounds require 535 pounds per 100 

 pounds gain. This difference does not represent one of actual feed 

 value in the products, however, as the carcass of the mature hog con- 

 tains more dry matter and more fat than that of young animals, but 

 the feeder selling young animals has the 'benefit of the situation, as 

 he is paid for the total weight furnished, and not only for the dry 

 matter or edible portion of the carcass. 



Fig. 73.— Well-fed, busy youngsters that will grow into good porkers. (Henry.) 



Eesults similar to those shown in the preceding table were ob- 

 tained in the extensive swine-feeding experiments conducted at the 

 Copenhagen station during the nineties. 3 In these trials it required, 

 on the average, 376 feed units to produce 100 pounds of gain with 

 pigs weighing from 35 to 75 pounds each, and 639 pounds with hogs 

 of 275 to 315 pounds weight, there being a gradual increase from the 

 former to the latter figure with increasing weights of animals fed. 



Preparation of Feed for Swine. — It has been shown that the 

 digestibility of feeding stuffs is not, as a rule, materially altered by 

 different methods of preparation, like cooking, cutting, grinding, 

 rolling, etc. (p. 67). In view of the special importance of this 



8 Report 30, 1895; Exp. Sta. Record 7, p. 245. 



