CHAPTER XXVII 



FEEDING AND CARE OP SWINE 



I. General Problems in Swine Husbandry 



The pig excels all other farm animals in the economy with which 

 he converts feed into edible flesh, requiring but 4 to 5 lbs. of dry 

 matter to produce a pound of gain, while fattening cattle require 

 from 10 to 12 lbs. The pig yields from 75 to 80 per ct. of his live 

 weight as dressed carcass; the steer only 55 to 65 per ct. Moreover, 

 pigs will profitably utilize many by-products of the farm otherwise 

 lost, such as dairy by-products and kitchen and garden waste, as well 

 as grains that cannot otherwise be disposed of profitably. No other 

 line of stock farming can so quickly be brought to profitable produc- 

 tion with limited capital invested in stock and equipment as can the 

 making of meat from the pig. Due to this efficiency in producing 

 human food, pigs steadily increase in importance as population becomes 

 more dense. 



Practically every farmer should raise and fatten pigs, for family 

 consumption if not for market, in order to save feed that would other- 

 wise be wasted. In many cases he should not only fatten his pigs 

 but also slaughter them and market the cured products, obtaining 

 increased profits even tho the undertaking be a small one. 



Rate and economy of gains by pigs. — The economy with which 

 pigs of different weights convert feed into meat is shown in the follow- 

 ing table, summarizing the data from over 500 feeding trials with more 

 than 2,200 pigs at many American experiment stations. In this table 

 6 lbs. of skim milk or 12 lbs. of whey is rated as equal to 1 lb. of con- 

 centrates. 



Relation of weight of pigs to feed consumed and rate of gain 



347 



