FEEDING SWINE 423 



the lime he thinks would improve the combination. But 

 very little salt seems to be needed by swine. 



Water for swine seems to have an unusual place in the 

 animal economy; for, besides its customary use as a drink, 

 it is used extensively to prepare slop foods, and is also highly 

 esteemed by the hog for bathing purposes. In cold weather 

 hogs do not drink so heavily, excepting through slop feed, 

 but in warm weather they need more water. Commenting 

 on the fact that a new born pig's body consists of 80 per cent 

 water, while that of a fat hog weighing 400 pounds con- 

 tains 35 per cent, Prof. Evvard says.* 



"The main point is that all pigs require a lot of water regardless of 

 their own water content and we should aim to give it to them Hberally. 

 We should allow more water in summer than in winter, because of the 

 higher tempei'ature. Some of our sows in January drank around four 

 pounds of water per head daily, whereas in April they daily drank 24 

 pounds. The water consumption per pound of dry matter ranged from 

 1.3 pound in cold winter up to 7.6 pounds in warm springtime." 



Pigs greatly relish a bath in warm weather, and will 

 throw themselves down in any wet place, and wallow. They 

 do not cool off as freely as other animals by the radiation 

 of moisture from the pores of the skin, and so obtain relief in 

 a wallow. Some of the more progressive swine growers sup- 

 ply drinking water to the stock through fountains attached 

 to barrels holding water, and also provide shallow con- 

 crete-lined bathing pools. 



The feeding of the brood sow prior to farrowing calls for 

 a ration fairly rich in protein. For fall farrowing, a legume 

 pasture, or rape forage, and corn make an excellent diet. 

 If for spring farrowing, then during the winter it is advisable 

 to feed a little leafy alfalfa or clover hay and a mixture of 

 10 parts corn, 5 parts middlings and 1 part tankage or meat 

 meal. Prof. Smith states f that a mature sow in breeding 

 condition can be maintained, as a rule, by a little less than 

 one and one fourth pounds of average grain daily for each 100 

 pounds of live weight. The brood sow should be brought to 



*Pamphlet published in 1921 by Hampshire Swine Association. 

 tPork Production, 1920. 



