1909.] Suggestions for Pig-Feeders. 723 



2*5 lb., the. heaviest pig weighing 3*6 lb., and the lightest 

 1 '6 lb. By weighing the young pigs regularly for seven- 

 teen weeks it was found that they gained in weight on the 

 average i'g lb. in the first week, 3*1 lb. in the fifth week, 

 4 lb. in the seventh, 5*4 lb. in the tenth, 5*9 lb. in the four- 

 teenth, and 7*6 in the seventeenth week. The average gain 

 for the last seven weeks amounted to 6 lb. per week per pig, 

 and at the end of the seventeenth week the pigs were gaining 

 over 1 lb. each per day. This will be clear from the table 

 immediately above. 



Food Consumed by Growing Pigs. — The average daily 

 gain of pigs of different sizes, together with the food con- 

 sumed per pig per day, and per 100 lb. live weight per day, 

 and the average amount of food required to produce 100 lb. 

 of gain, is shown in the following table* : — 



Weight of 

 pigs. 



Average 

 weight of 

 .pigs. 



Average 

 food eaten 

 per day. 



Food eaten per 



100 lb. live 

 weight per day. 



Average 



gain 

 per day. 



Food \ 

 per 100 lb. 

 gained. 



lb. 



lb. 



lb. 



lb. 



lb. 



lb. 



15-50 



38 



2-23 



5'95 



076 



293 



50-100 



78 



3*35 



4'32 



083 



400 



100-150 



128 



479 



375 



I - IO 



437 



150-200 



174 



5*9i 



3 '43 



1-24 



482 



200-250 



226 



6-57 



2-91 



1 '33 



498 



These figures represent the result of a very large number 

 of trials made at experiment stations in America, and may 

 be accepted as authoritative. One pound of grain has been 

 taken as equal to 6 lb. of skim milk or 12 lb. of whey, these 

 being the equivalent values as found in practical tests made 

 in Denmark. The figures show conclusively that whereas the 

 larger animals make the greatest daily gains, the smaller 

 pigs make the most economical gains, 293 lb. of food produc- 

 ing 100 lb. gain in the case of pigs averaging 38 lb., or less 

 than 3 lb. of food per lb. of gain, while 437 lb. of food produce 

 the same gain in pigs scaling 128 lb., or nearly 4J lb. of fobd 

 per lb. of gain, and, finally, it takes 498 lb. for the same 

 result in pigs weighing 226 lb., or 5 lb. of food per lb. of 

 gain. 



The foregoing figures may be compared with those ob- 



* Henry, op. cit., p. 551. 



