i9io.] Suggestions for Pig-Feeders. 



827 



An experiment at Wisconsin* showed that when skim milk 

 was added to the ration the pigs ate much larger quantities 

 of grain and made much greater daily gains, thus bringing 

 about more rapid fattening. For four weeks the ration con- 

 sisted of ground maize, ground rye and shorts in equal parts, 

 and then skim milk was added for seven weeks. During the 

 former period cross-bred pigs consumed 566 lb. of grain per 

 100 lb. of gain, but during the latter only 331 lb. of grain, 

 each 100 lb. of skim milk then used saving 6*26 lb. of grain. 



Investigations at the Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, f 

 showed that for young and growing pigs skim milk may 

 with advantage and economy form the largest part of the 

 ration, but for fattening pigs averaging over 100 lb. live 

 weight it is economical to give not more than 5 lb. of skim 

 milk per head per day, as it is found to give the best return 

 when it constitutes but a small part of the total ration. Skim 

 milk was considered to be worth one-sixth to one-eighth as 

 much as mixed grain. 



Jordan calculates,! on the basis of Henry's experiments, 

 that in a ration composed of maize meal and skim milk, the 

 greatest efficiency is obtained with 1 lb. of the meal to 1-3 lb. 

 skim milk, and other experiments give similar testimony. 

 The authority quoted says that "probably no combination has 

 been found more satisfactory for all-round use than skim 

 milk, wheat middlings, and corn (maize) meal, the latter 

 constituting the larger proportion of the grain food." He 

 deprecates, however, the excessive use of maize, although 

 considering it second to no other grain if properly reinforced 

 with more nitrogenous foods. 



Sour Skim Milk. — Experiments at the Vermont Experiment 

 Station || appear to show that there is little difference as 

 regards feeding value for pigs between sweet and sour skim 

 milk, but there was perhaps a slight difference in favour of 

 sour milk. In two trials with quite young pigs the food 

 eaten for 100 lb. gain was as given in the table on the 

 next page. 



Scheven found § that 100 lb. of gain were produced by 

 1,613 lb. of sweet or 1,545 lb. of sour skim milk. 



* Wisconsin Exp. Sta. Rept., 1902-3, p. 36. t Bull. No. 33, 1899. 



X Jordan, Feeding of Animals, p. 364. 



|| Coburn, op. ciL, p. 438-9. § Henry, op. cii., p. 571. 



3 M 2 



