Agricultural Cliemistrij. — Pig Feeding. 



467 



It will be seen, that by the arrangement of allowing a fixed and 

 limited amount of one description of food, and another descrip- 

 tion to be taken ad libitum, a great variety in the proportions of 

 the different classes of constituents is attained. And it will be 

 readily understood, that — as in every case the animals were per- 

 mitted to fix for themselves the limit of their consumption 

 according to their natural wants and inclinations — and as the 

 amount and composition of the food consumed was in each 

 case known — the results obtained, would afford us the means of 

 deciding, whether or not this limit of consumption, had been 

 fixed by any common demand for either class of constituents 

 which the food supplied. 



But to explain the plan a little further. In the first 4 pens. 

 the highly nitrogenous Bean and Lentil mixture is given ad 

 libitum ; in Pen 1, without any other food ; in Pen 2, with a 

 limited quantity of Indian-corn meal ; in Pen 3, with a limited- 

 amount of Bran ; and in Pen 4, with a limited quantity both of 

 Indian-corn meal and of Bran. 



In Pens 5, 6, 7, and 8, the comparatively deficiently nitro- 

 genous, but more highly starchy and fatty food, Indian-corn meal 

 is given ad libitum ; in Pen 5 alone ; in Pen 6, with a limited 

 amount of the Bean and Lentil mixture ; in Pen 7, with a limited 

 amount of Bran ; and in Pen 8, with a limited amount both of 

 the Bean and Lentil mixture and of Bran. 



In Pens 9, 10, 11, and 12, Bran is the food given ad libitum, 

 but in no case alone ; thus, in Pen 9, it is with a limited quantity 

 of the Bean and Lentil mixture ; in Pen 10, with a limited amount 

 of Indian-corn meal ; in Pen 11, with a limited amount both of 

 the Bean and Lentil mixture and of Indian-corn meal ; and in 

 Pen 12, with both the Bean and Lentil mixture and the Indian- 

 corn meal, but, as before said, neither in this case given in 

 limited quantity, each of the three descriptions of food being put 

 into a separate trough, and the pigs allowed to take of either or- 

 all at their discretion. 



In all cases the animals were fed three times a-day ; namely, 

 early in the morning, at noon, and about 5 o'clock. The limited 

 food, if any, was mixed with a small quantity of that which was- 

 given ad libitum in the first two feeds of the day. Great care 

 was taken in the management of the supply of food, both that the 

 troughs should generally be cleared out before fresh food was 

 put into them, and that the pigs should always have a liberal 

 supply within their reach ; and this, with a little attention and 

 practice, was easily attained. 



The pigs themselves were each weighed fortnightly ; and the 

 exact experiment extended over four such periods ; namely, 8" 



VOL. XIV. 2 I 



