478 



Agricultural Chemistry. — Pig Feeding. 



43,^ per cent, of the food taken was Beans and Lentils ; whilst in 

 the previous period there had been consumed of these only 38x 

 per cent. ; and again, with 56i per cent, of the Indian-corn in the 

 third period, there is only 52 per cent, in the fourth. But, as it 

 was during the fourth period that the sickly pig improved and took 

 its food more freely, may we not conclude that the increased pro- 

 portion of the Bean and Lentil mixture consumed during this period 

 was due to his freer consumption of it ? Notwithstanding this irre- 

 gularity, however, the proportion of Beans and Lentils consumed in 

 the last period in the entire pen, is only two-thirds as great as that 

 in the first ; whilst, on the other hand, the Indian-corn, which 

 in the first period only constituted 30 per cent, of the food con- 

 sumed, amounted in the fourth period to as much as 52 per 

 cent. 



At any rate, the general fact of a considerably decreasing de- 

 mand for nitrogenous constituents, and an increasing one for the 

 non-nitrogenous ones, as the animals mature, is sufficiently marked. 

 It is, too, of considerable interest, and serves to justify the prac- 

 tice of diminishing the supply of the leguminous seeds (peas, 

 beans, &c.), and increasing that of barley-meal to the fatting- pig 

 as he approaches maturity, as is the pretty general custom when 

 a liberal system of fattening is adopted. 



Before leaving the last table it may be noticed, that the average 

 proportion of Bran taken by these pigs was less than 5 per cent, 

 of their total food. 



We have thus far given an account of the selection and ma- 

 nangement of the pigs in this First Series of experiments — a state- 

 ment of the weight of the animals — a general description of the 

 foods allotted to the several pens — and a somewhat detailed ac- 

 count of the progress in each pen, and even of each pig, upon the 

 12 different dietaries which it comprised. We have thought it 

 desirable, indeed, in reference at any rate to the First Series of 

 experiments, somewhat minutely to call attention to any such 

 irregularities within the pens as might be supposed to affect the 

 legitimacy of comparisons founded upon the gross results of the 

 entire pen. These observations will have given the reader a con- 

 siderable insight into the general character of the results ; and 

 they will enable him to form his own conclusions respecting 

 them. But we think it will be seen, that, notwithstanding the 

 irregularities that have been pointed out, there is still much of 

 consistency in the indications of the mere gross result of each pen, 

 upon which henceforth we shall found our conclusions ; and we 

 shall therefore go into less detail on these points in the account 

 of the other Series of experiments. 



. We have yet to consider however, much more minutely, the 

 influence of the composition of the food upon the rate of con- 



