496 Agricultural Chemistry. — Pig Feeding. 



this series than in the former one. And, the greater tendency to 

 decrease in consumption of food to a given weight of animal, the 

 more within certain limits the comparatively non-nitrogenous 

 food predominates, is here again seen. 



In Division II. (Table XV.) we observe, that the rate oi pro- 

 ductiveness in gross increase in weight to 100 lbs. of food con- 

 sumed, fluctuates so considerably from the commencement to the 

 conclusion of the experiment, but so irregularly, that it is im- 

 possible to decide that there is any regular gradation in either 

 direction. There is, indeed, in this case, perhaps more of the 

 tendency to decrease in the rate of productiveness of the food in 

 gross increase as the experiment proceeded. It is not improbable,, 

 however, that the great heat of the weather, and the unhealthi- 

 ness of some of the pigs, may have had something to do with 

 this result. Though, as Ave shall have further occasion to ob- 

 serve, a slightly lessened proportion of gross increase, to food con- 

 sumed, does not necessarily show that the food was really less, 

 productive in real dry increase. 



In Division I. of Table XVI., which shows the rate of conr- 

 sum.ptio7i, as the experiment proceeded, with the Third or Cod-fish 

 Series, the influence of the composition of the food on this rate of 

 consumption by the fatting animal, is strikingly shown. Thus, 

 in pens 1 and 2, considerably more of the highly nitrogenous 

 cod fish was allotted to the pigs than they would have taken, 

 could they have obtained other food in its stead ; but, in pens 4 

 and 5, only half as much of the cod-fish was given, so that the 

 pigs were enabled to take a much larger proportion of the com- 

 paratively non-nitrogenous complementary foods. The result is, 

 that with this very much larger proportion of the more non-nitro- 

 genous foods in pens 4 and 5, we have in these, a very much greater 

 decrease in the rate of consumption to a given weight of animal 

 than in the pens 1 and 2, There was, indeed, as we shall have 

 occasion to notice again further on, a much less proportion of 

 food consumed to a given weight of animal, when the large 

 amount of the highly nitrogenous cod-fish was given, than in 

 most other cases in our experiments — and, at the same time a full 

 average productiveness in gross increase of that food. But, con- 

 fining ourselves just now to the question of the proportion of the 

 food consumed to the weight of the animal as it fattens, we find^ 

 looking a little more in detail to the figures in Table XVI., that 

 small as was the decrease in consumption in either pens 1 or 2, 

 yet it was greater in pen 2, where the non-nitrogenous Indian 

 meal alone constituted the complementary food, than where, as in 

 pen 1, it was mixed with a quantity of Bran. We have a similar 

 result, more clearly brought out, in comparing pens 4 and 5 ; the 

 decrease in the rate of consumption to a given weight of animal 



