444 



GENERAL AGRrCULTUEAL NOTES. [March 1896. 



Experiments in Feeding Swine, 



The Deutsche Landiuirtschaftliche Presse has pubHshed an 

 account of various experiments in feeding swine carried out at the 

 Dairy Institute of Proskau during the summer of 1894. Four pairs 

 of pigs, of about seven weeks okl. were selected. The objects of the 

 experiments were to determine whether feeding with whole grain 

 barley was deleterious when given in large quantities ; to com- 

 pare the feeding properties of barley and maize, both given in 

 conjunction with skim-milk ; and to determine more exactly the 

 nourishing value of whey. During the earlier portion of these 

 trials (April 21 — June 24) the first pair were given whole barley, 

 the second crushed barley, the third crushed maize, and the 

 fourth crushed maize with whey. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 were 

 also given equal quantities of potatoes ; and the weight of whey 

 given to the fourth pair was about three times the weight of 

 potatoes given to the third pair, equal amounts of maize being 

 given. The same quantity of skim-milk was throughout given 

 to all four pairs. 



Until the 24th June (nine weeks) the process ran perfectly 

 smoothly with all the pigs. After this date, several variations 

 in the quantity and kind of food given were at different times 

 introduced ; the weights of the animals being throughout care- 

 fully noted. By about the beginning of August it had been 

 ^established that the crushed barley had produced better results 

 than the whole grain ; also that up to this point, the crushed 

 barley had proved superior to the crushed maize. 



The experiments were interfered with so far as concerned the 

 pigs receiving the maize, by these refusing their food at the 

 same time as they w^ere attacked with hone- stiffness (Knochen- 

 steifheit). This may very possibly have been due to the feeding 

 •of such young pigs with too much maize. The effect of increas- 

 ing the daily rations of whole grain barley on the first pair was 

 also deleterious, for they also refused their food simultaneously 

 with the advent of a severe attack of bone-stiffness. The period 

 during which the animals were in ill-health has been rejected in 

 instituting comparisons of the different feeding stuffs. 



The general result of the experiments led to the conclusion 

 that giving barley in whole rough grains is harmful, not only 

 dietetically, but also from the point of view of complete as- 

 similation of the food, and that it is not advisable, with young 

 pigs up to about four months old, to give them a concentrated 

 feed of maize, but that later, if it is merely a question of aiming 

 solely at the more rapid fattening of the animals at the same 

 outlay, the maize should have the preference over the barley. 

 The quality of the meat has not been taken into consideration. 

 The comparison of the whey with the potatoes led to no result, 

 as one of the fourth pair suddenly refused its food, and thus 

 invalidated the experiment. 



