Pig Feeding Experiments. 



353 



^in France) about 31s. to 32s. per quarter. M. Pluchet there- 

 upon undertook an experiment in feeding some of the wheat 

 he had grown on his farm to his cattle. In the first place, 

 the wheat was thoroughly cleaned in a winnower, Avhich 

 separated the lighter grains in the proportion of about 1 8 per 

 cent. By this means, from 200 lbs. of wheat he obtained 

 162 lbs. of very fine wheat worth is. 4& per quarter more, 

 and 37 lbs. of light wheat for use as cattle food. This clean- 

 ing process having enhanced the value of the wheat sent to 

 market, he was able to reckon the cost of that fed to the stock 

 at about 27s. per quarter only (but making no allowance for 

 the cost of cleaning). 



Thirty oxen w T ere set apart in Januar}- to .be fattened for 

 the butcher, and divided into lots as similar in weight, etc., as 

 possible, for the purpose of the experiment. The first lot 

 received 4*4 lbs. (afterwards increased to 6*6 and 8*8 lbs.) of 

 cooked wheat per head, and the second had the same 

 quantity of linseed cake, in addition to a general ration of 

 132 lbs. of pulp from a sugar refinery mixed with wheat 

 husks, and about 15 lbs. of clover silage. The gains made by 

 the animals, which were weighed at intervals, were at first in 

 favour of those fed with wheat ; but subsequently the cake- 

 fed beasts improved the more rapidly, and when they were 

 finally taken by the butcher the gains made by the two lots 

 were exactly equal. There was, nevertheless, an economy in 

 favour of the cooked wheat of about 14s. per head (at the 

 prices then current), with the additional advantage, in years 

 of superabundance and low prices, of withdrawing from the 

 market a certain amount of low grade wheat and delivering 

 only corn of superior quality. 



Pig-feeding Experiments in the United States. 



In Vol XIII., No. 1, of the " Experiment Station Record " 

 of the United States Department of Agriculture, summaries 

 are given of reports of certain experiments in pig-feeding 

 carried out in the United States. 



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