32 DEPAKTMENT BULLETIN 1492, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
and a fall of 10 points in the other, resulting in the wide difference 
of 20 points at the termination of the experiment. 
The average composition of the mixtures of corn and soy beans fed 
in these experiments is worthy of consideration. This is calculated 
from the composition figures given in Table 12 and is shown below in 
Table 14. 
Table 14. — Calculated average composition of mixtures of ground corn 3 parts 
and ground soy oeans 1 part fed in 5 experiments at the Indiana station and 
the Animal Husbandry Experiment Farm 
Water 
Ash 
Crude 
protein 
Fiber 
Nitrogen- 
free 
extract 
Fat 
Per cent 
12.8 
Per cent 
2.4 
Per cent 
15.9 
Per cent 
2.7 
Per cent 
58.1 
Per cent 
8.1 
The fat content and the nature of the fat of any feed or feed 
combination are recognized as the principal factors controlling soft- 
ness or firmness in the hog. Attention is directed especially, there- 
fore, to the average fat content of these mixtures as shown in the 
table. About 44 per cent of the fat in the mixture was corn fat and 
56 per cent soy-bean fat. Both fats are softening in nature. While 
8.1 per cent of softening fat in a ration does not seem high, yet its 
influence under the conditions which existed in these experiments has 
been clearly shown. 
FEEDING RESULTS WITH MIXTURE OF GROUND CORN, THREE PARTS, AND GROUND SOY 
BEANS, ONE PART 
Complete feeding results are available from tire five experiments 
included in the preceding summary on the degree of firmness found 
in the carcasses. As stated, the hogs in four experiments were fed 
by the Indiana station and those in the other experiment by the de- 
partment station at Beltsville, Mel. In all cases the mixture of 
ground corn, three parts, and ground soy beans, one part, by weight, 
was self-fed, free choice, with the mineral mixture and pressed block 
salt in dry lot. The Manchu variety of soy beans was used in the 
Indiana tests and the Virginia variety at Beltsville. The five experi- 
ments covered a period of about 20 months, from November, 1924, to 
June, 1926. 
The variation in average initial weights of the pigs used in the 
several experiments was from 64 to 132 pounds, with an average start- 
ing weight of 105.50 pounds for all 48 pigs fed. Table 15 summarizes 
the feeding results of these experiments. 
