28 DEPARTMENT BULLETIN 1492, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
ing group, the average carcass grading being medium soft, with 
1.4604 as the refractive index of back fat. 
In Group 4, where a gain of 118.67 pounds was made on the 
hardening ration after 51.78 pounds gain on the soy-beans-corn 
ration, the average carcass grading was medium hard. The average 
grading, however, was barely over the line separating the medium 
soft and medium-hard grades. The average refractive index of 
back fat fell to 1.4599. All three hogs in Group 5, which made 
average gains of 49.3 pounds and 160 pounds on the softening and 
hardening rations, respectively, were graded as hard by the com- 
mittee, while their average refractive index of back fat was 1.4599. 
It is apparent that a gain on corn with tankage well over 100 
pounds is necessary to produce medium-hard or hard hogs under 
conditions such as existed in these experiments. With the gain of 
118.67 pounds made by Group 4 the medium-hard degree of firmness 
was just reached. These results substantiate one of the conclu- 
sions released by the cooperating agencies in July, 1926 (£), as 
follows : 
Soy beans grazed with a supplementary ration of 1.5 to 2.5 per cent of 
shelled corn and with minerals self-fed to pigs starting at weights ranging 
from 25 to 85 pounds and making gains of approximately 40 to 75 pounds 
through a period of from 8 to 10 weeks produce, in the usual case, carcasses 
of a satisfactory degree of firmness when a subsequent gain in weight of 125 
pounds or more has been made by the pigs on corn with tankage. 
FEEDING RESULTS WITH 2 5 TO 85 POUND PIGS FED CORN WITH TANKAGE FOLLOWING 
SOY BEANS GRAZED SUPPLEMENTED BY A MEDIUM RATION OF SHELLED CORN 
Feeding results are available from the three experiments presented 
in the preceding section on firmness and in which the pigs were fed 
by the South Carolina station. The pigs were fed as described in the 
preceding section and were turned on the soy beans as the beans 
reached the dough stage and the leaves began to turn brown. 
Fifteen pigs were used in each of the three tests. The average 
initial weights of the pigs were 36.27, 59.69, and 35.8 pounds in the 
1923-24, 1924-25, and 1925-26 experiments, respectively, while the 
general average beginning weight was 43.92 pounds. The ages of 
the animals ranged from 10 to 20 weeks when the experiments began. 
A summary of the feeding results from both the soy-bean grazing 
periods and finishing periods of the three tests is given in Table 11. 
Table 11. — Results of feeding com ivith tankage following soy beans grazed 
supplemented by a medium (2 per cent) ration, of shelled corn hand fed 
SOY-BEAN GRAZING PERIOD 
Number of pigs used 45 
Average number of clays fed 61. 00 
Average initial weight pounds 43. 92 
Average final weight do 103. 58 
Average gain do 61. 66 
Average daily gain do 1. 01 
Feed consumed per 100 pounds gain : 
Shelled corn do 131. 25 
Mineral mixture do 11. 89 
Total feed do 143. 14 
Average percentage of shelled corn (based on weight of pigs) consumed daily 1. 80 
