22 BULLETIN 48, HAWAII AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 
digestive tract in good condition, bnt they also have a nutritive value 
and doubtless supply in great part the vitamins forming a part of 
every efficient ration. 
The feeding value of the nutritive constituents of the different 
kinds of feeds may vary considerably. Carefully conducted experi- 
ments have shown that the vegetable proteins are greatly inferior 
to the animal proteins as a hog feed, and that the protein in cotton- 
seed meal is inferior to that in linseed meal, although both feeds are 
very rich in the constituent. 
Whole wheat and its by-products, bran and middlings, are valuable 
as hog feeds, but chemical analyses have shown them to differ widely 
in composition. Roughages are even more variable than the cereals, 
since their composition is influenced by climate, state of maturity, 
quality of curing, and by moisture content. Alfalfa, both in the 
fresh green state and when cured, is among the most variable in 
feeding value, its composition being influenced by state of maturity 
and by the methods of curing employed. Prime alfalfa meal may 
almost equal wheat bran in feeding value, but alfalfa that has lost 
most of its leafage as a result of being overmature or overcured may 
become so low in value as to be practically worthless. Cured alfalfa. 
while averaging about 15 per cent protein, may contain as high as 
30 per cent or as low as 10 per cent crude protein, in the latter case 
of which there is an excessive amount of crude fiber ; and conversely, 
the coefficient of digestibility is likely to be higher in the high protein 
sample than in the low-grade sample. 
Although American authorities do not generally recommend as 
profitable the grinding and cooking of feeds, the Haiku substation, in 
experiments conducted for more than five years, found that both 
grinding and cooking certain feeds are profitable practices, especially 
when the feeds and feed products are both of high value. In fact, 
much of the feed used during the experiments could not have been 
fed to advantage had they not been ground and cooked. Cooking 
certainly insures the feed against the possibility of transmitting 
tuberculosis and hog cholera when offal is used and against detri- 
mental fermentation. The practical swine raiser in Hawaii might 
do well to try out various feeding methods to determine which are 
suited to his needs and conditions. 
DISEASES AND AILMENTS. 
The average conditions obtaining in Hawaii foster the spread of 
swine diseases. Every precaution should therefore be taken to avoid 
crowding the animals or exposing them to sources of contagion. 
Whenever the animals are returned from places of exhibit or new 
animals are received they should be segregated from the main herd 
for several weeks or until it is certain that they carry no disease. 
The hog yards should be thoroughly treated with some good disin- 
fectant every three or six months and the entire quarters changed 
every three to five years to lessen the danger of infection. Other pre- 
cautionary measures include keeping the pens and runways clean at 
all time and providing the pens with proper drainage and ventilation 
as well as with clean drinking places. 
A veterinarian should be consulted as soon as disease appears in 
the herd so that measures can be taken to save the animals that are 
