314 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[August, 
A Home-made Hoot Washer. 
Mr. F. S. Smith, Accomack Co.,Va., writes: 
“I often see illustrations of different kinds 
of root cutters, but none of root washers. 
I Bend you a rough sketch of one which is 
home-made, and which I find very useful. 
It washes the roots quickly, and avoids wet¬ 
ting the hands, which is an important point in 
cold weather. The washer is made out of a 
good, strong barrel. Bore a 2-inch hole in 
the center of each barrel head, and put in an 
oak shaft 2 by 3 inches, and long enough 
to reach through the barrel, one end extend¬ 
ing about 6 inches outside. In this end a 
iy 4 -inch hole is bored for the insertion of a 
lever, some 18 inches long. Three-fourth 
inch holes are bored in the shaft, 2 inches 
from each other, the whole length of the 
shaft within the barrel. Stout oak pegs are 
inserted in these holes, and of sufficient 
length to reach within ’/ 2 inch of the sides of 
the barrel. It will be necessary to take out 
one head from the barrel to get this shaft in 
place ; this done, turn the barrel bung up ; 
saw out 5 staves between the central hoops, 
thus leaving a place for putting in and tak¬ 
ing out the roots. In washing, pour in 4 or 
5 pailfuls of water with a basket of roots ; 
give the lever a few quick turns, when the 
roots will be clean; turn the lever either 
way, and the roots are brought above the 
water. ”—The accompanying engraving which 
shows the Root Washer in cross-section, was 
made from a sketch sent us by Mr. Smith. 
Experiments in Pig Feeding, 
MADE AT THE STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, MANHAT¬ 
TAN, KANSAS, BY E. M. SHELTON, PROF. OF AGRICULTURE, 
It is a familiar fact to most readers of the 
American Agriculturist, that a very large 
proportion, practically all, of the beef and 
pork made in the West comes from animals 
that have received no artificial shelter during 
the feeding season, which is almost invari¬ 
ably late fall, and early winter. In some 
cases the “feed lot” is located in a belt of 
timber, or a “sink” in the prairie, but in very 
many cases not even this simple, natural 
protection is furnished the fattening animals. 
How great is the loss, if any, from cold and 
exposure under this method of feeding, is 
a question often asked by practical men. 
With a view of obtaining some facts bearing 
on this point, the experiment detailed below 
was undertaken. 
Ten pigs were employed, all pure-bred 
Berkshires of three different litters, the ages 
varying from sixteen to eighteen months. 
The pigs—a remarkably uniform lot, of ex¬ 
cellent quality—up to the time the experi¬ 
ment began, had been kept in a large pasture 
field, receiving one ear of corn per pig, each 
day. The experiment was begun Nov. 1st, 
1880,and ended Jan. 6th, 1881, or eleven weeks. 
The pens numbering 1 to 5 inclusive were 
arranged in the basement of a warm stone 
barn, and pens 6 to 10 inclusive in an open 
yard, on the south side of a close board fence, 
but without other protection except straw 
for “ nests,” which were furnished both sets. 
In pens 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 10, shelled corn 
exclusively was fed ; in pens 3, 4, 8, and 9, a 
ration of bran, in addition to the corn, was 
given, the amount varying but little from 
two pounds per day. The pigs were fed 
twice daily, at 8 A. M., and at 4 p. m., the 
feed being weighed out accurately to each 
pig at every feeding. If at the time of feed¬ 
ing the previous food had not been consumed, 
the surplus was removed, and a proportionate 
reduction made in the amount of the next 
feed. All of the pigs received whatever wa¬ 
ter they required. The bran was fed dry or 
mixed with water, to suit the tastes of the 
different pigs. At first this was eaten with 
apparent relish, but as the pigs increased in 
ripeness they seemed to care less for the bran, 
finally refusing it altogether, when, about 
the eighth and ninth weeks, the bran ration 
was discontinued. 
All of the pigs were weighed at the close of 
each week, a little before the time of the first 
feeding of the week following. In Table I. is 
shown the weight, in pounds and decimals of 
a pound, of each pig at the beginning of the 
experiment, and at the close, the total gain, 
and total gain per cwt. of each pig, and of 
the two sets. 
both series, we have 100 lbs. increase in pens 
1, 2, and 5 (in the bam) cost 515.02 lbs. of 
corn; 100 lbs. increase in pens 6, 7, and 10 (in 
open yards) cost 548.08 lbs. of corn. This 
gives to the three outside pens in which corn 
exclusively was fed, a loss of 33.06 lbs. of 
corn on each cwt. of increase, and in the 
total 418 lbs. of increase made in 6, 7, and 10, 
a loss of 138. 27 lbs. of corn, or about six (6) 
per cent of all the com fed in these pens. 
Again, comparing those fed corn and bran 
in the two series,-we have: 100 lbs. increase in 
pens 3 and 4 (in the barn), cost 481.51 lbs. of 
corn, and 70.30 lbs. of bran ; 100 lbs. increase 
in pens 8 and 9 (in open yards), cost 577.70 
lbs. of corn, and 83.33 lbs. of bran. A loss to 
the two “ outside ” pens of 96.19 lbs. of corn, 
and 13.03 lbs. of bran per cwt. of increase, in 
the total 240 lbs. of increase made in these 
pens, a loss of 230.85 lbs. of corn, and 31.22 
lbs. of bran, or about sixteen (16) per cent of 
all the corn, and fifteen (15) per cent of all 
the bran fed in these pens. It should be ob¬ 
served, too, that the pigs fed “outside,” be¬ 
sides giving much smaller returns for food 
consumed, in all cases gave less “ total 
gains,” and much less “gain per cwt.,” as 
shown in table No. I, and consumed much 
less food than those fed in the barn. 
The loss from feeding in the open yards 
was quite marked throughout, and the varia¬ 
tion in individual cases was often consider¬ 
able. During the very severe weather of the 
TABLE NO. I. 
Pigs kept in warm pens in the barn. 
Pigs kept in open pens in .'he yard. 
Week of 
Experiment. 
Pen 1.. 
i 
Pen 2.. 
hd 
cd 
p 
CO 
hd 
cd 
P 
0 ) 
P 
Or 
hd 
CD 
P 
os 
CD 
P 
—7 
Pen 8.. 
►d 
CD 
P 
p 
CD 
P 
»-*■ 
O 
November 1, 1880. 
At Beginnning 
of experiment. 
272 
240 
258 
275 
226 
244 
229 
249 
252 
285 
January 17, 1881. 
Eleventh week. 
435 
404 
424 
439 
382 
401 
360 
372 
369 
409 
163 
164 
166 
164 
156 
157 
137 
123 
117 
124 
Total gainper cwt. 
59.90 
08.30 
04.30 
59.00 
69.00 
64.30 
59.80 
49 30 
46.40 
43.50 
Average gain per cwt. 
63.90 
52.20 
The remarkable uniformity of the pigs is 
strikingly shown by the “ total gains ” in both 
sets of the above table, but particularly in 
the case of the five pens “ in the bam.” The 
difference between the greatest and least 
being only ten pounds. 
In Table No. II. the general results obtained 
in the two series are placed side by side for 
comparison. 
6th, 9th, and 10th weeks, the pigs in the open 
yards passed much of the time in a condition 
resembling hibernation, coming to the feed 
rarely oftener than once a day. 
The value of the bran fed in this experi¬ 
ment may be shown by a brief summary, and 
comparison of results—thus: 100 lbs. of in¬ 
crease, in pens 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and 10, cost 530.35 
lbs. of corn ; 100 lbs. of increase, in pens 3,. 
TABLE NO. II. 
Feed, corn. 
Feed, corn 
and bran. 
Pens 1. 2 and 5 in the barn. 
Pens 6, 7 and 10 in open 
yard. 
Pens 3 and 4 in the barn... 
Pens 8 and 9 in open yard. 
Total 
in¬ 
crease 
Total 1 Total 
corn con- . bran con¬ 
sumed. \ sumed. 
Com 
consumed 
Joreach 
100 lbs. 
live w't. 
Bran 
consumed 
for each 
100 lbs. 
live w't. 
Corn 
consumed 
for each 
1 lb. of 
increase. 
Bran 
consumed 
for each 
1 lb. of 
increase. 
483.00 
2,487.50 j. 
22.03 
5.15 
418.00 
2,291.00 ’. 
21.64 
o.48 
330 00 
1,589.00 232.00 
21.09 
4 13 
4.81 
0.70 
240.00 
1,386.50 200.00 
19 82 
4.14 
5.77 
0.83 
It should be said of Pens 3, 4, 8, and 9, that 
the pigs which they represent were all of the 
same litter. 
The facts of this experiment show that in 
both series after the first week had been 
passed, there was a very uniform increase in 
the amount of feed required to produce a 
pound of increase of live weight during each 
subsequent week of the experiment. There 
was also a rapid diminution of the amount of 
feed consumed for each 100 lbs. of live 
weight, during each subsequent week of the 
experiment after the animals had become 
measurably “ripe.” 
If we take as the standard of comparison 
the cost of producing 100 lbs. of increase, 
live weight,- with those fed com alone in 
4, 8, and 9, cost 521.93 lbs. of corn and 75.78 
lbs. of bran. Or 8.42 lbs. of com had, in this 
experiment, a feeding value equal to that of 
75.78 lbs. of bran—a fact which seems to 
show that corn alone can be more profitably 
used as food for hogs than a mixed feed of 
com and bran. 
So vr Early.— Where other work will 
permit, it is best to plow the land for fall¬ 
sowing soon after the haying and harvesting 
is over. This avoids the drouth-dried soil 
that is frequently found later in the season, 
besides turning under the weeds before they 
have time to ripen their seeds. Thorough use 
of the cultivator will prepare the early-plow¬ 
ed land for seed when sowing time comes. 
