Ration Experiments With Swine, 1908-1911 
G. E. MORTON* 
INTRODUCTION 
Three series of experiments are reported in this bulletin. All were 
designed to continue the work of determining or demonstrating the 
most economical protein supplements for grain, particularly barley and 
corn. The experiments include no new combinations of feeds, and 
results with similar rations have been reported from a number of ex¬ 
periment stations, but each state finds it quite needful to rework 
many problems in order to be able to state at first hand that certain 
definite results have been secured from given feeds. 
The work with fertilizer tankage is new work so far as the writer 
knows, and the sole object of the experiments with fertilizer tankage 
was to find whether the cheaper product could be used to replace se¬ 
lected tankage. 
The experimental work with alfalfa done at the Station has been 
chiefly with whole hay in racks. The third series of experiments here 
reported shows results obtained from the use of alfalfa meal fed with 
the grain in slop. 
It has been very difficult to secure for experimental feeding pur¬ 
poses, shoats properly grown and even in size. Not many hogs are 
produced in the territory tributary to Fort Collins, because of special¬ 
ized crop farming, and for experimental purposes it is desirable to 
have the entire group of shoats used in one series of experiments come 
from the same farm in order to insure uniformity of breeding, thrift 
and development. The shoats used in these experiments were in each 
case from one farm and were reasonably even in weight and develop¬ 
ment. Because of limited numbers from which to select, sows we-^e 
used as well as barrows; and in dividing into experimental lots, 
equal numbers of sows were placed in each pen. 
One series of experiments carried out with alfalfa meal is not re¬ 
ported, because the shoats secured had not been properly developed, 
and instead of growing frame as they fed out, became overfat near 
the beginning of the experiment and caused too high a cost for pro¬ 
duction of gain. This of course would not invalidate comparisons be¬ 
tween rations, but might discredit the use of alfalfa meal as being too 
expensive a ration. Consequently, this series is omitted. 
*With assistance of H. E. Dvorachek and G. A. Gilbert in preparing data. 
