2a SOME EXPERIMENTS IN PIG-FEEDING. 


not only of the quality of the increased dressed weight, but 
also of the time required for its production, 1,000 points 
being assigned to the diet which gave the best results. 
It will be seen from the third column that, judged from the 
standpoint of general efficiency, the three diets first mentioned 
were found to be more profitable than any of the others. The 
chief factor in determining the position of the different foods 
when compared for their general efficiency is the rate of 
increase in dressed weight; thus while the average weekly 
increase in dressed weight with a diet of barley meal, 
separated milk, and potatoes was 151 lbs., that with barley 
meal and separated milk was 10} lbs., with maize meal 7 lbs., 
and with maize meal and bran only 421bs. Hence it arises 
that bran, while standing first among the supplementary 
foods for the production of the best bacon (see column 2), 
occupies a low position for general efficiency (col. 3) on 
account of the slow rate at which the pigs fed on it increased 
in live weight, and because a high percentage of the increased 
live weight was lost when the pigs were killed and dressed. 
Arranged in order of merit for cheapness, in conjunction - 
With efficiency, the nine diets mentioned above fall as 
follows :— 
Barley Meal, Separated Milk, and Potatoes. 
Maize Meal and Separated Milk. 
Barley Meal and Separated Milk. 
Maize Mealand Bean Meal. 
Maize Meal and Pea Meal. 
Barley Meal. 
Maize Meal. 
Maize Meal and Bran. 
Barley Meal and Bran. 
The net results of the experiments show, in Mr. Harris’s 
opinion, that itis advisable to use barley meal, soaked in 
cold water, as a staple food, and to supplement this as far 
as possible by fresh separated, skim or butter milk, at the 
rate of one gallon per pig per day, and when procurable by 
boiled potatoes also, not more than 3 or 4 lbs. for each 
animal; while barley meal and whey (where cheese is 
made) might be usefully supplemented by about 1 ib. of bean 
or pea meal per day. As regards the comparative values of 
barley and maize the experiments are held to have demon- 
