Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1871-03-02

Hon. L. w. Stuart, of Monmouth,
Iowa, sends The Prairie Farmer the
following account of careful expert.
ments in swine fattening, made by
himself last fall. 1t will be found of
great interest and will tend to settle
some hitherto unsettled points in
feeding. Mr.. S. says:
l commenced my experiments o.
tober "a, 1870, by wei Ching twenty
hogs. With the exception of four,
they were one year old in October
and September. They had been fed
two weeks previous to weighing for
tho experiment. The weight was
1910 pounds. They were put upon
the scales and weighed every Mon
day morning during the experiment.
There was also an accurate account
kept of the feed consumed each
week, reckoning Sc pounds for a
bushel Of corn or meal. They were
fed in a tloored pen, and in troughs
80 arranged that no feed was wasted.
The sleeping apartments were also
well provided with wheat straw.
They also had the range Of small
lot. When they were fed on dry
feed they were supplied with plenty
of water. They wero fed regularly
three times day. The experiments
were continued for seventy days,
closing on the 2nd day Of January,
1871; which day sold them for five
cents per pound. / take this as a
basis for calculation in making up my
estimates. Tho sum total in corn
consumed in conducting my expert
ments the seventy days was 232
bushels. The net gain on the twenty
hogs was 2,S17 pounds, ,rifle over
two pounds per head per day. The
weight at the tune Of selling was
6,ss7 pounds. The result of feeding
was as follows:
They were fed twcnty-eight days
on dry shellcd corn, and consumed
elghty-three bushels; made met gain
Of s37 pounds, which is equivalent %
1900 pounds per bushel, which sold
my corn thus ted, at fifty cents and
four mills per bushel.
They were led fourteen days on
meal, ground find and fed dry, and
consumed fbrty-seven bushels; maze
a net gain OF $50 pounds, which is
equivalent to ll.76 pounds, to one
bushel of corn, which brought my
corn to So cents aud 8 mills per
bushel.
They were fed fourteen days on
meal mixed up with cold water, and
consumed $50 bushels; made net
gam of 731 pounds, which is equlva.
lent to 1917 pounds per bushcl. In
This trial / realized tor my corn Is
cents and 8 mills per bushei.
They were ted fourteen days upon
cooked meal, and consumed 464
bushels; their net gain was COG
pounds, which IS equivalent to 1896
pounds per Gushel; this sold my
corn for "a cents and 8 mile per
bushel. Now taking the two ex-
tremes, I find ! got ~ cents and 4
mills more per bushel for my corn
by grinding and cooking, than when
ted whole and raw. After dcducting
onc-scventh for grinding, leaves q
cents per bushel. Now in making
an estimate on feeding 100 hogs for
the same length Of time, 10 days., /
find would net s242.62 more for my
corn by cooking than by feeding raw,
and after dedNcting one-sevcnth for
grinding.
Had I have ground and cooked
the feed for my 20 hogs, l find l
would have made 6G3 pounds more
PORK than I did. which would have
given me $685. more; had l cooked
all my feed, my hogs would have eat
tushel OF corn more, SO l deduct
Is cents, which would leave just
$33. 90 moro profit. Had l fed whole
corn for the 20 days, the 90 hogs
would not have consumed as mucl,
corn into 254 bushels; at 80 cents
per bushcl the corn saved would
bring $7.G2, but the lack in the gain
Of the hogs would be 1871 pounds
at five cents this extra gain would
bring $69.37t. Deduct $7.62, the
cost tor the less amount OF corn con-
sumed, and we have S61.75i in favor
of cooked teed on 20 hogs.
find il will require 345.l bushels
of raw corn to make $3.50 pounds Of
pork and only 1921 bushels when
rocked difference Of 1926 bush.
cls ia favor of cooked feed.
In order 10 make the same number