The Portland daily press., 1875-11-04
THE PRESS.
THE FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
Raw Meal VS., Cooked.


Every farmer who has followed the course
OF the agricultural press for the last 40 years,
or even less, will readily remember that the
instances have beeu frequent where agricul-
tural writers-dU agricultural writers are not
farmers-have given line npon line in favor of
cooking meal for swine. As this is a matter
in which every fee Ter is personally interested,
a good deal of discussion has arisen and
many experiments nave been made with
more or less care and exactness; There have
been many old farmers, all along, who have
doubted whether cooking did or could add
anything to the actual nutriment contained
in bushel of meal. II is true that those
who believed in cooking urged with much
plausibility that cooked food is in condition
to be more readily assimilated to become part
OF the growing body. If this is actually the
case series of experiments which have been
carried on at the Agt. College at Orono, Me-,
for several years past, seem to indicate that
there is somewhere OF other qualifying off
set to that feature which we have hitherto
failed to take into account.
These experiments, which were very care
fully made, weighing the food and weighing
the live pigs, were begun on Jan. 18th, 1870,
and continued through the winter till May
10Th. Two pigs were fed on scalded meal,
warm, for one month. Two others of similar
weight and appearance were fed during the
same period on an equal amount OF cold, raw
meal. The next month the first lot of pigs
was fed with cold, raw meal and the second
lot was fed ike quantity scalded and warm.
The feed of the two lots was alternated in
like manner every month during the time of
trial, which was four months. Il, perhaps,
would take up too much space to go into the
details, but the results were as follows: 99l
bushels of raw meal fed cold were equal to
100 bushels scalded and fed warm.
In 1872 similar experiment was made at
the College, extending from June 18th to
Sept. 18th. The pigs were weighed weekly
and the meal fed to them was carefully
raw meal was mixed with cold water and ted
cold; the cooked meal was thoroughly boiled
with water and fed warm; an equal amount
of meal ted to every pig daily, and the guam
tity was gradually increased SO as fully to
keep pace with the demands of their appe-
titles. The general results of the trial are,
that so bushels of raw meal fed cold were
found equal to 100 boiled and fed warm.
Some other experiments are on record which
point to similar conclusions. In 1S49 Jos.
Howe, of MeLhueL, in a carefully conducted
experiment with swine, determined that 914
bushels of raw meal were equal to 100 BUSH
els scalded.
In 1869 trial was made at the College as
to the difference between feeding meal and
whole corn. The result was that S8a bushels
of meal were of equal value with 100 bshuels
of corn. The toll for grinding is 2 quarts per
bushel; consequently about 95 bushels of
corn should be carried to the mill to produce
8S& bushels OF meal, each bushel of equal
weight with corn, provided there is no waste
or loss in grinding-which is not usually the
case. At any rate there are but 5 bushels of
corn left. the difference between 95 and 100,
to pay the expense of carrying 95 bushels of
corn to mill and bringing the meal home.
These 5 bushels of corn will be worth in New
England 81 or S.. Now, will this sum pay
for milling? Or, if it will pay in the case Of
95- bushel grist, viii proportionate part of
that sum pay in the case OF a 10-bushel grist
Every farmer can judge tor himself.
There is another standpoint from which
this subject may be viewed: What is the
manurial value of the excrementitious mat
tiers resulting from the feed? IT, in making
polk, 5 per cent. +, or one bushel in 20 BUSH
els, be lost in feeding whole coru, will not
portion of this loss be made up to the farmer
by the increased richness and value of the
manure? If a certain part of pound of corn
fed TO pig fails OF perfect assimilation, there
must be a larger amount and value voided in
excrements than would otherwise be the case.
This, where many of us are paying &c. a Id.
for commercial manures, is an item which
may be worth onsideration.-Boston Guilt
uGtOr.