The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-01-30
FEEDING HOGS.

The Necessity of Keeping Pigs in GroW-s
ing Condition During the Early Stages.
When hogs are pat up for final finish
on corn they are expected to return a
fair profit for the expense incurred in
the shape of a fat carcass. 1t has been
time-honored custom in this country
to fatten with corn, and but very little
other food is used after the hogs are
penned. Although fat hog is de-
sirable, yet the majority of farmers pre-
fer to have the meat interspersed With
proportion of lean. That the carcass
may be improved in quality without
loss of weight by judicious feeding has
been plainly demonstrated at the Mis-
souri, Agricultural College, where sew
eral lots of hogs were fed on different
kinds of food. In addition to corn, the
food consisted of shipstuff, used alone,
and also on some lots in connection
with corn. The hogs fed on whole
corn consumed less than did hogs fed
on corn-meal, but the gain was greatest
from the whole corn in proportion to
quantity.
In comparing the value of corn and
shipstuff two lots of pigs were used for
experiment, the period being from
March to November, the one lot on
whole corn and the other on shipstuff
One corn-fed pig dressed 81 pounds
to the 100 pounds, and substituted
pig 500 pounds. On seYering the heads
of the corn-fed pigs scarcely trace of
lean meat could be seen, while in the
substituted pigs it was decidedly more
abundant Lean meat was also selected
from the thighs, loins and shoulders of
each lot and examined under micro
scope. The substituted pigs carried
less fat, even in the tibres of lean meat,
than the corn-fed lot. The results were
sufficient to show that the exclusive use
of corn meal for feeding ration is detri-
mental to a vigorous and healthy mus
cular development, producing pig
easily subject to disease, distasteful and
more costly than necessary. The rela-
tions of the shipstutf to the meal in the
trials deserves attention. 1t was found
that 90 pounds of shipstutf gave the
same gain that 100 of corn meal gave.
Shipstuf, however, has been considered
of but little value heretofore by farmers,
which has seriously interfered with its
general use. Repeated trials with it
showed that 100 pounds gave 2S.1
pounds gain, and 100 pounds corn meal
gave 26.4 pounds gain.
We have repeatedly advocated in
these columns the Importance of keep
ing pigs in a growing condition during
their early stages, as it promotes better
quality of carcass, and we are gratihed
to know that our own experience is
similar to that of the Director of the
Missouri Agricultural College. In feed
ing hogs on corn alone the animals are
deprived of many essential elements de-
manded for purposes of growth. Laying
on an excess of fat renders the meat I'M
palatable. A comparison of the weights
above shows that there is but little diff
ference in the gain between corn and
shipstuff, while the quality of the meat
from the hogs fed on shipstuff is SUI
perior. Nor is it necessary to use ship
stuff alone. Hogs may be increased in
shipstuf, and while being made fat in
one respect will also have large pro-
portion of lean meat. The opinion, how
ever, is that corn is absolutely neGesS airy
for hardening the fat and must not be
omitted, but it is really not superior to
other grains.
Corn is staple crop, and farmers
find it more convenient for feeding to
hogs than anything else, and we do not
advise them to discard its use; but the
farmer who desires to produce pork of
the best quality should feed ground oats
2nd shipstuff in connection with it. Nor
should roots and variety of food be
omitted, as such food condpces to the
health of the animals, and this is very
important owing to the fact that a
hog will grow and increase rapidly. 1t
should be considered also that good,
warm, dry quarters will save food and
greatly conduce to greater attainment
of weight.-Forna, Field and Stocb9w0n.