The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-07-30


difficulty was experienced in feeding the
cooked corn. but one which of course
would be felt in feeding any form of
soft feed; during very cold weather, Of
which much was experienced, the soft
mushy, cooked corn. unless consumed
as soon as placed in the trough, would
freeze solidly, entailing considerable
waste at times. This difficulty was ag-
gravated by the well-known fact that
fulfilled pigs eat slowly in times of se-
we're cold. On this account il was
found occasionally necessary to substi-
tute a small feed of raw corn for the
regular ration Of cooked corn; but it is
believed that this was not done often
enough to effect the totals and aver
ages" obtained in this experiment.
The pigs fed on cooked corn ate 81
895 pounds and gained $40 pounds,
making an average gain of 104 pounds
each. Those fed on raw corn ate 3,S11
pounds and gained COS pounds, being
an average of 151 pounds. In COM
menting on this experiment Prof. Shell
ton SAYS: Some of the difficulties en-
countered in the prosecution of this ex-
pertinent have already been referred to.
The cold weather which prevailed dur
ing the last four weeks of trial furnish
ed many annoying Interruptions. Dur
ing periods of severe cold near the close
of the experiment, the pigs remained
in an almost comatose condition, COM
ing to their feed with evident re-
luctance, consuming but little and max
ing proportionally light gain. While
the cold weather affected all the pigs
alike, so far as relates to externals, the
character of the cooked feed--its liabil-
ity to freeze as soon as placed in the
trough--made it extremely difficult to
keep accurate record of the food con-
sumed Nevertheless it is believed that
the errors thus originating were not
sufficient to affect the results obtained.
Iexpect in the near future to repeat, un-
der more favorable circumptances, the
experiment above detailed. The figures
given above need but little COM
ment. They show as conclusive as
figures can show anything that
the cooked corn was less useful
than.the raw grain, the difference in
favor of the uncooked corn, taking the
item of pounds of feed required to make
one pound of incearse, amounting TO
exactly one-fifth. That this result is
not an accident seems abundantly prov
ed by the other items of the summary;
the consumption of each pig using
cooked feed was almost exactly the
same as the amount of raw corn used
in the pens where raw corn was the ex-
elusive food, but the average daily gain
--and of course the total grain-and the
gain per hundred-weight of pigs were
in the series using the cooked feed
greatly less than with the pigs using
the raw corn. Such an entire unanim-
ity of results can only be explained upon
the theory that the cooking was an in
| furious process SO far as its use as food
for fattening animals is concerned.
With younger animals whose gain
would be made chiefly in growth, the
cooked feed might give different results
from the foregoing; but considerable
general experience does not encourage
| this belief. Nothing has been said here
of the cost of the cooking-always a
very considerable item, both in respect
to labor and cost of fuel. -
The results of several other expert
ments are given in this report. some OF
which will receive attention at another
time. That Prof. Shelton is doing ex-
cellent work in his department can not
be questioned. The price of all the
products of the farm is now so low that
it is necessary to dispose of them to
the best advantage. Farmers living
west of the Mississippi river have
learned that it is more profitable to
feed grain TO stock than to send it to a
distant city market. They now want
| to learn in what condition it can be fed
to animals to secure the largest amount
of flesh and fat. 1t has long been be-
lieved by many farmers that corn-cobs
were of great value to cattle that were
being prepared for the butcher. Every
year thousands of mills for grinding
the ears of corn are sold to western
farmers. Very many farmers also be-
lieye that there is great advantage in
cooking corn for fattening hogs. II
cooked corn produces less pork than
raw corn, it is time that farmers know
it. Cooking apparatus and fuel are ex-
pensive, and the time of farmers is of
some value, even during the winter
season.