The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-06-01
FEEDING THE HOGS,
Items of Interest to Farmers Based
Recent Experiments.

Recent Experiments.
Custom has long prompted the far
mer to feed his hogs on carbohydrates
Gat-forming foods), corn being the
principal substance used, it being sup
posed that heavy weights could not be
obtained without excessive fat, but new
light has been thrown on the system in
the recent experiments Of Prof. Henry
of the Wisconsin Experiment Station,
which is very valuable to every farmer
in the country. He found that by
feeding to obtain the largest proper
tion of lean meat not only the health of
the animals was promoted but greater
weight was obtained. He selected six
pigs, and began with them when they
were 100 days old. Up to the begin
ming of the trial the pigs were fed alike
from the same trough, with mixture
composed of shorts, cornmeal, butter
milk and skimmilk, the pigs hav-
ing been cross bred Jersey Reds and
Poland Chinas. The pigs were divided
into two lots of three each. The first
dot Az were fed ration composed OF
six parts dried blood, six parts o.
shorts and fourteen parts of sweet
slsimmilk by weight, while the second
lot OBJ were fed all the cornmeal they
could consume. They had small back
yards for exercise, and were fed for
1876 days. Lot A consumed in the 1856
days 1892 pounds of skimmilk, 1,4l5
pounds of shorts and 236 pounds of
! dried blood, while lot b consumed
1,69O pounds of cornmeal. OF the
actual digestible matter OF the food
that OF lot A contained 42S pounds OF
muscle-making food (proteine) and
833 pounds of fat-producing food Gear
bohydrates), and that of lot b con-
tanned 1853 pounds of muscle-producing
food and 1,193 pounds of fat-forming
food. The weights and relative pro-
portions of lean and fat on the car
casses of each lot were: Live weight
of lot A, 669i pounds; dressed weight.
5412 pounds: external fat $50 pounds;
lean meat. 233 pounds, and live weight
of lot B, 56lI pounds; dressed weight,
451 pounds; external fat, 1866 pounds.
and lean meat, 17S4 pounds. The
hogs fed for lean meats were
19 per cent. heavier when alive, the car
casses when dressed were 2l per cent.
heavier, the bones 90 per cent heavier,
the large muscles of the buck GA per
cent. heavier. the tender loin muscles
3S per cent. heavier, and the blood So
per cent. heavier. OF all the meat
that could be cut from the carcasses
of lot A only SO per cent. was fat,
while the fat from lot B was 46 per
cent. The professor has demonstrated
that " judicious system of feeding
hogs can be made to contain a larger
proportion of lean meat and weigh
more in the same period of time than
hogs fed exclusively for fat, but he
fails to give the proportionate cost OF
the food. which is the most important
item. The question with farmers is
whether a lean-meated hog can be pro-
duced with as little costas one contain
ing more fat and of the same weight.
Dried blood cannot be easily obtained
on soma farms at a low cost, and corn,
being staple product. will be given
the preference. The experiments.
howeyer, are some of the most valua.
BILE ever conducted, and will Mt some
future time work revolution in the
present system Of fswine feeding. IN. q
Farmer