Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-12-18
Ground Barley for Fattening
Hogs.
W. A. HENRY.
OF THE EXPERIMENTS.

SUMMARY OF THE EXPERIMENTS.
|. BARLEY MEAL VERSUS CORN MEAL.
The purpose of this experiment was
/ to determine the value of barley in
comparison with corn in hog feeding.
In the first trial 10 hogs, IA months
old, were divided into two lots of five
each. To the first lot was fed barley
meal, while the second received corn
meal. The experiment continued 8
weeks, during which time the first lot
of hogs consumed 1882 lbs, of barley
meal and gained COL lbs. In the same
time the second lot of hogs consumed
3,l00 lbs of corn meal and gained 7l3
lbs. From this we lind that
Lot required All lbs of barley meal
for 100 lbs. gain.
Lot III required 435 lbs of corn meal
for 100 lbs. gain.
/ This shows that it required Sc lbs, or
per cent. more barley meal than corn
meal to produce 100 lbs. of gain. In
this experiment both feeds were soaked
with water. 1t was found that it required
about lbs. of water to properly soak a
pound of barley meal. while pound of
corn meal required but 2lbs. of water.
The hogs fed on barley meal consumed
80 lbs. of water daily with feed, while
the hogs on corn meal consumed % lbs.
daily. Even with this large amount of
water in feed the barley hogs drank 2
lbs. extra, daily, from a separate trough,
while the corn meal hogs drank but
three-fourths of pound.
III. BARLEY MEAL AND SWEET SKIM
MILK VERSUS CORN MEAL AND
SWEET sKIMMILK.
In this experiment the pigs were
about five months old at the beginning;
of the trial. There were six pigs in
each lot. Lot l was fed barley meal
and sweet skimmllk. Lot Ill corn and
meal and sweet skimmilk. The ex-
pertinent lasted nine weeks, during
which time lot consumed 1898 lbs. of
barley neal, 2,404 lbs. of sweet skim
milk, and gained GOA lbs. In the same
time Lot III consumed 1907 lbs. of
corn meal, 2,192 lbs. of sweet skimmilk,
and gained 59l lbs.
Lot | consumed $50 lbs. of barley
meal and 1898 lls of sweet skimmilk for
100 lbs. of gain.
Lot III consumed 306 lbs Of corn meal
and 81 lbs of sweet skimmilk for 100
lbs of gain.
Again, there is difference of about
8 per ceat. in favor of the corn.
These experiments showed that when
feeding barley care should be taken to
prepare the food so as to render it
palatable, Hogs eat corn meal in al
most any shape, dry, wet and even
sour; when fed barley meal their prefer
ence calls for considerable soaking in a
comparatively large amount of water.
Our results show that barley is not
quite so valuable as corn, pound for
pound for laying on fat, but we must
remember that corn has very high
feeding value in such cases as this.
Ode prime use for barley is in giving
the farmers an additional variety of
feed. As rule we have too few kinds
of feed upon our farms, and we rely
too much on corn. In barley we have
feed capable of building up bone and
muscle, and serving general useful
purpose on the farm In California it
is the most universal horse feed, and no
animals have more endurance than
horses raised and fed On rolled barley.
Barley is the common grain feed q
England and North Europe. In the
light of these facts, why should our
farmers longer harbor any prejudice
against itP
A detailed statement of this expert
ment will be found on page 81 of the
Station report for 1890.