Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-02-07
PIG FEEDING.
Exceptions Taken to Bulletin No. Is.


To the Editor Of the Free Press:
The FREE PRESS invites attention to the
pig feeding bulletin, No. 1S of the State
Agricultural station, ju issued, and re-
marks that "the conclusion reached is that
pig-feeding is profitable even at the low
price of five and one quarter cents per
pound dressed weight, provided the pig is
sold at early age-as soon as possible
after it reaches $50 pounds.
! have carefully studied the bulletin in
the hope to derive from it some exact in
formation upon the economy of pig feeding.
But like most of the published reports on
Successful Farming" running through the
press of the day, there is an omission of
most important items which leaves the
seeker after exact facts as much in the dark
as ever. The experiment was with or upon
six pigs within two days of five weeks old
on the day they were put In our pens, May
IA, 1852" We are told where they came
from, but not word in regard to their cost.
Perhaps the station got them for nothing,
but the common farmer for whose benefit
the experiment. is supposed to have been
conducted would have been lucker than
most Of us were last spring if he had not
been obliged to invest at least Sl8 of hard
money before he could have put six we'll
bred pigs of five weeks old into his pen.
Now this omission nullnes nearly every
conclusion reached by the experiment. In
the summary" paragraph 7, we are told
that; They sold for 81 cents per pound
dressed weight and shrank 10 per cent in
dressing, making the selling price equal to
4.32 cents per pound, live weight. The
whole selling price was 81 OF and the value
Of the feed consumed $3622, leaving a
profit of $l0.S5. ["Provided, of course,
that the pigs cost nothing p
The editorial fraternity are so sensitive
on the subject of long articles that | must
omit two or three other points bearing upon
! the conclusions reached There is how
ever, one question to which desire to in
vite attention. On the first page of the
bulletin proper, these statements are made
as facts:
q. Pig feeding is profitable even at the
low price of st cents per pound, dressed
weight. Provided,
?. The pig is sold at an early age.
3. The pig should be sold as soon as pos
sible after it reaches live weight of 1870
pounds.
1. Grain can be fed to young pigs with
profit; fed to pigs weighing over 200 pounds
| there is loss. ~
In paragraph ] / of the Summary" 1t is
| 7olu' no iel tlIiEInB value OF tne 1oou
consumed should always be- taken into ac-
count, and is the largest gain in the trans
action. In this case II amounted to $22 66
from food which was worth23G. 90.
Now the question in which the practical
feeder is interested is; If l sell my pig at
1870 pounds live weight at 4 30 cents per
pound and replace it with five weeks old
pig of 20 pounds live weight the average
of the six experimental with, at Is cents a
pound, taking "the fertilizing value of the
food consumed into account is it not a
losing transaction; According to the last
statement in the bulletin the net cost of a
pound Of dressed pork after deducting the
fortilizing value of the food is / 80 cents.
That being the case the weight of the $50
pound pig can be doubled for less than the
first cost of the 20 pound pig.
| o. S. BLISS.