Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-08-13
RESULT of SCIENTIFIC AGRICUL.
TURAL EXPERIMENTS.
A Series of EXPERIMENTS on the Feed.
ing of Hogs-What is the Best
Food for Making Fat and

The following is summary ofexperi-
ments made by the Illinois Experiment.
station at Champaign during the years
1888, 1889 and 1890:
In eight trials in which corn only was
fed, aside from salt and coal slack, pigs
varying in average weight from 65 to 200
pounds and kept in pens or small lots
without grass, gained at the rate of from
lO.46 to 14,73 pounds per bushel, Sc
pounds shelled corn, the average gain
being 1886 pounds. The rate of grain
for food eaten, and the food eaten in
proportion to weight decreased after
four to six weeks feeding with corn only.
The corn eaten per day varied from 3.41
pounds eaten by pigs averaging 65.58
pounds to 1911 pounds, eaten by pigs
weighing 81 pounds. The corn eaten
per day per 100 pounds live weight vari-
ed from 1.95 pounds eaten by pigs fed
"a days and averaging 207 in weight, to
5.19 pounds eaten by pigs averaging
65.58 pounds. In one case in fourth
week of pen feeding two pigs gained 1921
pounds each per day-at the rate of
1851 pounds per bushel of corn. This
was the greatest gain per day and was
also the best rate of gain in any trial.
These seem to be no constant relation
between the weight CT the pigs or the
season of the year, and the food eaten
or the gains made.
In four trials, pigs fed all they would
eat of shelled corn with blue grass pas
ture ate 4,216.5 pounds of corn and gain
ed 905 pounds, which was at the rate OF
1904 pounds gain per bushel of corn.
Pigs under like conditions, except that
they were fed but half as much corn, ate
2,l9O pounds of corn and gained sos
pounds, which was at the rate of 1898
pounds per bushel. Pigs in dry lots fed
shelled corn ate 4,207 pounds of corn
and gained 1905 pounds, which was at
the rate of 1852 pounds per bushel.
After periods varying from six to nine
weeks, the pigs which had been fed a
halfration of corn on pasture, were given
full feed of corn, the others being fed,
as before. In their trials lasting four
or five weeks each, the pigs which had
full feed of corn Throughout ate 1895
pounds ofcorn and gained 329 pounds,
which was at the rate of 10.11 pounds
per bushel. Those which had been fed
half feed of corn in the first part of
the trials ate 2,075.5 pounds of corn in
the second part gained 1925 pounds
which was at the rate of 1875 pounds per,
bushel. Those fed corn only ate ,624.5
pounds of corn and gained 224 pounds,
which was at the rate of 7.44 pounds
per bushel.
In two trials pigs fed soaked corn ate
more and gained more than those fed
dry corn. In one trial they gained
more and in one less in proportion to
food eaten than those fed dry corn.
The differences We're not great ia either
case.
Two pigs in a two-acre pasture in
which three yeariing steers were fed
corn gained in "a weeks 1876 pounds. In
a second trial two pigs with like condi-
tions gained 231 pounds in 81 weeks. In
neither case was the gain large. In
each case the pigs at the close of the
trial were in good condition for full
feeding and made large gains when so
fed.
A trial of apple pomace as food for
pigs resulted unsatisfactory. The
pomace kept well; chemical analysis of
it showed an apparently good compost
tion for feeding purposes; but the pigs
ate very little of the pomace.