The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1898-12-13
No. As

the return for the skimmik was
greater than when larger proportion
was fed. When fed in the proportion
of 2 pounds of skimmilk to 1 pound of
grain, 100 pounds Of milk took the
place of 81 pounds of grain, but when
fed in the proportion of pounds Of
skimmilk to l pound of grain, only "a
pounds were displaced.
Hogs fed on milk alone gained very
slowly and did not keep in good health;
in some cas9s they were IF their feed
20 frequently that a change of feed had
to be made. The milk and graiu fed
hogs, however, without exception,
kept in good health.
Young hogs make better use of
milk alone and poorer use of grain
alone than older hogs. Hogs fed on
grain alone or milk alone did much
better when permitted to run on pas
ture than when kept in small pens.
The appetite of the hogs and the
palatability of their food seemed to
have marked effect on the rapidity
and economy OF the gains.
Young hogs are in every way the
more economic producers of pork. The
hogs fed milk and grain required 81
per cent. more to grow pound of live
weight when they weighed from 200 to
255 pounds than they did when they
weighed from 80 to 100 pounds, and for
those hogs fed on grain alone the diff
ference in favor Of the smaller weight
was 56 per cent.
In the calf feeding tests Is calves in
all were used, and the experiments
were repeated four successive years.
The calves were in every case sepaS
rated from the COW by the time they
were 12 hours old. For the first seven
or ten days the calves we're fed the
whole milk from the COW, some of the
calves being fed twice and some three
times day. The milk was fed warm
from the COW and the amount given
was about Is to Is pounds per day. It
may be asked, why not let the calf
help itself for the first seven or ten
d8ys9 The experiment gives no an
swer, but past experience had demon
stratad that by the method followed
both the COW and the calf gave much
less trouble. When the calves were
fed on the whole milk it was gradually
increased as they got older, till 20 to %
pounds were d per day at a month
old, when the calves were disposed of.
Those calves which received skim.
milk were fed as follows: For the first
seven to ten days Of it's lie the calf got
the whole milk from the COW; then
skim milk was gradually substituted
till at the end of one week, or when
calves were Il to II days old, the calf
got half skimmilk and half whole milk.
At the end Of the next week the ration
was three fourths skimmilk and one
fourth whole milk, and at the end of
another week, or by the time the calf
4 TO 81 weeks old, the ration consisted
OF ali skimmik. II, however, the calf
was not doing as we'll as we would like,
little whole milk was continued for
another weeks or two. The amount of
skimmilk was gradually increased as
the calf got older, but the most fed in
any one day was from 25 to q pounds.
The skimmilk ration was kept up till
the calf was 5 to 6 months old, but as
they increased in age they had what
water they could drink in addition to
the milk. We have found it to be of
the utmost Importance to make all
changes OF feed gradually, 80 as not to
disturb the digestion of the young calf.
Separator skimmilk was used and in
every instance it YVES fed fresh To
prevent the milk from souring it was
| boiled by having steam turned into it
(Which diluted it about per cent },
and then it was cooled to about 60 de.
grees Fahrenheit in summer and to
about 40 degrees Fahrenheit in winter.
When treated in this way the milk
would keep fresh for about three or
four days in summer and about q week
during the winter.
The skim milk given the young calves
WAS always 400 "aAA1S LACLA o. W 4OU
degrees Fahrenheit. The cold milk we
learned from little experience gen
orally produced indigestion, with the
resulting scours The milk, however,
should not be hot. Our method of
warming the milk was by the use of a
lamp stove, only few minutes being
required to heat pailful OF milk.
AS soon as the calves would eat it O
little grain was given to them. Chop.
ped grain was used, and it was fed dry
in a box, and not put into the milk. No