The commonwealth., 1903-07-16
Experiment ::
:: With Pigs.
Southern Farm Magazine.)

tSOuthefn Fd1m MdSdZIHCsg
nROF. J. F. DUGGAR, agriculturist
l. of the Alabama Experiment Sta
ton, in bulletin on grazing and feed
ing experiments with pigs, says:
s.The following plants we're tested as
hog food on the farm of the Expert
ment Station at Auburn, the hogs do
Ing the harvesting; these plants are
available for use in the months ind1-
Gated:
spanish peanuts, August to De-
cember.
"Cbufas, November to March.
"Cowpeas, July to November.
"Sweat potatoes, August to NOvem-
ber.
Sorghum, July to November.
''Vetch and cats, March, April and
May.
dwarf Essex rape (spring sown),
May and June.
: "Dwarf Essex rape Gall sown), De-
Gambler, January, February, March and
part of April.
::In most cases it vas found best to
feed, in addition to the above crops,
from one-fourth to one.half OF the
usual ration of grain. If we assume
that of this grain five pounds was re-
qu1red to produce one pound OF in
crease in live weight, we haye left the
amount of growth of shoats
a tributable to one acre of each crop
after deducting the increase due to the
grain consumed:
"An acre of peanuts in seven tests
averaged a net return of 333 pounds OF
growth, now worth SIG IS.
"Peanuts alone In two tests averaged
PSI pounds, worth $14.O5.
"Chufas in two tests averaged 307
. ,unds, worth $3.50.
"Cowpeas in two tests averaged 229
pounds, worth $l1.45.
Essex rape in two tests averaged
2oo9 pounds, worth $22. 80.
Sorghum In two tests averaged 174
pounds, worth $3.50.
Conc acre of the best of these crops
(peanuts, rape and chutas), afforded
p ,suurage for one month for at least
twenty-five 100-pound shoats when a
half-ration OF grain was fed.
';It usually requires about five
pounds of grain to make one pound Of
growth in live weight of such shoats as
these. However, when they grazed on
the crops named below, one pound OF
increase in weight required only:
81 II pounds of grain with peanuts.
''2 80 pounds Of grain with chufas.
"3O7 pounds OF grain with cowpeas.
"26S pounds OF grain with rape.
1910 pounds OF grain with sorghum.
"3 13 pounds OF grain with sweet po-
satoes.
"Pigs grazing on sorghum, fully
headed out, ate only II per cent. less
grain per pound of growth than those
supported entirely on corn.
"Shoats fed on a mixture OF corn
meal and of 20 or 25 per cent. cotton
ssed meal in most experiments ate but
little food and made very slow growth.
In other experiments they required
-,nly 3.S4 and 4 68 pounds of this mix
are per pound of growth.
"The feeding OF cottonseed meal as
me fifth or one-fourth of the grain
alton for thirty-four to th,rty-eight
lays in most cases had poisonous
feet on shoats weighing from SO to
i1S pounds each. No ill-effect was
.oticed prior to the thirty-third day,
nd some pigs showed no perceptlble
.l-effects on the thirty-second day.
"Young pigs were more susceptible
to injury from cottonseed meal than
older shoats.
Peanuts fed up to the date of slaugh-
tsr made very soft lard. Chufas soft
,ned the lard to an almost equal de-
;ree. Sorghum did not soften the lard
o the same extent.
"Rlce polish proved to be a better
log food than cornmeal, 1876 pounds
# polish equaling in feeding value
Loo pounds OF cornmeal.
Numerous other grains and mix
lures Of grains were tested and the re-
suits recorded in full in Experiment
Station Bulletin No. 122, of which the
above is brief outline. It will be
distributed soon to the names on our
mailing list, and can be obtained free
by any other parties on application to
Experiment Station, Auburn, Ala"
No man or woman in the State will