The Grit-advocate., 1905-12-22
'IIVE1|
STOCK
Writer Feeding Of Hogs.


in this department of the paper that
hog with everything that it requires
for maintenance and increase in
frame. There can be no question
about the correctness of these state
ments. They have been proved By
hundreds OF conclusive experiments.
1t is Just as true that corn cannot,
nowadays be profitably employed as
sole fattening grain for hogs in win
ter, although adult hogs, if raised to
maturity in proper manner by feeding
mixed rations, are not greatly in
jured by corn feeding for short
period. The reason for not employing
corn as sole ration is that it is ex-
travagant SO to do. Corn is expensive
these times, but this gear is abundant
everywhere, and this may make 1t
cheaper in some districts than a ra-
ton augmented by other fattening
FOODS. The hog feeder should do
little figuring to learn whether corn
alone will prove more profitable than
mixed ration, and if the cost of the
two rations is close or slightly in ia
vor OF the mixed ration, we would
strongly advise it's use, on the basis
that it will not only prove economical
but much more wholesome for the
hogs, writes A. S. Alexander in Far
mers' Review.
1t goes without saying that hogs
stuffed upon corn are apt TO break
down in their backs or fetlocks, unless
they have very strong frames to start
with, and it Is likewise true that chol-
era apparently takes the severest hold
where corn is the chief grain fed dur
ing the fattening period. There are
many foods that can be economically
and proftably fed to hogs to lessen
the amount Of corn used and at the
same time lay fat on rapidly. A favor
lite combination is barley meal and
cooked potatoes. Many feeders are
also employing digester tankage,
which Is very rich in protein or nitrog-
enous matter required to balance the
ratio with corn. Even more popu.
lar. because better known, are flax.
seed meal and wheat middlings, both
OF them excellent foods for fatten!ng
hogs and suitable, in that they do not
cause disease or greatly disturb the
digestive organs, unless too heavily
fed.
Some farmers believe that corn and
cob ground together are suitable as a
fattening food for swine, but expert.
ments show that this food is not
profitable, compared with other foods
mentioned. With cattle a roughage
addition to meals Is absolutely neces.
sary to give bulk in the complicated,
digestive apparatus. which causes
food to be masticated over and over
again. The hog digests amazingly
fast and fully. He does not need
ground cob in his corn meal and in.
deed can make no good use of such
burden in his small stomach which,
like that of the horse. requires con.
centrated, nutritious food in compare.
lively small quantities often.
Prof. Mumford Of the Missouri Sta.
tion in summing up matters pertain.
ing to fattening foods for hogs says
that Forbes Of the same station found
that corn and linseed meal in the pro.
portion Of 5 to l made daily gain
Of 1.4S pounds at cost of 1887 per
100 pounds Of gain. Corn meal and
wheat middlings mixed In the proper.
tion Of 2 to l, made a gain of l24
pounds daily at a cost Of 1851 per 100
pounds gain; corn meal and bran fed
in the proportion OF to l, resulted In
a gain Of 81 pounds daily and cost
$3.93 per 100 pounds. Corn and cob
meal ground very fine made gain
of .32 pounds daily at a cost of $6.16
per 100. pounds. Corn meal alone
made daily gain of rs pounds and
cost $4.52 per 100 pounds gain. The
prices Of food in this report are as
sumed to be as follows: Corn 40
cents bushel; linseed meal $26 per
ton; wheat middlings 1857 and
wheat bran s14.67 per ton. Prof.
Mrnford writing in the Homestead
figures that in these experiments the
increased gain from feeding linseed
meal with corn, over feeding corr
alone would give the linseed meal 8 I
value Of $50 ton when corn is worth
40 cents per bushel. On the same basis
wheat middlings would be worth $50
"a ton. These figures are well worthy
OF thought and study by every care.
full feeder. The old plan of feeding
corn alone must be revamped now
that corn is dear and other supplement.
tary foods comparatively cheap and
easily obtained.