Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-12-27
Strawpile
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COOKING Food for Swine.

Cooking Food for Swine.
opinions differ as to the advisability
and economy of cooking food for swine
and the question will probably always
remain undecided. Whether 1t is adj
vsabe or not will depend largely on
the surroundings and circumstances
Under certain circumstances one farm
er may find 1t profitable to cook con-
siderable portion of his hog food, white
another farmer under different cir
cum stances would not get such salts
factory results, even tho he was rails
ing the same kind of hogs, and he
would OF course, claim that cooking
was not only unnecessary, but expen-
sive Careful experiments have been
conducted by various experiment sta
tons and also by prominent breeders,
ito determine accurately whether or not
1t would pay them to cook their hog
food There can be no doubt that the
cooking of hard, dried corn renders 1t
much more digestible. which enables
the animal to extract more nutritive
material from 1t, and that under ordi-
nary circumstances a larger percentage
of flesh and fat will be added to the
animals that are thus fed than those
that are fed dry grain In an uncooked
condition.
There are various reasons which
would make 1t impractical to cook food
for swine. In the first place. in many
localities timber for fuel is scarce.
There are vast number Of farmers.
both In the corn belt and in the prai-
RE country of the north. who would
be practically debarred from raising
hogs il they had to depend on the tim
Der on their farms to be used for fuel
for this purpose. Others who have an
abundance of fuel would be forced to
give up hog raising on account of the
lack of reliable, intelligent help, while
still others who may or may not have
any objections against cooking food
for swine, would be deferred from do
ing SO on account OF the expense nee
essary to fit up cooking outfit.
From the combined experience OF a
large number of prominent swine
breeders, 1t Will not pay to cook food
for hogs except in a few special In
stances, such as for sows just after
narrowing, for sick hogs. for pigs after
weaving If the weather is cold, and
for all classes Of hogs In very severe
weather. 1t is certainly true that the
bodily heat which goes to heat up the
food after it enters the stomach de-
tracts just so much from the increase
in weight. We even believe that it
would pay better to soak old corn or
other grain that Is hard, rather than
to cook It, Cooking Is quite an ex-
pensive undertaking and the profits
gained by 1T are so small in advance
Of the uncooked food that it will not
pay to bother with 1t except In the
above mentioned cases.
In feeding hogs q variety in winter
the farmer often finds 1t advantageous
to turn over his small potatoes to these
animals, along with any other vege-
tables that are not needed for other
These will be improved by
cooking, altho 1t will not be necessary
to so to the expense Of fitting up an
expensive cooking outfit for this pur-
pose.
Skim Milk for Hogs.
Dairy farmers have the advantage
over grain farmers and even those
who conduct a diversified system Of
farming, In that they always have an
abundant supply OF milk for their
swine. Skim milk should always be
used when 1t is available. Not only
Is it good flesh producer in itself, be-
Ing as nearly balanced ration as can
be found in any one food. but it also
makes the ordinary grain that 1t fed
to hogs more digestible and thus adds
greatly to its value. From 20 to- 40
pounds of skim milk are required to
produce one pound Of meat, and IL
It is mixed in the proportion of three
pounds of milk to one pound of grain
It's value is greatly increased. Instances
are not unusual in the corn belt where
farmers have produced ten pounds of
pork from one bushel of corn. When
This is compared with 100 pounds of
skim milk, which produces five pounds
IF pork when used separately, it would
seem that there was such a strong
contrast in favor Of the corn that many
would be inclined to ridicule the state
ner1t that skim milk was a good hog
food. When skim milk and corn are
Fed together, however, the mixture will
produce eighteen pounds Of meat, or
an increase Of three pounds due to the
mixing. In such cases 100 pounds OF
skim milk can take the place Of AS
pounds of corn. The Utah Experiment
Station has made some extensive
tests in the feeding of skim milk to
swine, and among the important facts
that were worked out was the fact
that "the hogs fed on a milk and grain
ration made more rapid gains than
either those fed on milk alone or on
corn alone" Work in other stations
has given the same results, and has
demonstrated that where more than
four pounds of skim milk is used with
each pound Of grain, the milk is worth
from Is to 30 cents per 100 pounds. The
younger and smaller the hogs the high,
or is the value Of the milk, and as the
hogs increase in age this food becomes
IF less value. It may be taken as a
safe rule that 1t will be profitable to
pay 10 or even Is cents per 100 pounds
Tor all the skim milk needed to make
four times the weight of the grain fed,
and where it is impossible to secure
enough for all the pigs and shoats. the
available supply should be given to
hose nearest the weaving age, and to
The sows that are sucking pigs.
Stable Ventilation.
Has it ever occurred to the reader.
that tuberculosis among livestock is
largely matter of latitude that in
Europe there is but little Of it, in pro-
portion to the number of cattle, in
Italy or Spain, more in France and still
more in Germany and more stii. in
Denmark. 1t is not all a matter Of
latitude, however, for Colorado has