The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1908-09-25
ALessOn in Pig Feeding.

liam Dietrich Of the Illinois College
OF Agriculture at the Peoria meetings
of the Illinois Farmers Institute.
Mr.. Dietrich devotes his whole time
to the study and teaching of swine
husba ndry:
1.-The average market hog should
weigh 500 pounds at eight months OF
age. Far the pig TWO to six months
old protein 10 the most important
feed, Wttout protein 1t cannot build
up the lean meat or grow to any SIZE.
SIX PROTEIN FEEDS OF THE FARM,
"Protein is found in skim milk,
clover and alfalfa. Corn Is nine
tenths carbohydrates; eats have
little more protein than corn, but not
sufficient for the pig. Rye contains a
little more protein than corn. Barley
is one of the best feeds on the farm;
It contains more protein than rye. 10
clover and alfalfa there Is large
bulk for the reQu red nutrients and
pigs cannot get enough for maximum
growth Even if you have corn and
clover 1t is still necessary for the
young pigs to have some protein FOOD
cow peas, soy beans, or Canada field
peas. There is nothing better grown
on the farm to balance up the ration,
RICHER COMMERCIAL FEEDS.
Grape is bulky feed for fattening
and IL is necessary to use some nitro
geuous feed with it. II you feed clover
hay in racks the pigs Will not eat as
much OF it as If 1t were chopped up as
f1ely as possible, scalded with steam,
and mixed with the slop. You can
buy mIddlings, low grade -four; IL has
protein, but not enough. Tankags,
meat.meal and blood meal are very
much richer than shorts. PERHAPS
the most concentrated nitrogenous
feed we have is tankage. 1t was found
10y test that 60 percent tankage con
tains about 46 percent OF dgestlble
protein There is danger in feeding
too much protein; it is worse thar
feeding too little.
THE LAST TWO MONTHS.
"Durtng the last two months OF the
feeding period carbohydrates or fat
tening feeds are OF greater Importance
We must use foods that are diEsstible
like corn, wheat, -four or middlings,
but bran is practically digsstlble for
thu pig. Oil-cake contains as much
protein as middlings, and ranks with
meat-meal or oil-meal; the last is
perhaps better because it contains
much ether extract.
NECESSARY TO MIX THE FEED.
sit is much BETTE 10 mix the feeds
than 10 feed corn at one time and
something else at another time.
Otherwise the pigs are liable to get
too mach of the protein feed, lose
their appetite for corn and become
stunted for their lives.
TWICE THE GAINS ON HALF THE FEED
Nine lots of pigs were fed in one OF
Professor Dietrich's experiments and
he gradually reduced the feed Of two
lots of young pigs until he had taken
away Just half of the ration, and then
they we're making twice the gain they
did before, Lots 8 and which were
fed according to the old scientific
feeding standard weighed 270 pounds
at zine months, while the two lots fed
by Professor Dietrich's method aver
aged 29S and 3O5 pounds respectively
II was this done? By holding ihe
Pigs down at the beginning, ny IeU.-
ing less protein, The gains were Lot
only larger but the sain at the { ose
was made off OF cornmeal, which is
cheaper feed. If allowed to do so pigs
will eat too much protein at first and
that will keep their weight down for
ever afterwards.
This is a valuable result, but one
must be careful not to mlsinterpret
it. Tho more common errer is to feed
too little protein than to feed too
much. Professor Dietrich s statement
gives no sanction whatever 30 the at
tempt 80 raise hogs Oh corn and
water.
DIFFERENT RESULTS FROM DIFFERENT
RATIONs.
1.-THE pigs in lot l started 10 the
experiment when they were three
months old. weighing 30 pounds, and
were fed until they were nine months
old, making a gain Of 20 pounds; they
had carbohydrates in the form Of
corn, aad had mineral matter 10 the
form of alr-slacked lime, charcoal,
ashes. and a few loads OF dirt. They
gained 20 pounds. The pigs 10 the
remaining lots had protein 10 addition
to the mineral matter. The pigs 10
lot 3 weighed 24O pounds. This bunch
were fed straight corn on clover pas
ture and they made gain Of two and
a half times that OF lot 2.