The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1908-07-23
PIGS NEED PROTEIN.
Professor VIM. Dietrich Tells Wha'
Feeds Are Best for Growing

flIS NECb TFlS 80
Professor VIM. Dietrich Tells What
Feeds Are Best for Growing
Swine.
In an address before the illinois farm
ers, institute Professor William Diet
rich, of the Illinois college OF agrlcui-
ture. gave some very practlcal lessois
in pig feeding. Professor Dietrich de,
votes his Who'll time to the STUDY anu
teaching of swine husbandry.
TIL average market hog should "elgh
sG0 hounds at eight months of age. For
the mig two to six months old protein
is the most important feed. Wlthout
protein it cannot build up the lean meat
or grow to any size.
Protein is found In skimmllk, Clover
and alfalfa. Corn is nine-tenths carbo-
bvdratas. oats have a little more pro-
TEN than corn, but not suftlclent Ior the
mig. Rye contains a little more pro-
tefn h does corn. Barley is one ol
the best feeds on the farm; 1t contains
more protein than does rye. IN Clover
and alfalfa there is a large bulk Tor
| the required nutrients and pigs cannot
get enough for a maximum grown.
| Even If YOU have corn and clover 1t is
still necessary for the young pig to
have some protein food-cowpeas, soy
beans or Canada field peas. Ihere Is
nothing better grown on the farm TO
] " uD III akiSl
Rape is a bulky feed for fatten1ng
and it is necessary to use some nitro
genous feed with it. If you feed clover
hay in racks the pigs will not as
much of it as If it We're chopped up as
| finely as possible, scalded with steam
and mixed with slop. You can buy mid
| dlings dow grade four); 1t mas protein,
| but not enough. Tankage, meat meal
| and blood meal are very much richer
| thar shorts. Perhaps the most concen-
trated heterogeneous feed we nave is
tankage. 1t was found by test that 60
! per cent tankage contained about Az per
| cent of digestible protein. There Is
| danger in feeding too much protein;
| it is worse than feeding too little.
During the last two months OF the
| feeding period carbohydrates or fatten-
ing feeds are of greater Importance.
We must use feeds that are digesttble
k corn, wheat, -four or middlings. but
bran is practically indigesttble for the
pig. OIL cake contains as much protein
as middlings and ranks with meat meal,
blood meal or oil meal; the last Is per-
haps better because 1t contains much
ether extract.
1t is much better to mix the feeds
| than to feed corn at one time and some
thing else at another time. Otherwise
the pigs are liable to get too much
of the protein feed, lose their appetite
for corn and become Stunted for then
lives.
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 the ration and then they
were making twice the gain they did
before. Lots 5 and s, which were fed
according to the old scientific feeding
standard, weighed 270 pounds at nine
months, while the two lots fed by Pro-
fessor Dietrich's method averaged 298
and 3O5 pounds, respectively. How was
this done? By holding the pigs down
at the beginning, by feeding less pro-
tein. The gains were not only larger
of cornmeal, which is a cheaper feed.
If allowed to do so pigs will eat too
much protein at first and that will keep
their weight down forever afterward.
(This Is a valuable result, but one
must be careful not to misinterpret 1t.
The more common error is to feed too
little protein than to feed too much.
Professor Dietrich's statement gives no
sanction whatever to the attempt to
raise hogs on corn n water.)
The pigs in lot l started In the expert
ment when they were 8 months old,
Weighing so pounds, and were fed until
they were 8 months old. making a gain
OF 20 pounds: they had carbohydrates.
The pigs in lot 2 were fed the same as
in lot / on carbohydrates In the form
OF corn and had mineral matter in the
form OF air-slaked lime charcoal, ashes
and a few loads of dirt. They gained
10 pounds. The pigs in he remaining
lots had protein in addition to the min
eral matter. The pigs In lot 8 weighed
240 pounds. This bunch were fed
straight corn on clover pasture and
they made a gain OF two and a half
times that Of lot 2.
Pigs can be oyerfed on skimmilk. In
an experiment last year pigs which
were fed three times a day made much
larger and more economical gains than
pigs that were fed twice, but the former
were not given all they would eat each
time.
A 2-month-old pig will not weigh
much over 80 pounds; at 3 months, so
to go pounds. At 5 months the pig has
gained so pounds in about three weeks.
At Z months he weighs about $50 pounds
and has put on $50 pounds of pork in
three months. II takes two months to
put on the next SO pounds. and the pig
gains only so pounds from Q to IL
months.
When the pig lin a certain expert
ment) is 8 months old it eats 90 pounds
of food per day; when Z months old
he weighs five times as much, but eats
only three times as much. Between A
and 5 months Of age, the pig makes SO
pounds gain in 80 days from 100 pounds
Of feed. But after the pig Is 8 months
old it takes threesmonths to put on so
pounds of pork from $50 pounds OF feed.
Which Is the more economical? The
only way to figure feed is In proportion
to the live weight.
FOR THE HOG BREEDER.
The brood SOW can be made a source OF
pront In every feed lot.
Where the sow nnds an important place
on the farm. the pig thrives the best.
Young hogs will not make O profitable
growth in q dry lot without a variety OF
o.