Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-08-28
Three Feeds Now
Cause Soft Pork
Problem Becoming Nation
Wide Because Of Increas-
ing Use Of Soy Bean.

teristics, once thought to be prob
lem only in those regions where pea
nuts are fed is no longer a sectional
difficulty, says the United States De-
partinent Of Agriculture in calling at
tention to the results which have been
obtained during five years Of investi-
CATION. 1t Is bow almost a nation
wide problem among hog raisers be-
cause of the increasing use Of soy
beans which also produced carcasses
lacking In Rrmness. There are now
three feeds recognized as producers
Of soft pork, peanuts, soy beans, and
rice polish.
Result OF Experiments.
At the recent annual meeting ct
Knoxville, Tenn, representatives OF
the state experiment stations taking
part in these investigations, and rep
resentatiyes Of the United States De-
partment Of Agriculture, discussed
the results obtained in this long se-
rles OF experiments. This is the first
year it has been possible to make def
mite statements on the influence Of
soy beans on Hrmness Of hogs. Sum
maries Of the experimental results OBJ
tanned by the Alabama, Georgia, Indi-
ana, Kentucky, Mississippi North
Carolina. Tennessee and Texas agri-
cultural experiment stations in Coop
GRAFTON with the United States De-
partment of Agriculture during five
years investigation of the soft-pork
problem have shown that:
1. Soy beans grazed or settled
alone or with minerals settled
through a period of seven to eight
weeks to pigs starting at approximate
ly 100 pounds weight and making
gains Of 40 to SO pounds produce soft
carcasses Further, the results have
shown that the degree OF so5tness OF
the carcass increases as the gain in
weight Of hog on this feed in
creases.
g. Soy beans grazed or settled
alone or with minerals settled to pigs
starting at approximately 100 pounds
weight and making at least moder-
ate rate of gain through a period Of
seven to eight weeks will not produce
firm carcasses even though subse-
quent gain in weight has been made
by the pigs on corn and tankage equal
to that previously made on the soy
beans
8. Soy beans grazed or settled with
supplementary ration Of IA per
cent OF shelled corn with or without
minerals settled produce soft hogs
| when the pigs are started on the
feeds at approximately 100 pounds
weight and make at least a moderate
rate of gain through feeding period
Of seven to eight weeks.
4. Rice polish and tankage settled,
free choice on oat or rye pasture or
In dry lot and with or without small
supplement of skim milk handled to
pigs starting at 35 TO 125 pounds
weight and making gains of 80 pounds
or more through feeding period of
eight to fifteen weeks, produce soft
carcasSeS.
8. There is a direct relation be-
tween immaturity and softness In
pigs. When pigs are fed ON ordi-
nary feed combinations which are not
unusually low in fat content, such as
corn and tankage, or corn, middlings
and tankage on pasture or in dry lot
and slaughtered at weight of APP
proximateIy 100 pounds or less they
are in the usual case, soft.
Feeding Corn and Tankage.
6. Hogs fed corn and tankage grad
ually become firIner as they mature
or take on weight and finish. While
| hogs fed in this way are usually soft
at 100 pounds or less, the hardening
| is progressive SO that when slaugh-
tered at approximately 175 pounds or
more they are, in the usual case, hard.
z. Brewers rice and tankage self
fed, free choice on oat pasture with
or without small supplement Of skim
milk handled to pigs starting at APP
proximately go pounds weight and
making gains of $50 to 200 pounds
through feeding periods of II to 10
weeks produce In the usual case, ex-
tremely hard hogs, in fact, of de-
gree of firmness distinctly greater than
that occurring in corn fed hogs.
8. The mixture of cornmeal parts
and peanut meal (hull free) 1 part
settled with or without supplementary
minerals. to pigs starting at approx
imately 80 pounds weight and making
gains of approximately 100 pounds
through a feeding period of 8 to 10
weeks produce, In the usual case hard
or medium-hard hogs.
9. Results have shown that when
the softening feeds and feed combina-
tions-peanuts or soy beans alone, soy
beans supplemented with 21A per
cent ration of shelled corn, or rice
polish and tankage (each with or with
out minerals)-are fed to pigs which
have previously received no soften
ing feeds, there is a distinct relation
between the degree Of softness and
the starting weight and the de-
gree of softness which develops
in the pigs decreases as the
starting weight increases, provided
equal gains in weight are made and
other factors are uniform. Whether
the lighter pig of the higher degree
of softness or the heavier pig of the
relatively lower degree Of softness
will be hardened more readily by
subsequent feeding of hardening
feeds is still undetermined. Expert