The Dolores star., 1924-09-05
Three Feeds Now
Cause Soft Pork
Problem Becoming Nation
Wide Because of Increas-
ing Use of Soy Bean.
Prepared by the United State. p.par,men,

'c'' the development of soft chnrnc-
terlstics, once thought to be n nrnh-
rem only in those regions where peo-
nuts are fed. is no longer sectional
uifhculty, says the United States no
partment of Agriculture in calling .t.
'ehtion to the results which have been
obtained during five years of investI-
CATION. 1t is now almost a nation
VIDE problem among hog raisers be-
cause of the increasing use of soy
Deans which also produced carcasses
lacking in tirmness 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 at
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 Sc
ries of experiments. This is the first
year 1t has been possible to make def
mite statements on the influence of
soy beans on tirmness of hogs. Sum
maries of the experimental results OBJ
tained 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:
l. 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 80 pounds produce soft
carcasses. Further, the results have
shown that the degree of softness OF
the carcass Increases as the gain in
weight of II hog on this feed In
creases.
2. Soy beans grazed or self-fed
alone or with minerals self-fed to pigs
| starting Mt approximately 100 pounds
weight and making at least moder
ate rate of gain through period of
seven to eight weeks will not produce
firm carcasses even though subse-
Guent gain In weight has been made
by the pigs on corn and tankage equal
to that previously made on the soy
beans.
3. Soy beans grazed or settled with
II supplementary ration of 21a per
cent of shelled corn with or without
minerals self-fed 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 a small
supplement of skim milk handled to
pigs starting ut 30 to 125 pounds
weight and making gains of 30 pounds
or more through feeding period of
eight to fifteen weeks, produce soft
carcasses.
5. There Is n 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 n weight of ap-
proximately 100 pounds or less they
afe, in the usual case, soft.
Feeding Corn and Tankage.
G. Hogs fed corn and tankage grad
ually become firmer 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.
7. Brewers rice and tankage self
| fed. free choice on oat pasture with
| or without small supplement Of skim
| milk handled to pigs starting at ap-
| proximately 60 pounds weight and
making gains of $50 to 200 pounds
through feeding periods of u to 10
weeks produce, in the usual case. ex-
tremely hard hogs, in fact, of Il de-
gree of firmness distinctly greater than
that occurring in corn fed hogs.
8. The mixture of cornmeal parts
and peanut meal (hull free) l part
self-fed 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 y to lo
weeks produce, in the usual case, hard
| or medum-hard hogs.
| o. Results have shown that when
the softening feeds and feed combina-
tions-peanuts or soy beans alone, soy
beans supplemented with 2h per
| cent ration of shelled corn, or rice
polish and tankage (each with or with
ont minerals)-are fed to pigs which
have previously received no soften.
ing feeds, there is distinct relation
between the degree of softness anu
tho starting weight ana the ue-
| gree of softness which develops
in the pigs decreases as me