Farmers Family Journal from Topeka, Kansas • 2

Oqtobeb, 1904 Page 2 THE FARMERS FAMILY JOURNAL Holding Back; When a hog 'is finished, it should be marketed at "once in order to produce firm bacon. If the found the feeding of turnips along with meal ration to give a firmer quality of bacon than when meal is fed alone. Potatoes. Cooking is essential in order to get the best results from po is cut down, so that the hog iiintve mi tia.111 in wnienr. mr somih time, or loses in weieht.

the bacon tatoes. If they can be cooked so as from such a hog is sure tolbe soft. to leave them dry and mealy, hogs In our experiments, we have found uuuiuncu cAciciae uuiiug iut3 4-An! i 1 A- 1 i A 1 temg penuu is not conaucive .10 cneap production. At the same time, the exercise has a good, effect upon the firmness of the bacon produced. We have secured our cheapest gains, and an excellent quality of bacon from allowing the hogs only a limited amount of ex- Gvoiaa in email nntofHa varda oHiopont to thfi nana." nuri fppflifiP' a limitpri rn- uon 01 mixea meai accompaniea wnn all the green food they will eat.

By 1 will eat them "much more readily. They make a very palatable food when mashed and mixed with meal. Their influence upon the quality of bacon is also beneficial. Feeding Value of Roots. Much.

of the feeding of roots consists in their action upon the general health of the animal. They tend to prevent indigestion and constipation, and to promote general thrift. The results of our experiments, and of those conducted by other experiment stations, indicate that from 6 to 8 pounds ofa sugar beets, mangels, or turnips are equivalent in feeding value to one pound of mixed meal; and that 4 to Vfa pounds of potatoes are equivalent to one pound of mixed meal. The meal equivalent of roots varies considerably, depending upon circumstances; but the figures given will serve as a general guide. Rape.

This is an exceptionally valuable food for swine, and mav be Das- 1 I I ri I I 1 1 III fi I 1 If 1 3 TIT1 ann II 1 I lowance slightly less than the hogs will eat if given the opportunity. We have found this method more economical than feeding meal on pasture, though it requires more labor. It is a notable fact, however, that hogs which have run at large until" they weigh 100 pounds in thin condition, may be finished on almost any meal mixture and still produce firm bacon. This fact illustrates the marked influence of exercise upon firmness of bacon. It will invariably be found that a mixture of foods gives better results than a single kind.

Peas. Whole peas are very palatable, but entirely too wasteful, as the quantity for matured breeding stock, "where the object Is to hold the animals in light breeding condition. Skim-milk. With the exception of whole milk, there is perhaps no food better suited to pigs of air ages than skim-milk. is especially beneficial in the case of young pigs, and tends to promote the development of bone and muscle, For fattening purposes, milk has been found to have the greatest feeding value per l00 pounds, when not more than three pounds of milk are fed for each pound of meal.

Fed in this way, as low as 327 pounds of skim milk have" proved equal to 100 pounds of meal. This is an exceptionally good showing, however. In Danish experiments, it required, on an average, about 6J)0 pounds of milk to equal 100 pounds of meal; but in these cases a very much larger proportion of milk to meal was used than the proportion mentioned above. In feeding skim-milk, therefore, the feeder must take into account the relative cost of milk and meal, in deciding what proportions to feed. A strong point in favor of skim-milk is the excellent quality of bacon it produces.

It tends to correct the evil influences of corn, when fed in conjunction with that food; and our experience is that when it is used, hogs produce firm bacon though kept id comparatively close confinement. Sugar Beets. Hogs seem to prefer sugar beets to almost any other kind of roots. Some difference of opinion exists regarding the amount of roots that may be fed with profit to hogs. They should be fed in limited quantity to small pigs; but pigs weighing over.

100 pounds live weight, will, in some cases, take five or six times as much roots as meal; by weight, and make very good gains. We have obtained our best results, however, from feeding equal parts by weight of roots and meal. The proportion of roots may be increased considerably, If thought advisable, as the hogs advance in weight. Turnips. Hogs are not so fond of turnips as of mangels and sugar beets; but if they do not know the taste of either mangels or sugar beets, they will eat a considerable quantity ef turnips.

Turnips are made more palatable by cooking, though it is doubtful whether cooking increases their actual feeding value, which is very similar to that of mangels. We have fed with it; and skim-milk makes a great improvement. It is not generally regarded with favor as a food" tor breeding sows. Wheat. This grain has a higher' feeding value than barley, but requires mixing with other meal to" get the best results.

It combines very well with barley, or barley, and middlings. Oats. Owing to the amount of fibre in this food, hogs cannot digest it so well as can cattle. Oats are more suitable for matured breeding stock than for young or fattening pigs, though" few finely ground oats may be used in a mixture to give variety and to lighten heavier meal, such as that from" peas, wheat or corn. For young pigs, they are better to have the coarser hulls sifted Rye.

Rye has a feeding value a little lower than wheat, and a little higher than barley. It may be used in practically the same way as wheat. Corn. This is a fattening food, and is not conducive to the development of bone and muscle. When fed alone, it gives poor results in producing gain in weight; and its bad influence upon the quality of bacon has already been de-: scribed.

If fed at it should, be mixed largely with barley or middlings, or both; and some form of sucv culent food or skim-milk should always be fed with it. Owing to its tendency to produce soft bacon, it should be used as little as possible for hog feeding, when bacon production is the object. Middlings. This by-product is also called shorts, though some millers make a distinction between shorts and middlings. It is almost universally used for young pigs, and mixed with skim-milk when such is available.

very floury, it Is safer to mix a little bran with it, or some finely ground oats with the coarser hulls sifted out, when used for very young pigs; otherwise it sometimes causes indigestion. -Soaking for a few hours, or scalding improves it for young pigs. It combines well with almost any kind of meal, and makes a good food for pigs of all ages. Bran. The use of bran in pig feeding is rather limited.

It contains too much fibre, and is rather too bulky to be fed in large quantity to pigs. Sometimes a little of it can be used to advantage for the purpose of diluting or lightening other foods, as has been indicated. It can be used in larger tured, or cut and fed to the pigs in pens. For fattening hogs, we have obtained best results from feeding about a two-thirds meal ration, and all the rape the hogs will eat. The hogs were kept in pens with small outside yards, and the rape was cut and carried to them.

This method of feeding gave more economical gains than fattening on pasture, and the bacon was of equally good quality. For breeding sows, however, pas Pea meal is a valuable food, but should never be fed alone. The heavy, close nature of the meal renders it difficult to digest, and the pigs are very apt to sicken. It combines well with barley, or barley and wheat middlings. A few well ground oats may also be added.

Peas are noted for the excellent quality of bacon which they produce. Barley. This is a noted hog food in Europe; but some feeders in this country do not look upon it with favor. We have secured excellent results from barley, however, both in the amount of gain and the quality of bacon. For young pigs it should be mixed with wheat middlings, very barley being used at firsts and the quantity gradually increased.

For older pigs, peas or wheat may be ad- 1 ti 1 i 3 i. turing the rape is preferable, owing to the exercise it gives the animals. When on rape pasture, matured sows require little other food. Young, growing sows, however, require a fairly liberal meal ration inl addition to the rape. Red Clover.

This crop is best suited for pasture; and the, hogs should be given quite a large range, or the clover will likely be killed out. It is especially useful for breeding sows. Alfalfa. Where the soil and other conditions are suitable, alfalfa makes an almost ideal pasture for swine. Care must be taken, however, not to pasture too closely, or the crop may be destroyed.

roots or green food, should always be 7 7 7 7 I 1 I 1 WORK TEAMS' ON THE PAYNE SARGISSON FARMS, LUTON, IOWA..