COST OF FATTENING PIGS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 778, 30 March 1910, Page 10

COST OF FATTENING PIGS.

WHEN IT IS. GREATEST. ■Amongst the many oldrfashioned,ideas which appear to still hold, possession of the minds of agriculturists is one which has not evidently been' affected by. the 1 number of experiments which have proved its., falsity.' It is that ,as 'the ago. and degreo of fatness of pigs . increases the cost of adding to the .net weight of the pig • decreases. In a lengthy 'article in the 'Tanner and Stockbreeder". Mjv Sanders Spencer dpals, with- this point, and quotes' the results of a number of valuable experiments -which have lately been made abroad. 'In the United States, for instance, there are now records of .464 trials carried out at thirteen different experiment stations in the States, with 2303 pigs. These show tba-t pigs, weighing from fifteen to fifty lbs., with an ayerago of , 381b., made a live weight increase of 1001b. on 2931b. of -food; pigs averaging 781b., needed 4001b;' of food; pigs weighing 1281b. required 4371b. for the saino increase; those weighing 1741b. consumed 4821b.; those weighing 2261b. ■ ate 4981b. for each 100 lb", increase; the,pigs of 2711b. 5111b.; and those whose average weight was 3201b. required 5351b. of food, to qnable them to make an increase;in : , their-live weight of 1001b. We have, here a certain, albeit, gradual increase I in the amount, of food which , each pig ciat-s as it grows older and heavier, in order to add to its weight.' ;• A further interesting light is thrown on the situation by taking the approximate cost of- the food required with each average age and weight of pig to enable it to add 1001b: to its weight. I began l , with tl\o lot-' weighing some 38Ib.'caeh. The cost of this lot was ,12s:, tho others'' following in the order given_ were: 16s:, 18s. 9d.,. 195., 20s. 20s. ,0d.,: 21s. Id., respectively. If- we omit • again the • youngest lot of pigs, we. : find,a,difference.of'ss. Id. in tho cost.,of 'obtaining an increase of 1001b. gross, weight, or of 75!b. of meat. This shows that .the heaviest lot of . pigs required nearly one-third mpro food'or cost the greater part of Id. per lb. more for food for each pound of meat. From Canada' comes tho same convincing evidence,' as Professor. (3. E.. Day oxpresses himself after conducting a.'! series of experiments ; with various pure, breeds .of swine:—"As pigs increase in'weight the amount of food eaten daily increases'. rapidly, the daily gain, increases also, but not in the same ratio, so that the amount of food con--sumed per 1001b. gain increases with the weight- of the pigs. The following is a statement of food consumed for, one pound, of . by. pigs of different weights.- '.While increasing from 541b. to. 821b. hogs required 3.101b. of meal per pound-' of - gain, ' while' 'increasing in live weight from 821b. to 1151b. hogs required 3.751b. of meal per pound of i'gain, from 1151b. to 1481b. hogs required 4.381b. of. meal -per pound, of gain, and while increasing from 1481b. to 1701b., hogs required 4.551b. of meal per pound.of ~gdin." ... , ... /"Biren more surprising * results from sixty-one/.experiments carried out at Copenhagen where it. was found - that' to increase the' weight -of pigs from 351b'.: to 7olb. it required at the rate of 3761b! of food: for each lOOlb.'Cof'gain;; from 751b.' .fo -1151b;, 4351b. were re-" quired; from - 1551b. to 1951b;,- 5131b; of .food were needed; from 1951b: to 2351b., 5401b. of food; from 2351b.; to 2751b., 6141b. of food ; and' froiii 2751b; So 3151b'., 6391b. of food- were required for.the'lOOlb. increase in the live weight of .the fatting pigs. LINCOLN'S IN THE ARGENTINE PRICES FOR MOERAKI STOCK. In view of the forthcoming export of between 200;. apd.3oo; stud sheep;,from New Zealand to tho Argentine a special' interest attaches to tho following paß-. sage from the. Argentine letter of the "Pastoralists' Renew':':— "Messrs. Gibson Bros, received lately a consignment of Lincolns from tho celebrated New Zealand Mooraki flock, the property of the New Zealand and 'Australian Land Company. This lot is the fourth imported into - the country from "the Moeraki Estate. In December, ,1907, twelve of these rams were sold at an average of £73 sterling, one: hogget realising £193, and last year another sold at £113. All the. animals have, their original New Zealand pedigree' in: perfect- order; and may be inscribed: in l the-Flock Book Argentino. The Moeraki stud farm was fourided in' the year "1862 with picked stock from English studs of Dudding, Kirkham, Clark and Robson, the outlay to secure them'being very important. The company has had a complete success with their establishment, and their stock has now -gained a world-wide reputation, having. secured . twenty championships and over .one hundred prizes throughout the colonies; The sale of Messrs; Adolfo Bullrich and Co. was wdll attended, and most' of the animals were disposed of. The following is a result of the sale:— Ram.N0.251, by. Grandson of Kirkham, £52 sterling, Mr.'-J. A. Pardo, born 1907; rail 252, by Young Holmes 111, 1907, £30, Mr. J. Bru; ram No. 260, by Sutton 11, flock 1907, £30, Mr. J. Bru; hogget-Nb. 270. by Grandson of Kirkham, 1908, £32, Mr. J. Lowe."