FEEDING SWINE IN DENMARK

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1507, 17 January 1901, Page 53

FEEDING SWINE IN DENMARK

The results of feeding a large quantity of swine upon some 29 farms in Denmark under scientific experiment, have now been published, and the figures are extremely instructive and worthy of the attention of all who breed pigs. The animals were fed under four groups of experiments, two of the groups providing two distinct rations and one providing three rations. We may take an example. In the first group ration A consisted of meal, skim and butter milk, while ration B consisted of meal and a large quantity" of whey, with only a small portion of skim and butter milk. The second group, which was compared with the first group, provided less grain or meal, with roots or potatoes, and in one case the skim milk, and in another the butter milk, almost as before. In the first group ration A contained a larger quantity of nitrogenous matter which was nutritive than, ration B, but a smaller quantity of sugar, while in the second group, in which the roots were employed, the nitrogenous matter was in each case smaller in quantity and the sugar larger in quantity, although the starchy-matter was less, and, further, ration A in the second group, like ration A in the first group, provided mor;e nitrogenous matter and less sugar 1 . When the feeding had been completed the pigs were slaughtered and divided into four classes of quality. “Ration A of group 1 gave 60 per cent, of the pigs as first-class and 25 per cent, as secondclass, while ration B gave 39 per cent, as first-class and 37 per cent, as secondclass, so that the whey feeding was much less valuable than the skim milk feeding. In group 2, where the roots were employed with a smaller quantity of milk, the skim milk again did the best woi-k, 63 per

cent, of the swine getting into the firstclass and 27 per cent, into the second-class, whereas where whey was used instead of skim milk only 40 per cent, got into the first-class and 35 per cent, into the secondclass. In these two groups one kilogram of the milk was regarded as equal to two kilograms of whey. In the second two groups a kilogram of grain was regarded as equal to six kilograms of skim milk, or, what is the same thing, a pound of the one was equal to six pounds of the other. In the first group of feeding tests no roots were used. There were three rations with, three varying quantities of and also three varying quantities of skim milk. With the largest quantity of meal the smallest quantity of the milk was employed, and so on. The highest proportion of nitrogenous matter was present in the ration in which the highest quantity of skim milk was used, also the highest quantity of sugar, but the largest quantity of starch was in the ration containing the highest quantity of meal. Now, in each case the number of swine getting into the firstclass was large. Ration A gave 78 per cent., ration B 67 per cent., and ration C 75 . per cent., the whole of the remainder going into class 2, so that these rations really provided no third and fourth-class pigs. This was, therefore, eminently satisfactory. When the same principle was applied with two: rations, both of which

contained roots oi* potatoes,the results were different. The roots were given in the game quantity in each case, but the ration providing the smallest quantity of meal and the largest quantity of milk, which also contained the largest quantity of nitrogenous matter and sugar, and the lowest of starch, gave the 1 best results; 89 per cent, of the swine went into the first-class, and 20 per cent, into the second-class. On the other hand, ration A gave only 45 per cent, in class 1, 33 per cent, in class 2, and 11. each in classes 3 and 4. The teaching is very definite, and is is that skim, milk in large quantity With a small quantity of meal and some roots produces far better results l than a small quantity of milk with roots and a larger quantity of meal. All this, then, is in favour of pig-making on the dairy farm and in connection with the dairy factory.