EXPERIMENTS IN PORK PRODUCTION

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1511, 14 February 1901, Page 56

EXPERIMENTS IN PORK PRODUCTION

A bulletin lias recently been issued by the Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, Ganada, giving the results of experiments in pork production carried out there by the departmental agriculturist, Mr J. H. Grisdale. Following is an abridgement of some of the conclusions: When swine are fed with meal, barley,

rye and wheat alone, 4.271 b were requir- , ed to give llt> gain, but when swine were fed upon similar meal, half the quantity being given and all the milk they could oonsume only 1.261 b of meal were required for 11b gain and 25.391 b skim milk. One pound meal would thus be worth 8.431 b milk.

A mixture of peas, wheat, and rye gave 11b pork for each 3.431 b fed. For comparison a similar number of swine (experiment 5) were given three-quarters the quantity of the same meal and all the skim milk they would drink, it was then found that 2.171 b meal and 11.101 b skim-milk gave lib increase in weights According to these data skimmilk may be said to bear the relation of 8.82ib to one of meal.

In. experiments 7 and 8 the use of skim-milk, with corn is exemplified. It will be observed that in the one case the corn was whole—while it was ground in the other. The longer period for which the whole corn was soaked in the one case may be expected, however, to exert as great an influence as the grinding, ir. ; the other', upon the proportion of nutriments available. The data obtained from these experiments would

indicate that 1.831 b of skim-milk were equivalent to 11b corn. While this is not.. exactly jii accordance with the results of other experiments here, it serves to emphasise the great value of skimmilk as a supplementary food, and as a supplement to,, no other grain does its effect seem so marked as when used with .corn, ; ■' .

In experiments 10 and 11, with barley and milk,, the same conditions obtain as are discussed in the preceding paragraph. It will be observed that while of 'barley fed alone 4.35 were required to produce lib of pork, only 3.641 b wei*e> required for the same effect when fed with

2.521 bof milk. Here also the feeding valu.e of skim milk seems very ' much greater than most work along this line would indicate. In experiments 12 and 13, the use of milk with a mixture of pea.s, barley, and rye fed whole, as compared with the same mixture fed alone, is illustrated. The mixture seems to bear the relation of 1 to 6.99 of milk.

In experiments 14 and 15, a meal composed of equal parts of ground peas, barley, and rye was fed in the one ease without milk, when 4.361 b were required to produce lib of pork, and in the other case, with all the skim milk the pigs would consume in addition to the grain ration, when 3.461 b meal and 4.111 b skim milk produced lib pork. Skim milk, according to this experiment, would be worth one-fifth (100-534) as much as an equal weight of the meal. In addition to the above work, a summary of some other work is submitted below.

From tests made in 1892, 1893, and 1894, with 48 swine, it appears that when a small quantity (about three pounds per head per day)'of skim milk was fed, a less quantity of it was equal to lib of the grain in the feed consumed per pound of increase in live weight, than when a large quantity (about 151 b per head per day) was fed. Skim milk may form the largest part of the feed of young and growing pigs with advantage and economy. For the fattening of swine’ weighing on the average over 1001 b each, live weight, it is economical to give an allowance of skim milk not exceeding 51b per head per day. In every case the swine fed with part of their ration of skim milk were lustier, more vigorous, and of a. more healthy appearance than swine fed wholly on a ration of grain. Skim milk gives the best returns for the amount fed! when it constitutes a comparatively small part of the total food fed.

Skim milk may, generally speaking, be considered to be worth from one-sixth to one-fifth as much as mixed grain. When peas, barley, and rye were fed whole, .091 b more of the mixture was required to produce a pound of pork than when fed ground. This is a gain of 2 per cent.

Lots 3 and 4 were given in each case all the skim milk they -would drink. While no exact feeding value can be attached to the skim milk, yet a considerably greater gain is indicated from grinding the feed than in lots 1 and 2. In lots 5 and 6, where a ration of oats barley, and straw was fed, first with the grain part unground and second witi the grain part ground, a ’large gain is indicated, viz., 20 per cent. In lots 7 and 8, where a similar ration to that in lots 5 and 6 was fed, with the difference that in lots 5 and 6 it was fed dry, and in lots 7 and 8 it was fed soaked, a smaller gain of about 3 per cent, is shown in favour of the ground feed. In lots 9 and 10 a mixture of oats, peas, and barley is fed whole and contrasted with a similar mixture when fed ground. A gain of almost 4 per cent, is shown in favour of the ground feed. While the results vary considerably, it will be observed that in every case a gain is noticeable where ground feed is used rather than whole feed. It is quite safe to say that a gain of from 5 to 10 per cent, may be looked for when ground grain rather than unground is fed. In case of whole oats, where 141 b was fed, 21b 6oz of undigested grain, or 21.6 per cent, of the whole amount was found in the excrement. One-tenth of this germinated.

In the case of whole barley where 171 b was fed, 21b 2oz, or 12-’- per cent, of the whole amount, was found in the excrement. None of this would germinate.

In the case of whole peas, where 171 b was fed, 2oz only, or about f of lib per cent, of the whole amount, was found in the excrement. None of this would germinate.

In the case of whole corn, where 111 b was fed, Boz, or nearly 5 per cent, of the whole amount, was found in the excrement. About one-twelfth of this germinated.

In the case of unground mixed grain (oats, peas, and barley), where 111 b of

grain was fed lOoz, or 5.7 per cent, of the whole amount, was found in the excrement. About one-fiftieth (oats) of this germinated.