THE FEEDING OF PIGS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 90, 6 May 1901, Page 4

THE FEEDING OF PIGS.

In tbo coursi of * pi-par read bfforelht Ci« , enc?i,Tr (Fnjl'-n ) Oi: mbpr f Agriculu I-. '-y P olisor BJaurltl. Professor tif Agriculture at this Roy-i! Agricultural Co leg.-, 011 '■ 1h • P, e- i s cf Farm Swk," he thus n e rati h the - f pig?:

I aiu i f . piiiion t'ut it is the pb if p'oper y ithd' gfi<, wi i Ho tlx mod townri'g py ng tho ipi t Tht namber of p g* ;t tiiurKT cmi k> ep w-1. on-y be "in it :| by tbe prtaises be b« in »hi;h h- on fat en th<m. Tim &r r»ge 'if - i f a ba • n pig of ih-i eiz now nqu'red ia thirty w. *hi 'f that of u yearling sheep i*< fixty wppk .' and a bullock one huDdr d -<ud .hi- 1 } weeks, couseqaen'-ly tin' c p ; tal invested in the p'g (?ep t f'm it c n b turret over njou- fnq-i i t:y luau w.t Other stick. It canuot be too much impressed ujoi ob thit ji«, larly at. the growiig f-tagi», i r.i rtrj SC •* pt be to ibn ixt im $.( brat 'i d co-far more so ihan is the c&fe \v llshe- a or c. tfc fl.

li:e bf-st- f.-(d b oar disp sa 1 f 1 mafeitig p ime qiilit-y baiou. is U'idoubled'y h-irby rnea', E.-p ca'ly »i o it can be ruixtd wi-h t-li-n mill; oi whey, T\ h n wbftt is • heap :r. o •, it mny be te mixed with ' h biilty ii the p"<p.it*n if onu <f wheat) to three of t.ar'iy. Bern meal is admir able fo- ni'xiig, lut it i u u*l'y to. high io p ice for the purp> s • f making meat for tb e butch r.

Weight for weight, >h ic s ro f o for pigs poductive of .o runr-h live weight as maizi, (I dun corn), but that, unless reduced ts a small proportion mixel with b»rl y, has tht great drawback of ma' iug tbe bacon soft and lo) f-it-, aod then y u come down to the qusli'y of the 1 -w priced American baci-n eo largely imp ;rt. d and which hae bi en almost exc u -ively fed oa miize. "Wheat and rice meal Juve not" tbe same oVj a ctioD, bot these a'sr-> shou'd always be nrxed with barley. In eariy life, «h*n pi<s are running out at grass, r othing is draper or more adapted to them in the g-osing stage than wboV, tound maize or pi as. I have found one pound per day, at a ccsb of one hslf-peLny s ffi.ient, piovided that they have had a g -od grass ron and a few mangels or tires- Thfy ehcu'd be put up to fatten when Bboot 19 or 20 weeks o'd, and will xvo'gb 100 bs live we'ght Thiy should be kept clean and not too many in a styfi, sir or eight st most, fed regolary three timig a day, ard tever hive more giv. n tb<m thau tbey I cfear op. If w> 11 bred and fed «ith suitable food, thty will increase at the rate of frcm ten to eleven pounds per wetk, and at fchi. ty weeks old should weigh two hundrediriijht, liv« wiight, and will return from f e?enty-five to seventy eight per cent, carcase to live weight which is mnch better thin the bullock, which gms fi'ty-seven to sixty pir cent., or the ih ep. wbic i on'y gives fifty to fifty-two pfr cenf. Foe that iacrease the pig will r< q lire from five to five and a-half pounos tf dry food (.er d-<y. No other ai.imal on the farm will gi-,e tuch a gool and quick rtturn for the OQclay.