Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1883-10-18
GREEN FOOD FOR SWINE.


Prof. II. s. Thompson, of the Ne
braska Agricultural College, speaks
from experience on pork-growing, in
the american Agriculturia::
Green food makes thriftier and
larger hogs. Farmers who raise many
pigs, and feed them exclusively on
corn, know that some of the shoats
viii cease TO grow at an early age, be-
gin TO lay on fat, and never reach the
size of good merchantable hogs. This
tendency TO fatten prematurely, at the
expense of bone growth, is not seen
TO any great extent in grass-fed
hogs. A pig fed on bulky green food
will develop a larger stomach than one
fed on concentrated food like corn /:
and when you come TO fatten it, this
enlarged capacity will enable ii TO eat
and digest more corn, and thus fatten
faster than the other, and be more
profitable hog 10 grow for market.
Grass-fed hogs are healthier than
those granted. Every intelligent
feeder knows the advantage of feeding
green food TO sows about TO farrow.
They have less difficulty with their
pigs, arc less liable TO destroy them,
will give more milk and nurse them
better. Grass fed hogs are less liable
10 disease. The dreaded hog cholera
is not much TO be feared where hogs
have the run of a good clover pasture.
Undoubtedly, if exposed TO contagion,
they would take the disease, but they
are not likely 10 develop it. For ex-
ample, a farmer had his hogs in a small
pen destitute of grass, with no water
except a muddy pool, which was soon
made as vile as possible by the hogs.
After while the hogs began 10 die in
considerable numbers, with symptoms
resembling cholera. The owner was
alarmed, took them out of this pen,
turned them oil patch Of green rye,
and gave them water from well
The disease was checked and the
deaths ceased.
How may green food be most cheap
ly provided! Rye is the crop best
adapted TO This purpose in the region
west of the Missouri. This should be
sown early in the fall on well prepared
soil, and if the growing season contin-
ucs late in the fall, so that the rye is
likely TO joint, il must he fed down
closely. The best condition for it TO
90 into winter is when il covers the
ground with thick mat Of low leaves
with but little tendency TO shoot.
Rye in this condition is fit TO turn on
rs soon as growth begins in the spring.
The amount of feed which two acres
of such rye will furnish is surprising.
If not fed down too close, and the
stock be turned of about the middle
of May or the first of June, the rye
W IVA MANI d IAN 'i'1'' itoSs dlt Holiit-
times left on the rye until il fills, when
they pull il down and eat the heads /;
but this practice is not commended.
There is time after the rye is foot
high until il is in milk that hogs do
not eat it well. a better plan is to
have field of clover and timothy or
orchard grass when the rye is too
large to be longer available. When
rye is getting too large, the clover is
in the best state 10 turn upon. The
clover vii! do well about the middle
of June, when, if the weather turns
of hot and dry, il grows quite slowly.
Ii is well TO have patch Of oats sown
near and ready TO tide over this time.
lfnot needed it can grow for the har-
vest. During the hot weather of July,
August and September, none of the
crops named above can be fully relied
on, and this is especially true where
they have been fed too closely. Sor-
ghum or brown dourra may be sown
broadcast about the last of May and
again in the middle of June, to be
used in July and August. Experience
shows that sorghum may be eaten of
close TO the ground, when from foot
TO eighteen inches high, without seri-
Gus injury. IL will come up again and
grow right along. Ii is also an excel
lent plant TO stand dry weather.