The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1883-10-18
Green Food for Swine.

Prof. S. r. Thompson, of the Ne;
braska Agricultural College, speaks
from experience on pork growing, in
the american AgrjcUituriS;:
Green food makes thriftier and larger
hogs. Farmers who raise many pigs
and feed them exclusively on corn know
that some of the shOtes will cease to
grow at an early age, begin to lay on
tat and never reach the size of good,
merchantable hogs. This tendency to
fatten prematurely, at the expense OF
the bone growth, is not seen to am eX-
tent in CRASHED hogs. A pig fed on
bulky green food will develop larger
stomach than one fed on concentrated
food, like corn; and when YOU come to
fatten it. this enlarged capacity Will
enable him to eat and digest more corn
and thus fatten faster than the other,
and be Il more profitable hog to grow
for market.
Grass-fed hogs are healthier than
those grain-fel. Every intelligent
breeder knows the advantages of feed
ING green food to sOws about 10 farrow.
They have less difficulty with their pigs,
are less liable to destroy them, Will give
more milk and nurse them better.
GrSs-fed hogs are less liable to disease
The dreadful 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
TO develop it. For example, a farmer
had his hogs in small pen destitute OF
grass, with no water except muddy
pool, which soon was made as vile as
possible by the hogs. After awhile
the hogs began to die in considerable
numbers, with symptoms resembling
cholera. The owner was alarmed, took
them out of this pen, turned them on a
patch of green rye and gave them water
from a well. The disease was checked
and the deaths ceased.
how may green food be most cheaplv
provided? Rye is the crop best adapted
10 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 continues late
in the fall, SO that the rye is likely to
Joint. it must be fed down closely. The
best condition for it to 90 into winter is
when it covers the ground with Il thick
mat of low leaves with but little tend
pncy to shoot Rye in this condition Is
fit to turn on as soon as growth begiuS
in 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 off about the
middle of May or the first of June. the
rye will still make fair crop. Hogs
are sometimes left on the rye until il
fills, when they will pull it down and
eat the heads; but this practice is not
commended. This is time, after the
rye is foot high until it is in milk, that
hogs do not eat it we'll A better pan
is to have a field of clover or of clover
and timothy or orchard grass ready for
the pigs when the rye is too large to be
longer available. When the rye is get
ting too large, the clover is in the best
state to turn upon. The clover will dc
well until about the middle of June, when.
if the weather turns off hot and dry, it
grows quite slowly. 1t is well to have
patch of oats sown near and ready to
tide over this time. If not needed il
can grow for the harvest. During the
hot weather of July, August and Sep
TENDER none Of the crops named above
can be fully relied on, and this is es-
pecially true where they have been fed
too closely. Sorghum or brown dourra
may be Sown broadcast about the last
of May and again the middle of June.
TO be used in July and August. Expert
ence shows that sorghum NAV be eaten
off close to the grown when Il loot to
eighteen inches high, without serious in
Jury 1t will come up again and grow
right along. tits also an excellent plant
to stand dry weather.