The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1895-03-28

"iAScA' Ills HeSn forming diet and proper
exercise conducive to the pigs growth can
best be obtained in a good pasture, and the
pasture best fitted for this purpose is formed
OF legumlnous plants such as clover and
peas; the growing grains and grasses can al
so be used to advantage, though not equal to
the first named plants. To get the best re-
suits from plants the most suitable for hog
pasture my experience leads me to think a
movable fence is the best suited to this coun-
try, for the plants that give the best early
pasture are not suitable for late pasture and
to get the best results we must have a sue
cession of plants, yet by combining the
soiling and pasture, good success may be
obtained. The best permanent pasture I
know of, is blue grass and white clover and
have had sows in Illinois which raised me
a litter of pigs and gained hundred pounds
on such pasture, between the time the pigs
were weaned in June and the green corn
was ready to feed, but have tried three
times here and cannot get it yet. think
the soil is too loose and the climate too dry,
the seed starts all right, but dies out in both
summer and winter L think they would do
better in a timber pasture than on the
prairie. have also tried the medium red
clover and timothy with no better success,
but these are not suited to permanent past
ure, the clover being a biennial plant and
timothy Kills out hog pasture in about
three years. Mr.. r. WEIGH, of North Hero,
has already partially solved the hog pasture
question. He had five acres in hog fence
and as soon as possible in the spring he
plows under about three bushels of barley to
the acre, then sows on top of this about the
same amount of oats. and as he has practised
this on the same ground for several years.
the soil must be very rich. This piece of
land is fiat and runs from his house to
small creek; it produces an immense quaint
ity of green feed, and his statement as to
the number of hogs and other stock it carries
in the summer, would sound little fishy,
did 1 not know him to be a good truthful
Democrat. There must be lump of hog
manure for every kernal of grain sown and
no wonder it would carry over 80 hogs be-
sides several horses and calves. The main
defect in this kind of pasture is, it is not
early enough in the spring and lacks per-
manence in the fall. but think this can be
obvlated by using movable fence or divid
ing the pasture into different lots and SOW
ing rye in one for early pasture, and some
other succulent foor for late summer. How
ever, here is plan and perhaps some one
else can use it before I can. Take piece of
land, say 10 acres for illustration, (Which is
40 rods squareD and let the middle of one
side come to the center of your hog yard
fence, $50 that your hogs can come into your
yard for water and shaded divide your 10
acres with division fence into equal parts
and have one end of your division fence
come to the center of your hog yard and
you can let your hogs from your yard into
either half. You will then require 20 rods
OF movable fence for a cross fence on one of
your lots. Use one of these lots as a pasture
alternate years, and the other as truck
patch. For pasture, sow an acre or so of
fall rye in the end of one lot next your yard,
SOW two acres of barley and oats on Mr..
Welchs plan, and on the next two acres SOW
Canada peas at the rate of three bushels
per acre by blowing them under three inches
deep In the spring as soon as the rye is
large enough put your movable fence across
and turn in your hogs, when the next is
ready move your fence on the next two
acres. and when your peas are in blossom
take away your movable fence and let them
run on the whole five acres. In the other
lot put the first two acres into Canada peas
in drills, as described in a previous dairy
article. put the second two acres into ever
green sweet corn and the last acre into
roots such as mangels and turnips. If you
have an old cow yard with plenty of manure,
put the manure Oh the root patch.
AS to the kind of fence for permanence,
we have woven wire. any width you want.
there is also the combination of wooden
pickets and wire. and also combination
of fence boards and barEel wire. so that it
is more matter of cost than anything else
as to which one would choose. The number
of posts should be the same in either fence,
about eight feet apart. For three fence
boards and one wire the cost will be about
60 cents per rod, using 16 feet 2x4 scantling
cut in three pieces for posts. To put up this
fence, point your posts. punch holes with a
crow bar eight feet apart and drive your
posts with maui. don't hit too hard or you
will crush them. These posts if put in care
fully will last seven or eight years. For
three boards and one wire nail your first
board close the ground. the next three inches
above it, and the next one five inches above
that. and thick barbed wire eight inches
above the top board. This makes a good
hog fence. but if you use sawed cedar posts
for the ends of your boards it is a little
stronger and will make only five or six cents
per rod more cost. For two boards and
three wires set the fence posts as before,
then nail on one wire two inches from the
ground then your first board two inches
above the wire, nail your second board four
inches above the first, one wire seven inches
above the board, and the last wire fourteen