The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-10-07

especial disfavor they have a great lik-
ing for. Our shoats have the run OF n
rye'held, from which the rye has been
closely gleaned; now medium clover is
the most abundant forage that they
have-so abundant that it is gaining on
them all the time. Out of this field they
come once day, across the permanent
pasture, to the buildings, TO get mess
OF mill-feed and the slop that accumu-
lates at the house. In the permanent
pasture there is found clover-red and
white bluegrass, timothy, and many
Kinds OF weeds. The shoats make for
the troughs at rapid rate when let out
OF the rye field, but after they have had
their feed they are slow to 20 back. as
they want TO feed on the variety of
grasses and weeds found in the pasture.
While clover is lauded so highly as
the best OF all forage for pigs, must we
ignore the value of these others, ca
pecially the weeds that cost us nothing?
The other day we noticed a young SOW
eating ragweed at ravenous rate. We
do not know of any cheaper feed than
this. There is good margin between
corn and pork, but much greater one
between ragweed and pork. This SOW
had been confined in a lot where
there was bluegrass, clover and hog
weed-or reG-root-in abundance. bnt
when she got where she could get rag.
weed she ate it with as much relish as
she did her daily ration of sop.
Now, while these things are SO
abundant, and have cost Us 80 little.
and are helping TO keep the hogs thrifty,
and making cheap pork for us. we
should not depend too much, or en-
tlrely, upon them. Still, cheaper pork
can be made by feeding little grain or
grain products. Now we have pump
klns that are about ready to be tossed
over the fence on the pasture for the
pigs, and green corn that can be used
at any time. These are much in az
vance of usual seasons, but we shall
not wait till the usual time to com
mence feeding them, but get as much
the start of cold weather as we can.
With all these things in such abur-
dance that the pig relishes, we should
be able to make pork much cheaper
than we have for several years past.
But if we depend entirely on these
weeds and washy grasses, our pork will
cost too much. Mr.. Pig relishes, like
his owner, quick-growth plants, but.
like him, must have solids with them
if he would thrive and do his best. If
we have depended entirely on the
grasses and weeds 10 give the pigs
growth and are slow to commence
feeding green corn, have not fed old
corn out of the crib or bought other
cheap grain products, we have missed
our greatest opportunity to make cheap
pork.
We do not believe in feeding the pig
grain products till he is too fat and
lazy to forage, but we do believe in
feeding enough of these to give him
strength and vigor to forage as if he
enjoyed it, and not have him forage as
though he must do it or starve. The
former makes cheap pork; the latter
makes it too costly and gives us no
profit. There is good margin be-
tween these things and the finished
product, and we want to utilize it as
best we can. When frost comes and
snow flies, the margin will grow much
more narrow and possibly be entirely
wiped out. We shall make all the pork
we can while the weeds are young and
tender, and think them cheaper than
cooked rations.-Joh ohm M. Jamison, in
Ohio Farmer.