Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1901-05-02
PASTURE FOR SWINE.
eucculent Food Should Form Most of
Summer Ration.

TIL" farmer who is raising swine for
the market or for his own use should
have well arranged system whereby
he can furnish them with succulent
food for the greater part Of their ra-
ton through the summer time and as
much of the winter as possible, writes
J. ". Budd in Prairie Farmer. The
farmer who has not had such a system
should begin this year. His lots should
not be too large, but there should be
sufficient Of them for the number OF
swine he keeps. He should have one
for breeding stock and several for the
feeding hogs, as they need different
feed and treatment. To begin with, the
farmer should have good, well seeded
lot of clover or blue grass. / should
prefer clover if it were not for the rea-
son that it needs reseeding every year
or two. while a good blue grass gets
better each year. However permanent
the grass gets, would run it over with
spading harrow and work the drop
pings into the soil. so as to make it
more healthful for the swine.
This pasture will do to turn the hogs
on first in the season and will be all
right until harvest, when it will get dry
and not be as good as in the spring
time prefer this to either rye or oats
for the first green stuff in the spring.
From harvest to winter is the time
when these forage feeds are needed
most. The first thing to plant in the
spring that will be ready at or near
harvest is a good lot of some early
sweet corn. consider it unexcelled for
swine feeding in the green stage. This
should be followed by another planting
later on and should be supplied for
several months until that great forage
plant, the cowpea. which bids fair for
the swine grower Of the north, can be
made available.
The ground must be dry and warm
before this is planted, as the seed rots
If exposed to wet and cold. 1t can Ell
ther be sown broadcast or drilled.
prefer to SOW it broadcast. 1t should
be planted in lot where the hogs can
be turned in on it when the first peas
are ripening. and they can be left there
without hurting themselves by over
feeding. They will eat all the tops and
If not ringed too severely will root
down for the deeper roots. When farm
ers find out that they can raise the
cowpea successfully, they should plant
q good acreage Of it, as it is unexcelled
for making fine favored and cheap
pork, and that is what the farmer
wants.
Another crop that is rapidly growing
in favor with hogmen is sorghum.
This will be ready for use when the
other feeds are nearly or entirely gone.
Sorghum should be planted when the
ground is thoroughly warm, as it grows
best in warm weather. 1t should be
planted in rows for hog feed, as the
stalks will grow larger and contain
more sweetness. When the seeds ma
ture. they are great help in fattening
also. Sorghum should be planted on
fairly good soil. 1t should be cut and
taken to the hogs, as they destroy too
much of it if turned in on it 1t should
not stand after a frost. but can be
shocked and then fed. The freezing
deteriorates it's value if not cut 1t can
be kept for a long while in the winter
and is probably the best means Of sup
plying the hogs with succulent feed in
the winter.
There are other forage plants that
will answer, but these are probably the
best for the northern farmers and are
of sufficient variety to keep the hogs in
good health and condition.