Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1901-04-22
PORK PRODUCTION,
The Fart Which Pasture, Plays-Al
fa1fa Without Other Food.

falfa Without Other Food.
Pig raising as ordinarily practiced on
the farm in Utah has not been consid-
cred, as rule, profitable until within
the past few years, when the establish
ment Of creameries and cheese facto.
ries has created a large byproduct Of
sklmmilk and whey, valuable pig foods
when properly used. Since the corn
acreage in the state Is small the feed
ing problem resolves itself into grow:
ing pigs with a minimum amount Of
grain and q maximum Of alfalfa, milk
and whey or other cheap foods. Six
seasons experiments have been made
at the Utah station to ascertain the
value Of pasture, either alfalfa or mix
ed grass, in hog feeding. The follow
Ing statements are gathered from re-
port recently made:
In pork production economic use may
be made of pasture in connection with
a full grain ration.
The average results of four seasons
experiments show that mixed pasture
Is not beneficial to pigs having full
supply Of grain and skimmilk.
The average Of seven trials made in
both pens and yards gives results fa-
vorable to grass feeding in connection
with grain rations. The pens having
green stuff made 33 per cent greater
gains than those without and required
40 pounds less grain for each 100
pounds Of gain.
Pasture with grain rations, averag-
ing all the experiments, gave slightly
better results than green stuff cut and
fed in connection with grain in pens
and yards. Where lands are cheap and
labor comparatively dear it seems ad-
visable to follow the pasture method.
Pigs running on pasture, with par
tial grain rations, produced gains at
the least cost per hundred pounds. But
the total gains Of those receiving full
grain rations were so much greater
that even with the smaller rate Of prof
it the total net gain per pig very much
exceeded that of the partial ration.
In the quantity Of grain required for
100 pounds Of gain the sets having a
ope-fourth grain ration excelled in ev-
cry test requiring the lowest amount
and giving the highest per cent of prof
it..
In rate of gain the sets receiving a
full grain ration were the best In all
cases making the largest total gain
and giving decidedly the highest total
profit. ....
Alfalfa without other food, whether
pastured by pigs or cut and fed to
them in pens, furnished only enough
nutriment for bare maintenance. When
additional food was given, the rates Of
gain were nearly proportional to the
extra quantities they received.
, Alfalfa supplies a good supplement
tary food in connection with bran and
grain, but it Is too coarse and bulky to
pc fed alone to the pig whose digestive
tract is especially adapted to concen-
tHates. .lss.Ss5i.5 s. q n,
Alfalfa hay and sugar beets each
give profitable returns in connection
with limited grain ration in winter:
feeding. .'--' <#s s.g
The cut represents two sets Of pigs
which were used in tests Of alfalfa pas
ture without grain. The first Or upper
figure shows a set Of pigs months old
at the beginning Of an experiment be-
fore they were turned on alfalfa pas
ture. The lower one shows second
set of pigs after being on alfalfa pas
ture without grain for 129s days. At
the beginning OF the test they. were z
months old and weighed just twice as
much as the first set.