Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-02-03
ALFALFA FED HOGS.
ICedar RAPIDS Gazette.l

1T has taken several years to find
out the purposes for which our Ne
braska sand hills and valleys are in
tended, but / believe we have solved
the problem at last" said C. II. Jack
son of O'Neill to a Gazette reporter
aboard an Elkhorn sleeper, a few eve
nings ago. Mr.. jackson has ranch
comprising % quarter sections all pat
ented. 1t cost him less than 81 an
acre three years ago. and last fall he
refused Sl2.50 an acre Tor the entire
tract, which is located in the sand
hills" proper Mr.. jackson has one of
the largest herds of Scotch shorthorns
bunch of hogs following the cattle. OF
his system of farming and his success
with alfalfa he said:
Mad. Huffman, prominent ranch
man of Neigh, is entitled to the credit
of having discovered the proper sys-
tenn for raising alfalfa. Instead of al
lowing it to stool or bunch, he went
after 1t with disc harrow, cutting the
roots and compelling them to so down
into the earth. He soon had alfalfa
seed for sale, and now every progress
sive farmer in our section of country
has his alfalfa field, which last year
averaged about five tons to the acre.
My first crop was cut late in June; the
second in August and the third in Sep
TENDER. Unlike timothy or clover, al
falfa Is not hurt at all by the early
frost, and the farmer is not obliged to
cut his last crop until late in the sea-
son. If he wants to pasture his stock
on the alfalfa field instead of cutting
the crop he Will find the feed green I'M
til December, stock of all kinds eating
the feed with great relish and wonder
full results.
But l was speaking of alfalfa fed
hogs. 1t is our experience that nor
mally healthy hogs on diet of alfalfa
and water Will gain one pound in
weight to every 10 pounds of alfalfa
they are fed. We have also discovered
that the sweetest pork that man
ever tasted is carved from alfalfa-f fed
hogs. l have eaten of pork raised on
corn, on apples, on acorns and every
conceivable kind of food, but none of
them give the flavor given by alfalfa;
and this is equally true of beef.
Strange as 1t may seem, a bunch OF
hogs will leave nothing of a forkful OF
alfalfa; they will eat 1t down to the
coarsest ends and squeal for more.
/ have about 300 as fine looking hogs
as / ever saw in one bunch, following
after my cattle. and they are not get
ting anything except alfalfa and plenty
of good water. We never know what
1T is to have sick hogs on this kind of
a diet.
ha fn of
do not experiment with this crop. 1t
will produce a good yield where tim
othy and clover will die out, because
the roots go down to water, no matter
how far they may go. l have seen an
alfalfa root that was rs feet long, but.
of course, this was unusual. 1t is
nothing extraordinary for them to go
down IL or Is feet, however. Then
with the minimum surface moisture,
either from rain or irrigation. the CROP
fourishes like the proyerbial green
bay tree. 1t has been the salvation of
many sections of Nebraska and, like
the sugar beet, is being raised sue
cessfully where it was not believed
that the ground would even produce
Russian thistles a dozen years ago.
am a crank on alfalfa, tho, and be-
lieve that it will in time supplant tim
othy, clover and all other grass crops
in many states