The Florida agriculturist., 1906-03-07

| not altOgether-On alfalfa. But such
| is true, if we believe evidence that
comes from Kansas, where great num-
| bers are wintered each winter on al
| falfa alone. Ex-Governor Hoard, of
| Wisconsin, says that all the alfalfa
hay the SOW will eat and one ear of
corn per day will carry her through
| the winter in good breeding condition,
the one ear Of corn being all the heat
forming material she needs. In Kan
sas, if a man has not the corn, he
usually has the sorghum, which, cOu-
pied with alfalfa, has been the re
demptiOn of some parts of the state.
When necessary to feed, on account
of cold weather, something more than
alfalfa, l do not know of anything
better than sorghum in connection
with the alfalfa hay. Certainly, no
cheaper ration can be produced. One
of my neighbOrs last winter put a
number of young SOws i'm a small lot
and threw alfalfa hay to them twice
a day with a fork, as he would to
cattle. He also fed them three to six
ears of corn each a day, governed in
this last by the inclemency of the
weather. AT farrawing time results
were entirely satisfactory.
Another neighbOr last summer put
up small rick of alfalfa because he
had no shelter for it. When he came
to building the next cutting over it
he found it white with mould, clear
through. Recently he told me that his
hogs were eating this with relish and
were making no protest. 1t seems that
the quality of this kind of hay cannot
it. Surely the hog will not pass it
by on account of poor quality. When
so much of it will grow ON an acre,
and when it is so easily fed in winter
to swine, and when it gives them the
elements they so much need to pro-
mote health and make growth, why
not grow it as regularly as corn for
hog feed winter and summer? Clover
in its place as crop in short, regular
ration cannot be discounted by any
other leguminOus crop, and it is one
of the best summer pastures for
swine; yet in dry seasons, when most
needed, it will almost cease to grow, |
and the swine depending on it will suf |
fer seriously from lack of it.
For swine pasture alfalfa Is far |
superior to clover, for two reasons: |
1t is richer in protein and stands the |
drOuth much better. When blue grass |
timothy and clover fields succumb to
the blighting influence of drOuthy |
weather alfalfa will show up green,
and will grow at a surprising rate.
AS it grows older and its roots sink |
deeper into the ground, its ability to
withstand drouth increases. As a
pasture for swine it will carry twice
as many hogs an acre as clover.
A hog and alfalfa grower of several
years experience with the latter says
that an acre of good alfalfa will carry |
ten hogs during the pasture season.
Put on at sixty pounds weight in the
spring, they should gain one hundred
pounds each during the season, which
is equal to $40 an acre. Say we allow
this to be a maximum yield, and di-
vide it by two, we will still have a
good return per acre from the land.
When pasturing alfalfa with hogs,
doubtless the best results are had by
pasturing a larger area than the hog
can consume, cutting the surplus for
hay regularly as though not pastured
This will cause a fresh growth to
spring up, producing a greater amount
of pasture than if patches OF old
growth are allowed to remain on the
land. 1t is difficult to put just the