The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1908-03-06
PROFITABLE METHOD OF RAISING SWINE
Prof w. B. Richards Gives Farmers Some Excellent Advice
an Important Matter

should be fed separately in an enclo
sure, which they will enter, but
but which will keep out the mothers
The object in providing the bronze
grass pasture is to assure the pigs
plenty of exercise when they need II
most to. prevent the contracting OF
limps and green feed to aid digestion.
BY June Is another lot of about
two acres sown to mixture of two
parts barley and one of field peas vita
an addition of one-half pound rape per
acre, should be ready to turn into
This lot should be sown as early as
1t will warrant to do so. If the pigs
are about six to eight weeks old
when this crop is ready to turn into
they can be separated from their
dams before being placed in this lot.
1t would be better If this two-acre
lot could be divided and the large
thrifty hogs placed in one-half of the
lot and the less thrifty in the other.
A movable fence proves very convent
ent for this purpose. Let the grain
feeding continue. Give them nearly
all they will consume, for this is the
best time to feed the grain, because
the green feed they will get will help
them to make good use of the grain
they eat.
This lot should provide them with
green feed until about Aug. 1. At
this time another lot sown to rape
about May Is should be ready to
transfer the pigs into. The rape viii
provide an excellent feed when sup
plemented with grain for the produc.
ton of gains. 1t will reduce the guam.
tity of grain that it would be neces.
sary to feed in the absence to secure
the same gain if both the rape and
grain are fed. At the Wisconsin
experiment station it was found in a
trial carried on with pigs to deter.
mine how much grain an acre of rape
would replace, when fed with corn
and shorts, that it is equivalent to
2,@l7 pounds of mixture of corn and
shorts in the proportion of two parts
of corn to one of shorts. In another
trial it was shown that an acre of
rape was worth $19.49 for producing
gains in pigs.
These figures indicate that rape
pasture will save considerable grain
that it would be necessary to feed
to get gains equal to those made
when the rape is not provided to
supplement the grain. Many report
unsatisfactory results from the use
of rape, but in most cases it is the
result of not feeding any grain in
connection with the rape to pigs. 1t
is too succulent in it's nature to yield
good results when consumed alone.
1t can be sown broadcast or in drills
thirty inches apart. The latter meth
cd makes it possible to cultivate the
crop. If a portion of the lot can be
fed off at time and one part turned
into while the other portion is allowed
to make new growth, and the pigs
turned into it later, much better re.
turns can be secured from the same
area.
"1f good crop is secured two acres
of rape should furnish feed for 100
pigs for about two months or until
about Oct. 1. If it is desired to pre-
pare the pigs for market, which have
grown large enough to be called hogs
by this date, without feeding heavy
or expensive grain, piece of field
peas should be provided. Five or six
acres of peas, if allowed to mature
on the vine, to turn the pigs into at
this time. will prepare them rapidly
for market if they are furnished with
all the grain they will consume in
addition. 1t is surprising the amount
of feed an acre of peas will produce.
The writer. carried on trial last fall
to determine the amount of barley an
acre of peas would replace for max
ing gains with pigs. Six pigs were
placed in pen and eed on barley on
ly. Six equally thrifty and uniform
! in weight were allowed to feed off
sixty-nine acres of peas, and fed in
addition enough barley to maintain
! them of the same weight as the lot
/ fed ON barley exclusively. The re-
suits of the trial showed that an acre
of'peas was equivalent to 1872 pounds
VI OdAlCs. TIC piece OIL. peas uS60
was only 2 fair crop for the reason
that water had stood on the field. for
short time during the summer and
injured the crop. The results of this
trial, however. leads the writer to
believe that this practice that can
be followed profitably by North .Da-
kota farmers in raising swine.
with an additional months feed.
ing, after the peas nave been fed off,
on barley and mature corn, if 1t is pro.
duced, or screenings, there should
be no trouble to make the pig crop
weigh by Dec. 1, 200 to $50 pounds,
heavy enough to conform to the mar
ket demands and a more profitable
weight to market at, that the cost
of putting on any additional weight
will warrant under our conditions"
The creamery at Towner is in a sat
| isfactOry financial condition. all the