Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1909-02-12
FORAGE CROPS FOR PIGS.
Favorable Results From Experiments
IS Made From Green Crops.

Favorable Results From Experiments
n Made From Green Crops.
The question Of forage crops for pigs
IS one which is Of decided imp
as 1t is well known. that the use Of
such feed is valuable and profitable.
CoWpeas without grain have so far
given better results ut the Mississippi
station, it is stated, than any other Of
the crops tested. In one season the
coWpeas We're grown on thin hill land
and produced 3a0 pounds Of pork per
acre when pigs were grazed upon
them. The next season the. crop was
grown on good valley land and pro-
sGuced iAAes3 pounds Of pork per acre.
The pigs We're turned on the pasturage
when the coWpeas were ripe. Alfalfa
without grain was found ito be little
more than "a maintenance ration for
hogs" The pigs used in the test, which
covered two years. ranged from three
to twenty -four months in age.
Alfalfa, clover, rape and blue grass
experimenting corn were compared
with rations OF corn and ship stuff
and corn and sllimmilk at the Mis-.
souri, station. The cornmeal, which
was Of medium Gneness, was mixed
with water to the consistency of a
thick dough and was fed twice daily
in such Quantities as would be eater
without waste In the skimmilk RAJ
ton the meal was wet with milk in
stead Of with water The green crops
were fed twice daily Immediately after
cutting and were supplied ad libitum
The rape was rather large and coarse,
and only the fresh green leaves were
used Some of the alfalfa was rather
too mature and coarse to be eaten
with relish but the remainder was
considered Of fairly satisfactory quail
:ity. The red clover and blue grass
were for the most part young and ten
der.
q The feeding was continued. for 1O2
days except with the rape fed lot,
which was FED Tor forty days, only,
the supply Of rape being then exhaust
ed Considering the first forty days,
the gains on green feed ranged from
O.58 pound per pig per day on the rape
ration to O74 pound on cornmeal and
alfalfa, the gain on cornmeal and mid
dlings being O.61 pound and on corn
meal and skimmilk 1853 pounds. Con-
sidering the whole test, the average
daily gain per pig ON the rations con-
tanning green feed was as follows:
Cornmeal and blue grass, O.63 pound;
cornmeal and clover. OF pound; corn
meal and alfalfa. O.83 pound; corn
meal and middIings. O.68 pound. and
Oh cornmeal and skimmilk 1.ei
pounds The smallest amount Ct grain
Yer pound Of gain, 2.83 pounds, was
noted with the corn aud skimmilk ra
tiOn and the largest amount, 5.31
pounds, with the ycOrnmeal and blue
GRASS. The gain was most, cheaply
made on cornmeal and skimmilk, cost
Ing 2.83 cents per pound, and was most
expensive on cornmeal and middlings,
costing 4O7 cents. On the green feeds
it ranged from 3 cents on cornmeal
ard alfalfa to 3.56 cents on cornmeal
aud blue grass
IN the opinion of Professor Cottrel]
Of the Colorado station, farmers living
in the plains region Of Colorado will
find raising and fattening pigs advan-
tageous, and barley, wheat, milo maize
ard Kafir corn are regarded as the
surest grain crops for the dry land
farming conditions which there pre-
vail. The Importance Of supplement
ing grain is insisted upon