St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1910-05-14
PASTURES FOR HOGS
Subject of Importance to Every
Southern Farmer.
Grazing Gives Necessary Exercise to
Promote Health, Vigor and In.
crease Powers of Assimilation
How to Prepare and Maintain.

This subject is of great importance
to the man who raises hogs strictly
as money making proposition. and
also for those raising for home con-
sumption. However, the latter class
should raise them at almost any cost.
as neighbor of mine once said to
me, Il never count the cost of pork
| hog for my own USE"
AS an economic balancer for grain
ration no plan of furnishing this is
| as economical as to allow the hogs to
| run on green pasture at will, said ".
M. Kerr, before the Texas Swine
Breeders association at Temple, Tex
as. 1t has been demonstrated many
times that the cost of producing hogs
by the aid of green feed in pastures.
In connection with dry grain feeding.
increases the net profits more than
any other method
Grazing gives the necessary exer-
else to promote health and vigor and
Increase the powers of assimilation.
This being true. methods of preparing
and maintaining pastures become a
very important part of the business
and should engage our careful and
constant attention throughout the
year. The various pasture plants are
so numerous, the work of prepare
ton so easy and cheap, its value so
great, it would seem that none of us
would ever be without an abundant
with any kind of green grazing.
To prepare rightly for pasturage
necessitates considerable fencing The
pork raiser. by fencing the entire
farm hog proof and cross fencing, can
Craze some part of the farm practi-
cally the year through on weeds,
grass and waste grain, as well as uti-
lie the growing wheat, oats, barley
or rye with little or no injury to the
crop until near harvest time. Then
portions of the stubble sown to sor-
ghum will continue the field grazing
to still better advantage the year
through.
Even the raiser of pigs for pork
purposes only needs numerous lots,
some small, others large, all sown in
some kind of grazing plants. Wheat
l believe to be the most valuable of
all, for the time it lasts, not excepting
alfalfa, oats, rye, barley, turnips, rape,
cabbage, stock beets and anything
that hogs will eat The numerous lots
will enable one to change from one to
others as necessity demands to keep
from killing out the plants.
AS an all-year single plant Bermuda
grass is valuable. Blades put out
after every summer shower that are
tender and nutritious, while in winter
the roots are eaten and will partially
supply the demand for green feed.
No plant will take the place or prob
ably equal alfalfa. It's luxuriant
growth in spring, summer and fall is
unsurpassed and even through the
cold winter months the few warmer
days are sufficient to send up tender
and nutritious plant growth, which is
highly relished by all kinds of stock
and go far toward balancing the dry
feed ration.
In sowing alfalfa my experience
proves that it is not safe to Craze it
the first year; at any rate, not until
the spring after sown in the fall, or
in the fall after being sown in the
spring. The field should be large
enough to furnish plant growth a sur
plus over what the hogs will eat, s.
as to require frequent mowings fot'
hay, as it is a plant that must be
moved three or four times year to
keep down the weeds and grass, or it
will be choked out by them. With
out alfalfa only by careful planning
and persistent paintings from time to
time can one maintain pasturage al.
the year, but the returns will fully
justify all necessary care and trou e
along this line. f.