The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1911-11-09
PEANUTS A GREAT HOG FEED.

ducing Value Per Acre Nearly Twice
That Of Corn Alone Surprising Sat
isfactory Results From Feeding Pea
nuts by Themselves.
The peanut is now being more ex-
tensiyely planted all over the area in
tested by the cotton boil weeyils than
ever before. It is not only being used
as money crop to partially take the
place Of cotton, but it is also being
used more extensively every year as a
hog feed. Even when the peanuts are
harvested and sold, many are left in
the ground, sufficient usually to fatten
| from one to two hogs per acre.
That there is no better or cheaper
hog feed than peanuts, for the South,
has been proved over and over again.
In Farmers Bulletin No. All, Prof.
Dan T. Gray gives the results of
large number~of experiments in COM
/ pairing corn alone with peanut pasture
alone, and corn alone with corn and
| peanut pasture. These experiments
were made in Alabama and Arkan
sas on land that produced about 80
bushels OF corn in Arkansas and - to
/ Is bushels per acre in Alabama.
The best results were obtained in
Arkansas, where one acre of peanuts
was, in one experiment, found to equal
in pork making 85.6 bushels of corn.
| The lowest returns from the peanuts
were in one experiment in Alabama
whe nan acre of peanuts proved only
equal to 1874 bushels of corn, but even
this wa sa more profitable crop than
11w To- ont
/ in Alabama, however, peanut pasture,
wher one-half ration of corn was fed,
gave value per acre equal to 1874
| bushels of corn.
In these experiments an acre of pea
nuts, when just fair crop was pre-
duced, proved equal to from % to 40
bushels of corn. This is considerably
more-nearly double-what an acre of
/ such land in corn would produce. And
the hogs gathered the peanuts, making
lit cheaper crop to grow, and it is also
more beneficial to the soil because a
large part of the nitrogen in the pea
nut crop was obtained from the air.
For instance, let us take the expert
ment when peanuts gave the lowest
returns-one acre equal tc 1874 bush
els of corn:
L
Gil bounds to produce 100 pounds CT
gain in weight Oil the hogs; but when
a one-half feed of corn was given,
along with peanut pasture, it only re
quired 148 pounds of corn and 40 OF
an acre of peanuts to produce loo
pounds of gain on the hogs. In anoth-
er experiment it required $50 pounds
of corn alone, and LIT pounds of corn
and IL of an acre of peanuts tC pro
duce 100 pounds of gain in weight or
the hogs. In thin case, one acre o.
peanuts was worth $50 bushelss o.
corn. In the experiment in which thu
best results we're obtained from pea
nuts in the Alabam, it required 18!
pounds of corn and .0S9 of an acr'
OF peanuts to produce 100 pounds o
gain on the hogs, which on the basis o
allowing $50 pounds of corn alone al
required on an average@to produc
J. 100 pounds of gain, gave value to tn
acre of peanuts equal to 1874 bushel
f4of corn. *
Thes experiments show beyond al
doubt that peanuts added to the corr
e ration is a very much more economical
o ration for fattenfng hogs. In view Q
q these facts, the man who continues t
h fatten hogs on corn alone is not onl
= a "theorist,'' blu the is Sc far behin
. the times as a practical feeder tina
- only a good bank account, or YER
l. fertile soil can save him from disaster
- Corn alone is not good ration TO
hogs, while corn and peanuts are
A wonderfully good and economical ra
s ton, but how about peanuts alone?
. From a scientific, as we'll as com
= nonsense standpoint, it is evident tina
= if sufficiently cheap feed rich il
- bohydrates can be found. 1t will b
= profitable to use this when the hog
- are on peanuts; in order to balanc
- the large amount ofsprotein in the pea
: nuts. In the experiments to which w
- have referred peanuts alone, however
~ have averaged better than corn>an
> peanuts. Only two experiments ar
e given, showing the value of peanut
= alone, and in these an acre of peanut
was found equal to 1876 bushels an
sos bushels of corn, respectively, c.
basis of $50 pounds of corn alon
being required to produce 100 pound
of gain on the hogs.
There are there possible eXplana
J tions to these results: An un1suaH
8 large yield of peanuts, the high pric
of corn, or the conclusion that peanut
HlOu0 are, =dlI0F d11s DIP E6lGJ SOOu Ice
y for hogs In fact, all Of these may b
generally taken as facts under aver
age Southern conditions. Good yield
of peanuts can generally be made
corn is usually high priced, and pea
! nuts alone, for short periods, make
fairly good ration for fattening hog
The peanut is rich in oil and to a Ger
tain extent, and for a time, this ma,
largely supply the deficiency in car
bohydrates.
As a general rule, however, Their
seems but little doubt that it will pa,
to feed some corn or other feed ricl
i in carbohydrates tc hogs on peanu
pasture, especially if they are to b
/ kept on the peanuts for considerable
! length of time or if this feed rich ID
carbohydrates ca nbe had at a reason
able price. When corn is scarce o.
high priced, perhaps one-fourth Of ;