The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1911-08-10
HOGGNNd OFF CORN.
BY .. A. Gaumnitz, Assistant
Professoc cf Animal Hus-
k7ndry, Minn. Ayr. coiiage.
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It locks IS thsrea cc~a would ma
ture early. This fsI, therefore, will
be especially su.tet.a for feeding corn
off in the field Ordinarily the season
for "hoggiLg off, corn does not open
until Sept. l to 10, and it usually con-
tinues until Nov l to Is To secure
the full benefit of the plan, it is neces-
sary that all fencing should be done
early.
The general plan is to husk or snap
the corn ard feed it in the yards or
pastures. Considerable labor is at
tached to this, and at a season of the
year when there is much to do in the
way of blowing, threshing and other
operations. To obviate this, the "hog-
glng plan was tried out, and found
to be very much more desirable.
Experiments proved that it took
from one-half to one-and-a-quarter
pounds less of feed to make a pound
of pork when the pigs were put in
the field than where the corn was
gathered and carried to the pigs. 1t
was also found that the pigs gained 80
to SO per cent more rapidly in the
field than in the yard
Frequently farmers ask the ques-
ton, Does it not cost as much to
fence as it does to husk an acre of
corn?'' On the average farm it costs
S3.51 to pick and haul into the yards
an acre of corn. 1t costs from $3.50
to $3.50 per acre, depending on the
size OF the field to fence an acre of
corn. The saving effected by hog
ging" is plain
Another question is that of loss OF
fodder. Experiments show that a dol
lar expended in capital and labor. for
the production of hay or fodder corn.
will return SLIP worth of nutrients.
while 81 expended in saving corn
slower will return $119 worth of nu-
trlents, proving that it is much cheap
er to grow codder-corn or hay than to
attempt to save the slower.
Considered from any standpoint. it
seems good business policy to hog off
corn in preference to feeding it in the
yard. But the fact that it is a good
practice does not justify one in over
working this idea Only as much corn
should be hogged off as can be cleaned
up before snow flies. In Minnesota.
this usually takes place somewhere
between Nov. l and Dec. Is; and one
should aim to hog off only as much
as his hogs will clean up by Nov. Is
at the latest. After that date, the
corn had better be snapped or husked
and fed to the pigs in the yard. if
they are not already finished; or the
pigs may be given access to the corn
in the bundles and the cattle turned
in afterwards to eat up the fodder
1t is not difficult to fence hogs into
cornfield; but it is difficult to fence
them out. 1t has been found that a
fence made with posts rod and a
half apart, and 26-inch ribbon of
woven wire, will keep pigs in at the
beginning. If the pigs are unruly, a
Darbed wire should be placed below
and above. The entire field to be
hogged off should be fenced. If one
finds it necessary to confine the hogs
to portion of the field, this can be
separated by running ribbon of
woven wire fence across the field.
weaving it into the corn-stalks in the
row, and fastening the ends. When
the corn is eaten in the first division.
the fence can be moved down the line.
This does away with posts.
The best-sized hogs for turning
into the cornfield are those weighing
at least 125 pounds. Old hogs that
have eaten corn out of the stalk, usu-
ally will tackle the corn, breaking it
down at first. 1t takes. some pigs a
few days to learn where the corn is
1t is therefore advisable sometimes to
have an old hog with the young ones
to start them.
From data at hand. three and one
half to four hogs will clean up an
acre of corn, where the yield is about
thirty bushels per acre. Five hogs
will clean up an acre where the yield
is forty bushels; and it would require
six hogs per acre where the yield is
about fifty bushels. With this as a
basis, it is easy to estimate the
amount of corn which should be en-
closed for the hogs on hand.
On most farms where hogging corn
is practiced. the hogs receive little
attention after they are turned into
the cornfield. This is a great mis-
take. 1t has been found, from actual
trial at University Farm, that pigs
should be fed either milk or shorts,
or some other heterogeneous feed, daily
while in the cornfield. The practice.
has been to feed from one-half to one
pound of shorts per hundred-weight
of pigs daily: or. if the shorts are not
to be had, four to six pounds of skim
milk may be fed in their place
While in the cornfield, the pigs
should have access to plenty of water.
Also, it is good practice to mix a
little salt with charcoal, bone-meal
and ground rock phosphate, and place
1t in box to which the hogs can have
free access at all times
In the early fall, when the ground