Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-08-15

o This is the first of series Of o
. articles dealing with crops and o
. systems of cropping for pork o
y production, prepared by Mr.. o
o Byron Hunter, who is now state o
o leader in charge of farm-msn- @l
o agement-field studies and dem. o.
o onstrations in the State of @l
q Washington, and employed co. @l
. operatively by the United @l
Q States Department of Agricul- @l
o ture and the State College Of oil
o Washington. @l
90 o o o ~~~~%@%@@~@| . o
THIS bulletin deals specifically with
crops and systems of cropping that
may be used in economical pork
production in the Pacific Northwest.
Scattered here and there throughout
the Northwest are men who are sue
cessfuliy producing pork. They have
been visited, and their methods, crops
and feeding systems have been studied
This bulletin makes the practices of
these successful men available to all.
Owing to the rapid growth in popu-
lation of this section during the last de-
cade, the demand for pork mas in
creased faster than the supply, and
there is little reason why hog raising
should not become a more important
industry in the Pacific Northwest. AL
though there have been some outbreaks
Of hog cholera, the Northwest has been
remarkably free from this disease. The
larger cities have well-equipped pack
ing houses, and modern union stock
yards arc in operation at Portland, Ore
gon. During recent years large per
centage of the hogs slaughtered in the
cities Of Portland, Tacoma, Seattle and
Spokane have been shipped from east
of the Rocky Mountains. In addition
to this, enormous quantities of East
ern bacon and lard are annually con-
sumed by the Pacific Coast cities.
Management of Pastures.
Since economical pork production de-
pends largely upon the consumption of
great deal of cheaply grown feed, the
pasture should be so managed that the
forage produced will be clean, tender
and palataSle. In practice, hog pas
lures are generally managed in one of
three ways: (D Continuous close graz
ing, (2) alternate pasturing of equal
areas, and (3) pasturin.; the meadow.
The method in most common use is to
turn in all the hogs the pasture will
support, leaving them in the field dur.
ing the entire season. Usually the pas
ture is kept closely grazed. Too often
it is overgrazed, the plants being crop
ped SO closely that the stand is soon
ruined. The pasture then becomes little
better than dry lot, and the hogs
make unsatisfactory gains. When the
feed in the pasture becomes scarce
either the number of hogs per acre
should be reduced or other forage pro
yided
Alternate Pasturing of Equal Areas.
One of the most satisfactory ways Of
managing pasture is to divide it int
two or more fields of equal area. Thes'
fields are then used alternately, thu
hogs remaining in each about a weel
Oh 10 days. In the case of clover ant
alfalfa the growth is allowed to be
come 70 4 inches high be- re the hog
are turned in to eat it off quickly
When the pasture consists of sucl
crops as rape, kale and vetch, whiel
will not stand close grazing, the growtl
is permitted to reach height of
or 10 inches tefore the hogs are turne
in.
Changing the hogs from field to fiel
gives the pasture period OF rest, dui
ing which the plants reeuperate an
gr@w rapidly. When the stock is RI
turned to the field the forage is clear
tender and palatable and largo quar-
titles are consumed. Owing to the rapi
gr,wth made while at rest, pastuI
that is subdivided and the areas Craze
alternatel, is capable of carrying
much larger number OF hogs per aer'
other conditions being equal, than on
= nok,.