The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1915-03-04
COST OF PRODUCING PORK ON
THE FARM CAN Be REDUCED
Pastures Furnish the Only Profitable Basis For Handng
of Hogs the Year Around-COrn Only Should
Never Be Used For Feeding
(By R. NJ Murphy, University Of Tennessee)

has a pasture of bluegrass or Bermuda
grass, her grain ration may be reduced
one-fourth, and it should be partly com
posed of either shorts, tankage, cow
peas. soy beans, or cotton seed meal,
Ii a leguminous crop is available. like
alfalfa, clover, coWpeas, soy beans, or
peanuts, her grain ration may be re-
duced one-half and corn alone may be
used
The little pigs will need very little
feed in addition to what they obtain
from their mother, but they will begin
eating by the time they are three
weeks old, and then from the stand
point of economy they should have
good pasture so they may begin max
ing their own living. Nothing is supe-
rior to alfalfa or clover at this time.
It is better to allow the pigs to wean
themselves, but where two filters
wear are desired this can not always
be done. They should not be taken
away from their mother under eight
weeks, and not until they nave become
accustomed to eating some sort OF con-
centrated feed IF skim-nilk is avail,
able. they viii wcan themselves very
readily but if aot, they 81 ould be sup
piled with thin slop of shorts up TO
the time they are ten weeks old, and
| then the rat:cn may be eq lal parts OF
corn and shots on legume pasture, or
shorts alone on grass or winter grain
! pasture. II shorts is not available,
tankage,- soy beans, or cowpea meal
may be used in small quantities to sup,
Element the ccrn, but must be fed
with care.
When wheat is worth no more per
bushel than corn, it may be substitute
ed for corn in the ration Better re-
suits will be obtained by feeding
equal parts of corn and wheat. Barley
and oats may be used to supplement
corn when they cost no more per
pound. They are not so palatable as
corn, and give best results when mix
ed with it. Wheat should be coarsely
ground or soaked twelve hours before
feeding; barley and oats should be
finely ground, corn need moi be ground
unless very hard, but all OF the grains
may be soaked to advantage, provided
they are not allowed to sour. All OF
these grains should be supplemented
with shorts, tankage, skim-milk, cow
peas or soy beans, if the hogs are not
on a leguminous pasture.
Every farm in the state should have
permanent pasture. In East and
Middle Tennessee, the following mix
lures will give general satisfaction:
Tall meadow oat grass, rep top, blue
grass, orchard grass, and white clover
These grasses will not succeed equally
well throughout the section, and in
some places certain ones of them will
grow to the exclusion of the others. In
West Tennes see mixture of Bermuda
grass, bur clover, and Japan clover
will make an excellent pasture, or the
Japan clover pasture may De seeded
down to rye each year in September
and thus be made to furnish pasture
I throughout the winter. In addition to
the permanent pasture there can be
grown succession of other plants
which will furnish pasture the year
| round. The following table gives list
, of plants and The dates they are avail
! able: