Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-11-10
The Strawpile
FEEDING Hoo. From In. Field.


/ has demonstration plots to prove dif-
| ferent points, writes T. w. Harvey In
Earn. Life
One Of the most widely demonstrat-
| ed projects this year is the production
! of corn and soybeans for silage and for
! hogging off.
/ Plots have been planted with soy
beans alone, corn alone and corn and
soybeans together. For hogging of
purposes the hogs will be weighed at
the beginning of the demonstration
period. the amount of dry feed con-
sumed, the acreage consumed, and the
final weight and conclusions drawn.
( This type of farm demonstration is
worth watching.
] In these times when hired help is
often not to be had and corn must
stand in the field, the farmer always
can bring his hogs to his aid In taking
care of it. Where soybeans are sown
/ with the corn, the results will be even
more striking for the hogs not only
get the benefit of the beans, but the
soil is greatly enriched for the coming
/ crop
I Word comes from every state in the
corn belt that the hogging off propo-
sition is paying one A farmer in
| hogs into ten-acre corn field in Sep
TENDER.
The spring pigs averaged 50 pounds
and the older hogs 156 pounds, making
total weight of 1858 The corn
would yield about sixty bushels to the
acre. and in it there were a great many
pumpkins.
The hogs had access to a hve-acre
clover field from which the seed had
been removed. Water was hauled to
them and they had the shade of the
woods near by.
At the end OF twenty eight days the
hogs were weighed and 1t was found
that they had gained 6.522 pounds.
At this time fifty-seven head aver
aging PAS pounds were sold at ss.15
per hundred weight, and the remain
der were not sold but the farmer was
offered IS per hundred for them.
Counting the entire gain OF s,522
pounds at IS would make $52117, or
s52.l7 per acre for the field. This paid
about So cents per bushel for the crop.
which on the market was worth about
so cents.
The entire herd made an average
; daily gain 81 1.91 pounds per head
while they were on the corn. Results
A Kansas farmer reports some strik-
ing results. He makes a practice OF
hogging Of corn every year. using a
portable fence He fences of five to
ten acres at a time, taking in more
as needed
He generally turns his hogs in the
corn the latter part Of August.
+! On twelve acres Of corn one year
he fattened fifty head Of hogs, the
corn being estimated at about soc
bushels. OF the bunch, forty-two head
were sold. avera ging 240 pounds, net
ting about $500.
Allowing 100 pounds gain for each
hog in the corn fed. the corn brought
better than fifty cents per bushel,
and he did not have the expense Of
gathering to contend with In the Anal
average.
| A farmer in Nebraska has been
hogging off his corn for a number of
years, turning in about Ave hundred
head each year BY gathering and
| feeding corn. besides that which was
gathered by the hogs, 1t was found
that a bushel Of corn hogged of will
make as much or more pork as the
same quantity husked and fed, while
| the expense of harvesting is saved.
The harvesting OF corn is big item.
as the number Of man and horse hours
expended in the operation is quite
| large.
| Reports from an Iowa farmer show
/ that in his first years experience he
snapped twenty acres Of corn beside
the field hogged off The next year
both fields were sown to small grain
under the same conditions and with
the same preparation. On the field
where the corn was hogged off the
wheat made five bushels and the oats
seven bushels more to the acre than
| did the other.
| The difference II Just as noticeable
in succeeding corn crop The husks
cobs and stalks and blades all remain
on the land. and with the manure from
the hogs enrich the soil to an enor-
nous extent.
An important factor to take into
consideration is the health of the hog.
Hogs that have plenty Of range and
exercise are not nearly SO susceptible
to disease as those confined In a small
pen.
| A hog that goes out after his feed
will be well grown and thrifty, accus-
toned to exposure and not liable to be
| injured by sudden change in weather
| conditions. Yet 1t is very difficult to
| put good finish on hogs while run
ming in a large field or pasture II
| they are allowed to run until three
weeks or a month before marketing,
and are then shut up and given all the
| feed that they can consume, with
plenty Of pure water they will make
very rapid gains indeed
This Iowa man allows his pigs to
run in the corn as soon as 1t Is culti-
waited the last time. but does not let
the older hogs into the field until the
| latter part OF August By letting the
| small pigs run in the field earlier they
will get a large amount Of vegetation
that will be beneficial to them.
Breeding Sow Wisdom.
People will tell you that brood sow
should not be too fat at farrowing
| time. That's true; but that dioesn' t
mean that she should be starved to a
shadow. She should be fed good
hearty ration, strong in protein. and
not rich in the fat-making foods. She
should have plenty Of exercise. She
should be in that thrifty condition
which makes her az strong az q bull
but not fat
There's no danger Of her having too
much bone and muscle. The heavier
she IL the better-provided that too
- &c