Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1916-04-19
FORAGE FOR THE HOGS
Good Pasture and Grain Ration Most
Profitable for Pork Production
In Northern States.

To make hog production most profit
able the farmer should provide pas
/ ture for his hogs whenever possible.
The earlier in the year green feed can
\ be supplied the better. Swine of any
i age relish green feed, and its use al
ways reduces the cost of producing
gains on hogs. In addition, it keeps
the animals in good thrifty condition.
i The information given in this article,
however, applies only to the northern
part of the United States, particularly
those States and sections of States "
ing north of parallel 80 degrees.
The best crops to seed in early
spring, are wheat, oats, rye, barley,
rape, Canadian field peas, and vetch.
Any of the cereals do we'll planted
singly or in combination with rape,
Canadian peas, and vetch. In certain
sections, where these crops will sur
vive the winter, they can be sown the
previous fall. In sections where it is
impossible to maintain stand over
winter, the crops mentioned can be
sown in early spring as soon as the
ground is fit.
The pigs should be turned in to pas
ture the cereal crops when the plants
attain height Of about to inches,
and taken off when the plants reach
such height that the pigs begin to
spit the chewed material from their
mouths This is because the percent
age of crude fibre, the indigestible
part of the plant, increases rapidly
as the plants grow larger. Green
wheat, oats, rye, and barley are gen
orally classified as carbOnaceous
roughages. When young, however.
these contain a high percentage of pro-
tein and should be classified as nitro
genous roughages in the early stages
of growth. Because the small grains
when young are so nutritious and are
green when frost has killed clover,
they are ideal plants to grow for pigs
during late fall and early spring.
Canadian Field Peas.
Canadian field peas when sown in
conjunction with some other kind Of
grain Goats, rye, etc. make an excel
lent early crop for hogs. The seed
should be sown in April or early in
May, and if conditions are right the
crop will be ready to pasture in about
80 or 40 days. Hogs clean up the
peas and vines very we'll. The vines
that are left on the ground, together
with the manure, enrich the soil and
add more humus to it. The great val
ue of peas as a pasture for swine is
far too lite understood.
Hairy Vetch.
Hairy vetch is a legume of increas-
ing Importance, especially as a forage
for hogs 1t f1ourishes to surprising
degree in Washington, Oregon, and
the Southern States. The seed should
be sOwn in the fall with rye or oats.
October is the best month in which
to plant this crop. When the winters
are too severe, vetch is not generally
grown. 1t succeeds wherever Canad-
ian field peas do we'll, but the field
peas are usually preferable.
Rape as a forage crop is highly rec
commended for hogs whenever it can
be grown successfully. 1t should not
be planted in the fall of the year with
the expectation of its surviving the
winter. III most localities it is best
to SOW rape in April or May. If there
is enough moisture in the soil to ger
inmate the seed, it is generally ready
to pasture in about six weeks. When
pigs are put on rape, it generally
takes them some time before they ac
Quire a taste for it. Young pigs do not
make as good use of rape pasture as
older ones. The hogs should not be
turned on the rape until the plants
are at least 10 inches high. Rape is
a very satisfactory forage plant for
hogs, because it grows rapidly and is
a cheap green feed.
While the cost of producing pork
may be reduced by the use Of green
feed. it is desirable to feed grain in
addition. There is no time that grain
/. can be so profitably fed to a hog as
when he is young and running on pas
ture. Under such conditions, it is pos
sible to secure 10 pounds of gain for
each bushel of grain fed. During the
spring, summer, and early fall months
from One-half to three-fOurths Of a
full feed of grain will be sufficient for
hogs running on pasture.-GOvern-
mani RuIIafiu