The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1916-08-17


culent and rich in muscle and bone
forming materials, but the most impor-
tnnt consideration in favor of pasture
for swine in summer is its small cost.
The earlier in the year green feed can
be supplied the better. Swine of any
age relish green feed, and its use al-
ways reduces the cost of producing
gains In weight. In addition, ii keeps
the animals in good thrifty condition.
Forage Crops for the East.
For fall and early spring pasture the
cereals are unexceled in this section
OF the country. Because young wheat,
oats, rye and barley are such good
grazing crops and are green when frost
has killed clover, they are ideal crops
to grow for pigs during the late fall
and early spring. Any Of these cereals
do well planted singy or in combina-
tion with Canada peas and vetch.
These crops can be planted in early
spring in those sections where the win
ters are not too severe. The pigs
should be turned in to pasture the
cereal crops when the plants attain
height OF about 6 to inches and
taken off when the plants reach such
Il height that the pigs begin to spit the
chewed material from their mouths.
This is because the percentage Of crude
fiber (the indigestible part Of the
plant) increases rapidly as the plants
grow larger.
Field peas SOwn either alone, or
with oats or oats and rape, are most
satisfactory summer forage crop for
pigs. The seeding should be done In
April or May, and If conditions are
right the crop will be ready to pasture
in about 30 or 40 days. The pigs should
not be allowed to Craze over the whole
field, but should be confined to small
! plots by temporary fences or hurdles
The pigs make n very thorough har.
vesting cleaning up the peas and vines
quite thoroughly. The vines that are
left on the ground, together with the
manure, enrich the soil and add more
hunIus to it.
Rape as forage crop Is highly
recommended for hogs wherever it can
be grown successfully. 1t may be
sown both early and late in the sea-
son, but the best yields are usually OBJ
| tuined with spring seeding, and il the
crop is not pastured too closely growth
will continue until fall. If there is
enough moisture in the soil to germi-
nate the seed, it is generally ready to
pasture in about six weeks. When
pigs are put on rape 1t takes them
some time before they acquire Il 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 ten inches
high.
Profitable Forage Crops.
Forage crops will largely, though not
entirely, replace the use of grain in
fattening hogs for market. The cost
of gains in weight produced with a
forage system OF feeding, in every in
stance. is much less than the cost of
gain in dry lots. On forage the gains
are also more rapid, thus yielding Il
larger net profit per hog daily. The
pigs harvest the crop, which saves con-
siderable expense. The vegetable mat
ter in the soil is Increased. and the
droppings of the animals are distribut-
ed over the soil.
Grains for Hogs on Pasture.
Mature, dry-brood sows are some
times maintained in apparently salts
factory condition on good pasture
alone. Young, growing pigs, on the
other hand, running on forage crops,
without grain. scarcely maintain their
weight. There is no time that grain
can be so protitably fed to hog as
when he is young and running on pas
ture. Under such conditions 1t Is pos
sible to secure u pounds of gain for
each bushel Of grain fed. During the
spring and summer and early fall
months from one-half to three-fourths
OF u full feed of grain will be sufficient
for hogs running on pasture. More
forage will be eaten by the pigs thar
if full ration of grain is fed.