The Delta independent., 1917-04-20
LIVE STOCK NEWS
>>><>>>>>>>> I
III. A. Lindgren, U. S. DEPARTMENT of

Agriculture, Montrose, Colo)
The following test conducted with
Mr. w. H. Bailey regarding the feed
ing of hogs for market, will be of in
terest to farmers engaged in hog feed
ing. The point to be considered in
this test is that the pigs were farrow-
! ed last fall and were kept in growing
condition since farrowed. These were
fed corn in self-feeders. Pork of
course is extremely high. while the
feeds at time of the test were not so
far above the normal prices. The
weight used in this report were taken
here and the shrinkage in shipment
was not considered.
Days in test, 80; average initial
weight, 1919 lbs; number of hogs,
"a; average final weight, 1876 lbs; to-
tai gain, 1884 lbs: corn fed 1880
lbs; value of corn at S2.O4 per cwt.,
s296.2O; bran fed. 1000 lbs; value of
bran at s1.60 per cwt., $1,000; toal
cost of feed. sS12.2O; value of gains
at $3.50, s591.s4; profit over cost of
feed, s279.64; grain per pound gain,
3.9S lbs; daily gain per hog, EOS lbs.
A bulletin has recently been pub
lished reporting the work of the U. S.
Experiment station at Scotsbluff, Ne
braska, in the disposal of alfalfa in
form of pasture to hogs. This report
was taken under conditions very sim
liar to those in the Uncompahgre val
ley. One test was conducted in this
section last year in which hogs were
fed a 2h per cent ration of corn as a
supplement to the pasture. In this
test it required 22S lbs of corn with
the pasture consumed. to produce 100
lbs. of gain. The following editorial
appears in the Breder's Gazette OF
April 5th. citing some results from the
| Scotsbluff report. The article. how
ever, fails to mention that ground bar
| ley was found to be practically equal
to corn when fed as a supplement to
alfalfa pasture.
How Alfalfa Pays
When alfalfa makes 1900 pounds OF
pork per acre it pays. At the Scots
bluff experiment station in 1915 the
hogs given a light fed of corn on al
falfa pasture required 2.53 pounds OF
corn for each pound of pork produced,
and made 1876 pounds of pork for
each acre of pasture. This was about
half as much corn as would have been
required on corn alone. The corn
was therefore responsible for about
half the gain, and the alfalfa would
account for the other half. or about
1900 pounds of pork per acre At
present prices this would mean over
5000 an acre for the alfolfa crop. At
prices prevailing at that time-60
cents per bushel for corn and cents
per pound for hogs-the alfalfa was
figured as giving a net return of
$132.S4 per acre. Even at those values
the three-year average has been equiv
alent to s24.40 for the hay the alfalfa
would have yielded.
The combination of corn and alfalfa
cannot be excelled by any Of the corn.
belt crops for producing large amounts
of nourishment per acre Corn pro-
duces an abundance OF strach. and al
falfa makes plenty OF protein. Both
are needed by hogs that are fattened
as they are grown and this is the
way numbers Of hogs are produced
| fhaSa 10
to push young hogs along. so as to
make quick maturity and quick turn
into the big cash value which they
represent at prevailing prices. Alfalfa
used as pasture has done more than
anything elese in recent years to make
big profits on hogs. With current
values OF pork, there is no other way
that alfalfa will pay any larger re-
turns. The hog at present Is about
the best-paying beast on the farm, and
alfalfa pasture is calculated to push
the profit UP to the highest possible
notch.-Breeders Gazette.
A visit was recently made to the
farm Of F. B. Kesling, on Lower Ash
mesa. and there a sight. that would
do a corn belt farmer good, was view
ed. 1t was a bin of golden yellow
corn. 500 bushels were produced by
Mr.. Kesling last year on 10 acres OF
ground. Besides, this. another field
OF corn was grown. which filled large
| silo