American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-01-11
CHEAP PORK ON FIELD PEA
PASTURES IN WYOMING.
A High Altitude Crop That Cuts Down
Grain Requirements.
BY T. s. Parsons.

Wyoming ASKS at once, what can 4
grow in place OF corn for ~fattening
hogs?" The experienced farmer OF the
state answers barley and peas" The
San Luis valley of southern Colorado
has long been noted for it's pea fed
hogs and the Wyoming station has
proved by experiment that barley
meal is equal to corn meal IN fatten-
ing pigs.
The average altitude OF the farm
ing land in Wyoming is about 5000
feet above sea level. Corn can not be
grown successfully at attitudes above
5000 feet Therefore, this crop can
be grown over only limited areas, and
in many parts OF the state those crops
which are adapted to high attitudes
must be raised to take the place OF
corn in the feeding rations. Barley
has long been grown and it's value as
a stock feed amply demonstrated.
Field peas are a comparatively new
crop In the state, but wherever tried
they have shown themselves we'll
adapted to high altitude conditions,
especially under irrigation. There is
no crop that lends itself more readily
to "hogging Off" and as a pasture
crop for pigs II is unsurpassed. Peas
are cool climate plants, and being
legumes are excellent muscle builders
and the grain contains much fat. For
%fattening the peas should be well ma
tured before the hogs are turned In,
and the hogs Should not have the run
of the whole field at one time, as
many peas and vines will be wasted
by tramping. Hurdles or temporary
fences should be used so that the hogs
will have access to only a part of the
field at a time. A large saving is
made by this method of pasturing.
On the Eden Valley project in
Sweetwater County, Wyoming, large
areas of peas and oats are sown and
cut for hay. Here the oats and peas
are allowed to mature before cutting
The hay is then used for feeding and
%fattening sheep and hogs. The hogs
are allowed to run on the stubble af-
ter the grain is cut, picking up the
peas and oats that have shattered out.
This is all the feed they get until fat
tening time, and no thriftier pigs can
be found anywhere. About three or
four weeks before being shipped the
hogs are penned up and fed on ground
or soaked peas and oats. The hogs
are in healthy condition from running
on the cut-over pea and oat ground
and take on flesh rapidly.
. This section is about fifty miles from
a railroad. so the hogs are butchered
at home and hauled to market, where
they are sold as dressed pork.
Experiments carried on by the an
imal husbandry depart ment of the
Wyoming experiment station show
good results from peas in ~fattenine
rations. The experiments also showed
that pigs hat had previously been or
pasture made better gains where put
on dry feed than did pigs that had nc
pasture. Good returns were made il
every case from pea pastures.
In the experiments twenty-one Pig
were divided into three lots. Two lot
we're put in pea pasture and one 10
in pen. In the case of the pastureC
pigs one lot was allowed to run thu
field, and hurdles were used for tn
other lot. Each pasture lot containe'
LAT acres and furnished grazing 70
seven pigs for 112 days, the pigs beinI
on one-half grain rations. The pig
in the dry lot received a full grail
r~ations.
To determine the residual effects Q
the pasture the pigs were taken fror
the peas at the end of 112 days an
placed on full grain ration. Those o
the hurdled peas gained on an everag
109 pounds. Those on the unhurdle
peas gained 80 pounds and those nc
pastured gained only SS.5 pounds.
was found that hurdling gave col
siderably the best results. The pie
in the hurdled field require
$50 pounds of ground feed to max
100 pounds gain; those in the fiel
not hurdled required 302 pounds
feed, and those in the dry lot require
SIS pounds to make the same gail
The experiment was carried or du'
ing some of the coolest winter we;
Their, otherwise the gains from II
pasture would probably have been be
ter.
When the pastured pigs were take
from the field and put or a full ratio
they gave better results than tho:
. that had been on full ration all Il
time without pasture. When on fu
al feed those that had been on hurdle
III pasture required 494 pounds Of fee
n to make 100 pounds of gain; tho
81 from the un%hurdled pasture require
N 479 pounds, and those in the dry /
546 pounds for the 100 pounds gal
,, Some interesting deductions may
"a made from the results of these expe
~ iments. Both pasture lots made be
III ter gains than those that had been fl