The Nevada County picayune., 1923-04-05
PAsTURAGE CROPS FOR HOGS


 terested in more and better hogs for market purposes.- E. ]. Watson, Agrl- culetural agent r. X \. W. Ry)
 A succession of grazing crops may be provided that will furnish green feed for the hogs nearly the entire year. In fact. on sandy soils and in the lower third of the Cotton Belt, it iS entirely feasible with average seasons, to nave some green feed every day i'll the year But no one should attempt to raise hogs without a permanent pasture. for uh favorable seasons or the failure of crop may at times leave the hogs with out green feed if a permanent pasture is not provided.
 But fl is now too late te make permanent pasture for the hogs dur ing the coming summer and the lm- mediate problem is to provide a snc. cession fo crops such as will feed the hogs best, either with or without the aid of a permanent pasture as the case may be.
 The first green feed to be obtained from crops yet to be sowed will pro
 bably come from rape and oats. either sowed separately or together. But it is useless to SOW rape except
 on very ricch land. In fact to pro duce a good crop of rape land must be richer. even than that which is usual ly thought very rich. in the South.
 Unless the land is very rich oats will probably he the best. On rich land oats and Canada field peas. had they been sowed earlier, might have done fairly well.
 The most difficult period in which to furnish pasturage for hogs is the period from May 15 to July 1o or August I. and here is where the value of the permanent pasture proves IL self. Of course where red clover and alfalfa are grown this period is well taken care of. hut where these are not grown the permanent pasture is almost q necessity. Lespedeza sowed in oats or wheat al once will give con siderable grazing in June and July if there is sufficient moisture.
 But the most important grazing problem for the hog raiser is the pro- viding of cheap feed crops for finish ing the spring pigs in the fall. These crops to be cheap must furnish good feeds whicch the hogs will harvest for themselves They should be ready from August l 10 September l and must last three 10 four months.
 Perhaps a safe rule is to calculate on requiring about three acres of these crops for finishing the hogs for each litter. but four acres as insurance against an unfavorable season may | be better. Two or three acres of soy | beans and peanuts, or of soy beans or | peanuts. and one acre of corn will | prove the best crops as q general rule, l In the sandy sections peanuts may | prove the better crop but in the stiff | land sections farther north soy beans i will usually he found better. At least | one or the other or both are likely to prove the best crops for hogs to gather for themselves Corn must he used | with these crops to get the best results, but there is some difference of opinion the corn or it should he gathered by | as to whether the hogs should gather hand. and q limited quantity, say one third full ration, given them while they are grazing the soy beans or pea nuts If allowed to do so the pigs will | usually consume more corn than is | most economical and the corn will be come exhausted before the beans or peanuts are finished.
 We believe every acre of corn should | northern two-thirds of the Cotton Belt | peas planted with the corn. In the have soy beans or velvet beans or COW probably the soy beans will be prefer produce more feed pc racre than either l able Corn and SOY heans together will | alone. of course, cowpeas or velvet | beans in the corn will produce more feed than corn alone hut soy beans | or peanuts will make more feed than | eowpeas or velvet beans.