REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURIST. 93 



SESSIONAL, PAPER No. 16 



It is most interesting to watch the niceness of idiscrimination exercised by your 

 practised rape-eating pig, as he strolls leisurely down the row and selects the juicy 

 leaves that best please his fancy. I have observed too, that your trained pig is equal 

 to the best of chemists in picking out those parts of the plant most valuable for food. 

 He soon learns to shun the large or old leaves, and feasts upon the young, the tender, 

 the juicy. A study of the chemistry of the plant will be found in the report of Mr. 

 F. T. Shutt, Chemist of the Experimental Farms. 



Below is a statement of the cost of producing the forage ; — 



Cost of Growing One Acre of Rape. 



Rent of land $3 00 



Cultivating in auttimn 1 50 



Ploughing in spring 2 00 



i manure applied at rate of 20 ton& per acre and valued at 



$1 per ton 4 00 



Harrowing twice 50 



Seeding lA hours 37 



Seed, 3 lbs. a.t 10c 30 



Hoeing 3 times, 2 days at $1.25 ' 2 50 



$14 17 

 Yielded 30 tons. 



Cost of producing 1 ton 47 cents 



Average dry matter per ton 200 lbs. 



Cost of 100 lbs. dry matter 23^ cents 



PUMPKINS. 



Part of the second year of the rotation area was devoted to pumpkins, The 

 portion selected was adjoining the autumn pasture for convenience in feeding. The 

 soil was a sandy loam, and fairly well drained. Manure was first applied at the usual 

 rate of 15 tons per acre, worked into the soil. The plot was then thoroughly cultivated 

 and harrowed. It was marked off into 8-foot squares, and a small hole about 18 

 inches square and 6 inches deep excavated at each corner. This was filled about half 

 full of barnyard manure (scrapings), a layer of earth thrown over it, and the seeds 

 planted in this layer. 



The plants grew apace, and in a short time covered the whole area. Much fruit 

 developed, and grew to a fair size. The yield from the half acre being 1,250 pump- 

 kins, averaging 14i pounds, or about 9 tons. 



These were fed partly to the dairy cattle, which seemed to do well upon them. A 

 large number were fed to pigs. One lot fed on raw pumpkins did fairly well, 

 making a gain of 745 pounds in 107 days, at a cost of $3.08 per 100 pounds gain. 

 They ate 2,090 pounds pumpkins and 1,981 pounds meal half corn, half oats, pease 

 and barley equal parts. 



Another lot of 6 pigs, fed on cooked pumpkins, did exceedingly well, making 706 

 pounds increase in 99 days, at a cost of $2.96 per 100 pounds gain. They ate 7,500 

 pounds pumpkins and 1,602 pounds meal. 



