56 



The Bulletin. 



Table 2— RAPE AS A WINTER CROP FOR HOGS. 



Lot 



Ration 



Average 

 Daily 

 Gain 



Feed to 



Make 100 



Pounds 



Pork 



Cost to Make 

 100 Lbs. of Pork 



Grain 



Grain and 

 Pasture 



Value 



1 Acre 



Rape in 



Terms of 



Corn and 



Shorts 



Corn, 2/3... 

 Shorts, 1/3. 



.84 



Corn, 2/3 

 Shorts, 1/3 

 Rape pasture 



}l/2 



ration. 



.74 



320 corn 



160 shorts $6.88 



172 corn 

 86 shorts 

 .15 acre 



$6.88 



3.70 



4.90 



$21 .20 



Corn, 2/3 1 

 Shorts, 1/3 / ' 

 Rape pasture 



ration. 



.54 



110 corn 

 55 shorts 

 .22 acre 



2.37 



4.13 



20.49 



In the above financial estimate corn is valued at 70 cents a bushel, shorts 

 at $36 a ton, and rape pasture at ?8 an acre. 



The work was done in Alabama, but the results are entirely applicable to 

 North Carolina, especially the coastal region. This rape crop was sowed after 

 soy beans, on September 21, on a sandy soil. The seed came up well and the 

 hogs were turned on to the pasture November 9 and kept there until April 7, 

 when they were taken off and sold. Five 100-pound pigs were grazed on each 

 acre. 



The test shows rape to be an exceedingly valuable winter crop; it saves 

 much corn and other high-priced grains. In fact (see last column above) 

 each acre saved sufficient grain to be worth $21.20 in one case, $20.49 in the 

 other case, while the acre of rape did not cost over six dollars. In the lots 

 where the rape pastures were employed, the cost of making gains in weight 

 was very materially smaller than in the lot where dry feeds alone were fed. 

 It cost $6.88 to make 100 pounds of increase in live weight in Lot 1, where 

 corn and shorts were fed alone. In lots 2 and 3, where rape pastures were 

 grazed, the grain cost to make equal gains was reduced to $3.70 and $2.37, 

 respectively. When the expense of planting and cultivating the pastures is 

 also added to the cost of the pork (see column 6), the total cost of making 

 100 pounds of increase in live weight in Lots 2 and 3 was raised to $4.90 and 

 $4.13; the hogs in Lots 2 and 3, therefore, were fattened at an entirely satis- 

 factory profit, while the ones wbi^ch were finished on corn and shorts in a 

 dry lot, were fattened at a loss, or at least, at an unsatisfactory profit. Rape 

 provides an excellent winter pasture, but other pastures may be used with 

 just about as satisfactory results. Rye, oats, barley, or burr clover may be 

 used to very great advantage. 



PLANTS FOB SUMMER PASTURE. 



The pigs which are born in late winter and early spring should be finished 

 for the market, or for home killing, the following fall or early winter. It 

 will seldom pay to keep them through the first winter. When the pig is suck- 

 ing the mother, both should be given the run of a pasture crop in order that 

 grain may be saved. If the pig is born in late winter, any of the crops here- 

 tofore mentioned can be used until the summer crops begin to come on. 

 When green crops and pastures are thus used, the pig can be gotten up to 

 weaning time as cheaply, perhaps more cheaply, than he can be carried from 

 weaning time to a finish. When the pigs are from 60 to 75 pounds in weight 

 they are ready to begin to finish, and this is the time that the summer pas- 

 ture crops should be ready to use. This date will be from August to Sep- 

 tember. 



Any reasonably good farmer should experience no difficulty in providing 

 summer and fall pasture crops, as he may take his choice from among cow- 

 peas, peanuts, soy beans, rape, etc. 



