12 FORAGE CROPS FOR HOGS IN KANSAS AND OKLAHOMA. 



larly valuable as pasture for sows and young pigs, many farmers 

 sowing them for this purpose. One farmer claims that he is less 

 troubled with scours in pigs on oat pasture than on alfalfa. 



RYE. 



Eye is not so generally grown for a pasture crop in Oklahoma and 

 Kansas as the crops just discussed. Many farmers, hoAvever, use rye 

 to make a part of the pasture crop for their hogs, and its value can • 

 not be denied. 



Rye is seeded from September 1 to the middle of October. The 

 early seeding is best, as it comes on early and gets well established 

 before cold weather and will thus make better fall and winter pasture. 

 Eye is an excellent pasture for late fall, winter, and early spring. 

 If not pastured too heavily in the spring it will head out and make 

 a vei-v sood vield of grain. The grain is an excellent ration to feed 

 with corn to pigs and groAving hogs or to grind and mix in slop for 

 soM^s with pigs. 



The amount of pasture furnished by rye is about three-fourths 

 that furnished by alfalfa, being estimated as supporting from G 

 to 12 hogs per acre. One man reports having pastured 50 head 

 of hogs on 5 acres during fall, winter, and spring, then harvest- 

 ing 20 bushels of grain per acre. In the southern part of this 

 region rye would be an excellent coA^er crop for the soil during the 

 AAdnter. Besides furnishing pasture it could be turned under as a 

 fi-reen manure to add humus to the soil. 



LESS IMPORTANT FORi^GE CROPS. 



Wliile alfalfa, wdieat, oats, and rye are the principal forage crops, 

 there are others that are used to some extent. Among these are 

 clover, rape, sorghum, coAvpeas, soy beans, artichokes, and grasses. 



I CLOVERS. 



The clovers are not generally used in the territory discussed. Among 

 those most used for pasture crop's are red clover and Avhite clover. 

 These are good, especially in the latitude of central Kansas and 

 farther north, but south of this the clovers do not do so Avell. Eed 

 clover and Avhite clover are the older pasture crops and are in more 

 general use in the older sections of the country. They are both 

 excellent forage crops for hogs. Eed clover comes in AA^ell in the 

 rotation of crops; it fertilizes the land and furnishes both pasture 

 and hay. It is often soAvn Avith oats or barley in the spring, or 

 later in corn after the last cultivation. It does very Avell with corn 



111— IV 



