286 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



eral crop. For this purpose I would recommend the New Era, Sher- 

 man's Northern Prolific or Warren's Extra Early, to be sown about the 

 middle of com planting time in rows about thirty inches apart and cul- 

 tivated shallow and level as often as is necessary to hold the weeds in 

 check. For the best results the hogs should not be turned on the peas 

 until the first pods are turning yellow. They will, however, make good 

 /pasture before this time, and if the hogs are needing pasture I would 

 not advise waiting until they reach that stage of maturity. A larger 

 area of cowpeas for hog pasture should be sown about the end of corn 

 planting time and for this purpose I would recommend the whippoor- 

 will or black variety. These may be sown broadcast and covered with 

 a spring toothed harrow or what is better, sown with a grain drill let- 

 ting all hoes run, using from a bushel to a bushel and a half of seed 

 per acre. They will require no subsequent cultivation and will come on 

 about the time the earlier varieties mentioned have been eaten down. 



SOY BEANS. 



As a grain crop to use in connection with corn for fitting the spring 

 crop of pigs for the market, the Soy bean is a very valuable crop. It is 

 essentially a grain plant, very rich in protein, and while the hogs are 

 running on Soy beans they should have access to corn to balance the 

 ration. While the corn does not contain enough protein for the best 

 results, Soy beans contain more protein than is profitable to feed, and 

 the combination of the two grains is therefore much better. The Soy 

 bean matures about the same time as a medium early corn, like the 

 Leaming, and the two crops could be grown in the same field so that 

 the hogs could have access to both without further labor. If this is not 

 feasible, the corn should be thrown to the hogs every day. I would ad- 

 vise the use of the early yellow variety sown in drills about thirty to 

 forty inches apart, using about three pecks to the acre and cultivate 

 shallow until the plants completely shadow the ground. The hogs should 

 be turned in when the first pods begin to ripen. 



While I consider the Soy bean somewhat better for finishing a 

 bunch of hogs than the cowpea, at the same time if one does not care 

 to bother with so many different crops, the cowpea may be used instead 

 with satisfactory results. 



For brood sows in winter and very early spring, it is always advis- 

 able to give them access to a piece of early sown wheat or rye, and to 

 let them have a limited amount of nicely cured clover, alfalfa or cow- 

 pea hay by way of variety of feed. Sorghum stalks grown as is cus- 

 tomary for the production of syrup, in limited quantity, make an ex- 



