Swine Groivers' Session. 83 



milk will balance all the corn the pigs eat up until the time they 

 are weaned. Allow the sows to wean the pigs themselves. They 

 will do this and soon be prepared to produce the next litter. I 

 feed the sows some corn until they wean their pigs, and then do 

 not give them any more. This year corn was scarce and I did 

 not feed the pigs any at all. They were turned on alfalfa and did 

 not get any corn. I fed the sows some more corn and they grew 

 fat and some of them went on to the market. I gave them % of a 

 pound of grain per day and they grew fine. 



Now, as to the question how long I feed corn before market- 

 ing and how much. I feed these sows all summer % of a pound 

 per day. As soon as the new crop comes in I increase their feed 

 gradually until they are pretty well on full feed, and then after 

 about two weeks of full feeding I sell them. 



As to keeping the sows the other six months, I give my brood 

 sows all the alfalfa they will eat, and it would surprise you, too, to 

 see how much they will eat. I shell about 20 ears of corn and sow 

 it over the feed lot, and in that way no one hog gets more than its 

 share of grain. When you are feeding such a small amount, you 

 must do that in order to get it evenly distributed. It is not much 

 but it will do some good. You will please note this fact: Corn 

 does not furnish the proper nourishment for an animal that is ex- 

 pected to bring a large litter of healthy pigs. The brood sow needs 

 a bone and muscle making food, and she gets it in alfalfa, also in 

 red clover and alsike. 



Now the question of preparing the ground for alfalfa. In the 

 first place will say it has been my custom to sow in the spring. 

 While on the train coming down here some gentlemen were talk- 

 ing with me about alfalfa and said they were thinking of putting 

 out a crop and asked me the best way to get a crop of alfalfa. I 

 told them I sowed mine in the spring, but it necessitates the mow- 

 ing of each crop five times to keep back the weeds — a pretty hard 

 task when you come to think of it. These men did not want to 

 lose the use of their land for a year; and I told them if they had 

 rich land they could prepare it well in the spring and sow it to 

 millet early in April. Millet will mature within about ninety days, 

 and when that crop is taken off the ground will be in good condition 

 with disking for a crop of alfalfa; and in this way the use of the 

 land is not lost for a year. If you can get the moisture you are 

 almost sure to get a crop next year. Of course you take chances on 

 winter freezing ; but I really believe that by sowing the last of Au- 



