Pastures for Hogs. 147 



Since bluegrass and white clover are used very extensively 

 as a hog pasture, especially in north Missouri, there must be some 

 valuable qualities possessed by this grass. Bluegrass is permanent, 

 and after once forming a sod on pasture is very seldom killed out 

 except by being plowed up. It also comes in early in spring and 

 furnishes good early pasture which, with the exception of about tw^o 

 months in midsummer, lasts until late fall, thus causing little in- 

 convenience in providing some kind of pasture. It can be pastured 

 as close as desired without any permanent injury and without fear 

 of its being killed. White clover also springs up in bluegrass and 

 furnishes a legume to supplement the bluegrass, thus making ex- 

 cellent pasture. However, in spite of its many good qualities, blue- 

 grass, unless in connection with some kind of clover, does not make 

 the best kind of pasture for spring pigs. 



Clover, which forms a part of almost all the hog pasture of 

 the State, furnishes, as is shown by the trial given above, one of 

 the very best forages for hogs that can be grown. It, however, has 

 one great disadvantage not possessed by bluegrass, in that it has 

 to be resown every two years, and is much more easily winter killed, 

 and also is more easily killed by heavy pasturing. But a good 

 clover field is as good pasture as can be found and with judicious 

 use of catch crops, a succulent forage with clover as a basis can be 

 provided for hogs the entire season. 



Only four of our correspondents mention anything other than 

 clover, alfalfa or bluegrass, or some mixture of the three, as their 

 principal forage crop for hogs. These four use some rotation of 

 wheat, rye and oats, followed by sorghum or rape, and then cow- 

 peas or rape, and one man mentions cheat and Japanese clover. 

 These crops mentioned above are excellent for a short grazing per- 

 iod, but are too short-lived to be relied on unless a systematic plan 

 is followed whereby one field is growing while another is being 

 pastured. They occupy, nevertheless, a very important place in a 

 hog farm by supplying good pasture while permanent pasture is 

 short. 



Suminer Pasture for Fall Pigs. — The question, "AVhat pasture 

 do you provide for fall pigs the following summer?" brings out the 

 fact that bluegrass is not depended upon for summer pasture for 

 fall pigs to nearly the same extent as for spring pigs, but that the 

 clovers are used to almost the same extent, showing that the clovers 

 are not mixed with bluegrass as much for fall as for spring pig 

 pasture. The replies were as follows, the table showing the re- 



