Swine Growers' Association. 327 



A seeming lack of adaptability of forage crops to lend them- 

 selves well to rotation systems has, perhaps more than anything 

 else, mitigated against the general use of especially provided for- 

 age crops for hogs. They do, however, when carefully planned, 

 lend themselves well to systems of crop rotation. 



The difficulties involved in planning forage crop rotations are, 

 first, to meet requirements at all times of the forage season; sec- 

 ond, to select the forage adaptable to the particular class of animals 

 to which it is to be fed; third, to so arrange the system that the 

 amount of labor will be evenly distributed throughout the season; 

 and, fourth, to conserve and to increase as rapidly as possible the 

 fertility of the soil. These requirements may be well met under 

 varying conditions by some of the following two, three or four 

 year crop rotations. 



To secure the best results with forage crops and to build up 

 the soil fertility to the greatest possible extent, it is necessary in 

 any crop rotation that there be introduced a leguminous or nitro- 

 gen storing crop. One of the most perfect nitrogen storing crops 

 that we have is red clover, which is also one of those most adapt- 

 able for swine feeding purposes. For average conditions the fol- 

 lowing rotation will perhaps be the most nearly ideal: 



ROTATION NO. 1. 



1909 — Corn and rye . . 

 1910 — Rye and clover. 

 1911— Clover 



Rye and clover . 



Clover 



Corn and rye. . . 



Clover. 



Corn and rye. 

 Rye and clover. 



It is intended that a part or all of the corn shall be hogged 

 off in the fall. At the last cultivation plenty of rye should be 

 sown. The rye will add to the pasturage somewhat in the fall, 

 w^hile the corn is being hogged off, and should be allowed to ripen 

 in 1910, and fed off without cutting. The clover seed should be 

 sown in the fall, and if a good stand is not obtained a second 

 seeding should be made in the spring. This will give considerable 

 clover forage in the fall of 1910 and clover for forage in 1911. 

 This rotation may be varied in a great variety of ways. For ex- 

 ample : 



ROTATION NO. 2. 



1909 — Corn and rye . 

 1910 — Rye and rape. 

 1911 — Soybeans. . . . 



Rye and rape . 

 Soybeans .... 

 Corn and rj^e. 



Soybeans. 

 Corn and rye. 

 Rye and rape. 



