74 EXPERT MKNT STATFON RECORD. 



On corn nic:il .'Uid niiddlin.us Iho avcnijio daily jxnin was 0.61 lb. por hoarl, the 

 cost of a pouiid of 1,'ain :i.".i'.» cts., and the jii-ain eaten per ponnd of jjain 4.80 

 1I)S. On corn meal and skim niilU llie avera.ne daily gain was 1.53 lbs. per 

 head, the cnsl of a ponnd of .i,'ain I'.IT i-ts., and (he grain eaten per ponnd of 

 piin l.sc, U.S. <tn llie corn meal sni)i>leniented by green crops the gain ranged 

 from ((..^s lb. per head on raiH> to 0.74 lb. on alfalfa. Of these rations, the gam 

 was cheapest on the alfalfa, costing 2.51) cts. jier iwnnd, and most exi)ensive on 

 the ra]»e, costing ;!..'!4 t-ts. per ponnd. The ^'reatest range in grain per ponnd of 

 gain was also noted with thes(> lots, being ;>.4.'; lbs. with the alfalfa ration and 

 4.41 lbs. with the rape ration. 



"It is believed to be possilde to grow enough alfalfa for hof: jtastnre at least 

 on practically every farm in Missouri. Until, however, alfalfa is an assured 

 success on every farm the farmer ought to arrange for a clover pasture for his 

 hogs ev(M"y year wilhont fail. . . . 



" It is not safe or even desirable to rely upon a single crop, excepting alfalfa 

 where it is an assured success, to furnish pasture for our hogs throughout the 

 entire season. It is better to arrange for a succession of pastures from the 

 beginning of the season until the hogs are ready for market, making the feed 

 richer and more concentrated toward the close of the season and as we approach 

 the finishing or fattening period. P'or this purpose the following crops are rec- 

 ommended : lied clover or alfalfa, cowpeas, soy beans. 



" To provide a crop of cowpeas in the best condition for the hogs, it will be 

 necessary to select some very e.irly maturing sort and sow rather earlier than 

 is advised for a general crop. . . . 



" 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 i»asture before this 

 time, and if the ho.us are needing pasture it is not advised to wait until that 

 stage 'of maturity. . . . 



"As a grain ci'op to use in connection with corn for crowding the spring crop 

 of pigs to mai'ket, the soy beau is a very valuable cro]*. 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." 



The author reconnnends that medium early corn, which ripens about the same 

 time as soy beans, be fed with them, the two crops being sown together and har- 

 vested by the pigs. The pigs should be turned into the field when the lirst soy 

 bean pods begin to ripen. 



"The soy bean is regarded as somewhat better adapted for finishing a bunch 

 of hogs than the cowpea ; at the same time if one does not care to bother with 

 so many dil¥erent crops, the cowpea may be used instead with satisfactory 

 results. 



" For brood sows in winter and very early spring, it is always advisable 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 cowpea hay by way of 

 variety of fei'd. Sorghum stalks grown as is customary for the production of 

 sirup, in limited quantity, make an excellent addition to tlie ration. The main 

 thing to be avoided in cari-yinj^ hogs of this sort through the winter is a straight 

 corn diet. The greater the variety of cheai) materials like these, the better the 

 sows will do." 



Pig fattening tests. TIinriciis (Landir. Wclnihl. HcJiJes. Hoist. 57 (1907), 

 Nns. /,,S, pp. 707-800: ',!). pp. 82,1-825).— A variety of rations, all of which con- 

 tained potatoes as a i)rominent constituent, were tested with a number of lots of 

 pigs. The results, in the author's opinion, demonstrate the high value of pota- 

 toes for fatteniug pigs, 



