476 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



than a month so that they may be turned on again. Usually in this 

 climate we eat rape down three or four times during the season. 



COWPEAS. 



To provide a crop of cowpeas in the best condition for hogs by the 

 time the rape ought to be eaten down it will be necessary to select some 

 very early maturing sort and sow rather earlier than is advised for a gen- 

 eral crop. For this purpose I would recommend the New Era, Sherman's 

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

 of corn planting time in rows about thirty inches apart and cultivated 

 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 cow- 

 peas for hog pasture should be sown about the end of corn planting 

 time and for this purpose I would recommend the whippoorwill or black 

 variety. These may be sown broadcast and covered with a spring toothed 

 harrow or what is better, sown with a grain drill letting all hoes run, usin?^ 

 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 beans somewhat better for finishing a 

 bunch of hogs than the cowpeas, 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 cowpea 

 hay by way of variety of feed. Sorghum stalks grown as is customary 

 for the production of syrup, in limited quantity, m^ke an excellent addi- 

 tion to the ration. The main thing to be avoided in carrying hogs of 

 this sort through the winter, is a straight corn diet. The greater the 

 variety of cheap materials like these, the better the sows will do. 



