FARM ANIMALS 211 



of mixed grain. One ton of alfalfa hay will pro- 

 duce from two hundred and fifty to eight hundred 

 and fifty pounds of pork, depending on the quality 

 of the hay and the character of the pigs. The second 

 cutting of clover hay may be boiled before feeding 

 to pigs and in this form is somewhat more efficient 

 as a pork producer than clover silage. Silage is 

 not fed as extensively to hogs as to dairy cows, 

 steers and sheep. It is rather too bulky for the 

 digestive organs of the pig and for this reason should 

 not be fed to a greater extent than one-fourth of the 

 ration. For brood sows, however, it is valuable in 

 increasing the flow of the milk. Silage cannot be 

 depended upon to replace any of the grain, but 

 when fed in addition to grain it yields a profit since 

 quicker gains are obtained and the hogs remain in 

 excellent health. 



PASTURE 



A large variety of field crops are commonly cul- 

 tivated as hog pasture. It is almost universally 

 recognized that while hogs do not require a large 

 amount of coarse forage in a dry form they can 

 utilize more material in a green state by grazing on 

 it or when fed in the form of soiling crops. In 

 the South, peanuts, chuf as, cowpeas, sweet potatoes, 

 sorghum, vetches, oats and rape may be depended 

 upon to furnish a continuous series of green mate- 

 rial for hogs during a long season. The amount of 

 grain required per pound of pork produced on 

 pasture composed of these various crops varies 

 from one and seven-tenths pounds in the case of 

 peanuts to three and seven-tenths pounds in the 

 case of sorghum. Chufas, peanuts, cowpeas, ar- 

 tichokes, and other roots are readily harvested by 

 the hogs with good results and no expense is in- 



