A CORN-BELT FARMING SYSTEM. 5 



The sows and their spring litters are turned out on a part of the rye 

 field or a small bluegrass pasture as soon as the pigs are old enough 

 to travel well and are approaching the weaning age. When they are 

 from 6 to 8 weeks old they are weaned and the sows taken to other 

 inclosures, where they are bred for fall litters. 



The fall shotes and the spring pigs remain on the rye as long as it 

 is tender and succulent. This varies somewhat with the season, but 

 generally throughout the corn belt the rye has become so woody by 

 May 1 to 15 that it no longer affords good pasturage, and at this time 

 the hogs are turned from the rye field, shown in the illustration as 

 field No. 3, into the first-year clover and timothy in field No. 4. 

 There they receive a reasonably liberal corn ration. 1 This is con- 

 tinued until fully two weeks have elapsed after the rye has ripened in 

 field No. 3. This is generally about July 15. At this time the young 

 hogs, and very often the brood sows also, are all turned into the ripe 

 rye and allowed to hog it down and to eat the young clover along 

 with it. While engaged in this operation they are given no corn or 

 slop feeds whatever, and the only attention they require is to be 

 given plenty of fresh water. 



As a working basis on which calculations may be made, it has been 

 found that six 100-pound hogs to the acre will gather a 17-bushel per 

 acre crop of rye in six weeks. Timed in this way, the hogs will have 

 the average rye crop harvested by September 1, at which time new 

 corn is about ready to feed. Then, as soon as the hogs can be brought 

 up to full feed on the new corn, or about September 10, they are turned 

 into the first-year corn in field No. 1. There they remain until the 

 field is hogged off or they are sold. This will be about November 1 

 to 10 if all the hogs are kept until the entire crop is gathered. 



Many who have followed this system have found it advisable to 

 take the fall shotes out of the rye and clover field about August 15 

 and allow them to finish out on old corn, thus getting them on the 

 market before the rush of new-corn hogs. In this case the spring pigs 

 are allowed to continue gathering the rye, and if any is left when 

 they are turned into cornfield No. 1, the brood sows are turned in or 

 are left in the rye field to clean it up. 



Thus, the whole herd is furnished pasture and grain feed throughout 

 the entire spring, summer, and fall, which the hogs have gathered 

 with practically no labor and very little attention on the part of the 

 owner or the man who operates the farm. Besides this, the brood 

 sows and the fall litters are furnished pasturage on the rye field 

 during the fall and early winter of the same year it is sown. 



For the winter feeding of the fall pigs it is desirable to sow a few 

 acres of soy beans. This may be done in the second-year cornfield or 



i Two or three pounds of shelled corn (5 or 6 average ears) for each 100 pounds of live weight is about right. 



