666 FEEDS AND FEEDING 



of the country most of these essentials are possessed by alfalfa, the 

 clovers, and rape, or mixtures such as oats-peas-and-rape. 



The high value of pasture crops in pork production is clearly shown in 

 the following table. This summarizes first the results of 11 comparisons 

 in each of which one lot of pigs averaging 52 Ibs. in weight has been fed 

 a well-balanced ration of corn and tankage in dry lot, while another lot 

 has been full-fed corn and tankage on alfalfa or clover pasture. The 

 latter part of the table gives the results of 12 similar comparisons in 

 which 56-lb. pigs have been fed corn and tankage on rape pasture in 

 comparison with others in dry lot. In some of the trials the pigs were 

 self -fed and in others hand-fed all they would eat, both in dry lot and on 

 pasture. In several of the early trials of this nature, the pigs on pasture 

 were fed just as large a proportion of tankage or other supplement as 

 those in dry lots. The results of such trials are not included in these 

 averages, for one of the advantages of pasture crops is that pigs on 

 good pasture need only about half as much protein-rich supplement to 

 balance their ration as those fed in dry lots. 



Value of pasture for growing, fattening pigs 



Concentrates per 



Length Daily 100 Ibs. gain 



Average ration of trials gain Corn Tankage 



Days Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. 



Alfalfa or clover vs. no pasture* 

 Lot I, pigs on pasture 

 Corn, 4.9 Ibs 



Tankage, 0.31 Ib. Pasture 113 1.31 370 24 



Lot II, no pasture 

 Corn, 4.6 Ibs 



Tankage, 0.44 Ib 133 1.13 410 40 



Rape vs. no pasture^ 

 Lot I, pigs on rape 

 Corn, 4.8 Ibs. 



Tankage, 0.29 Ib. Pasture 112 1.35 360 21 



Lot II, no pasture 

 Corn, 4.1 Ibs 

 Tankage, 0.42 Ib 121 1.04 399 41 



*Average of 8 trials by Morrison and Bohstedt, Wis. Station (Unpublished data) ; and 3 by Robison 

 (Ohio Bui. 343). 



fAverage of 5 trials by Morrison and Bohstedt, Wis. Station (Unpublished data); 4 by Robison (Ohio 

 Buls. 343 and 349); 2 by Grimes (Penn. Bui. 168); and 1 by Evvard (Iowa Bui. 136). 



The first portion of the table shows that the pigs fed corn and tankage 

 on alfalfa or clover pasture gained 1.31 Ibs. and required only 370 Ibs. 

 corn and 24 Ibs. tankage for 100 Ibs. gain. Compared with these excel- 

 lent results, those fed the well-balanced ration of corn and tankage in 

 dry lot gained only 1.13 Ibs. and required about 11 per ct. more corn and 

 67 per ct. more tankage for each 100 Ibs. gain. In these trials 19 pigs 

 on the average were carried on the legume pasture from a weight of 52 

 Ibs. to the end of the pasture season. An acre of alfalfa or clover pasture 

 saved 1,149 Ibs. corn plus 468 Ibs. tankage, compared with dry lot 

 feeding, on the average. In addition, considerable hay was cut from the 

 pasture lots during the season in nearly all of the trials. This amounted 



