FEEDS FOR SWINE 671 



Clover vs. alfalfa pasture for pigs 



Concentrates for 

 Daily 100 Ibs. gain 



Average ration gain Corn Tankage 



Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. 



Lot /,* dover pasture 



Corn, 4.8 Ibs. Tankage, 0.30 Ib 1. 30 372 23 



Lot II,* alfalfa pasture 



Corn, 4.6 Ibs. Tankage, 0.25 Ib 1 . 25 370 20 



*Average of 4 trials by Morrison and Bohstedt, Wis. Station (Unpublished data); and 1 by Evvard 

 (Iowa Bui. 136). 



In these trials the pigs on clover pasture made a trifle more rapid 

 gains than those on alfalfa pasture, but required 2 Ibs. more corn and 3 

 Ibs. more tankage for 100 Ibs. gain. Also, 280 Ibs. more hay per acre was 

 cut on the average from the alfalfa plots than from the clover pastures. 



Red clover and rape have about equal rank as pasture crops for swine. 

 Clover will furnish earlier pasture, but in midsummer the rape will 

 usually furnish the best grazing. In 4 trials by Morrison and Bohstedt 

 at the Wisconsin Station 125 and 1 by Evvard at the Iowa Station 126 in 

 which clover and rape have been directly compared, pigs fed corn and 

 tankage on clover pasture have gained 1.31 Ibs. a head daily, and re- 

 quired 364 Ibs. corn and 27 Ibs. tankage for 100 Ibs. gain. Others on rape 

 pasture gained 1.25 Ibs. a head daily and required the same amount of 

 corn and 1 Ib. less tankage for 100 Ibs. gain. On the average 3.6 more 

 pigs per acre were carried on the rape than on the clover, but on the 

 other hand, an average of over 1 ton of hay per acre was furnished by 

 the clover plots in addition to the pasturage. Furthermore, clovei 

 improves the soil, while rape does not. We may conclude that the choice 

 between these two crops should be based on the adaptability of each to 

 the local soil and climatic conditions. There is even more advantage in 

 feeding pigs on clover pasture a protein-rich supplement in addition to 

 corn, than there is in the case of alfalfa pasture, for clover is not so 

 rich as alfalfa in protein. 



Alsike clover is an excellent pasture crop on soils too wet or acid for 

 red clover. (350) On sandy soil, mammoth clover may yield more pasture 

 than red clover. (349) White clover is not commonly grown alone for 

 pasture, but is important in mixed and native pastures in many districts. 

 A mixture of white clover and bluegrass makes a much better pasture 

 than bluegrass alone, especially in midsummer. (351) Particularly in 

 the southeastern states, crimson clover, sown as a winter annual, furnishes 

 valuable spring pasture for pigs. (353) Lespedeza, or Japan clover, is 

 one of the most valuable pasture crops in the South. (360) 



987. Sweet clover. On soils not well adapted to alfalfa or red clover, 

 sweet clover may often be used to advantage as a pasture for swine. 

 (352) Experiments at various stations show that where they thrive, 

 alfalfa and red clover are usually preferable to sweet clover. 127 Spring 



"'Unpublished data. 128 Iowa Bui. 136. 



13T Arnett and Joseph, Mont. Bui. 128; Evvard Iowa Bui. 136; Morrison and 

 Bohstedt, Wis. Station, unpublished data; Peters and Geiken, N. D. Bui. 127; 

 Rice and Laible, 111. Station, information to the authors; Robison. Ohio Bui. 343, 



