674 FEEDS AND FEEDING 



better plan is not to overstock the pasture. If the pigs are full-fed 

 concentrates on pasture, spring-sown rape on good soil should furnish 

 good grazing thruout the season for 16 to 20 pigs, or even more per acre. 



It has been pointed out previously that where alfalfa thrives, it slightly 

 excels rape, chiefly because it need not be reseeded each year and also 

 because it is a legume and thus builds up the soil. The portion of the 

 rape plant eaten by pigs is nearly as rich in protein, on the dry matter 

 basis, as is alfalfa. Therefore, pigs fed corn on rape pasture need no 

 larger amounts of supplement than those on alfalfa pasture. (984) 



"White pigs and those with very thin hair or white belts or spots 

 may blister if they run in rape when the sun is bright and the rape is 

 wet with rain or dew. This sometimes occurs to a less extent on other 

 forages. Blistering may usually be prevented by keeping such pigs out 

 of wet rape on hot sunshiny days. However, the blistering is usually 

 not serious in the northern states, even with white pigs. Care should be 

 taken to rub crude oil, vaseline, or lard on any blistered spots. 



Rape is an excellent winter forage crop for the South. In 2 trials at 

 the Alabama Station 134 Gray, Summers, and Shook found that pigs fed 

 a half allowance of corn and either shorts or tankage on rape pasture for 

 116 to 147 days during the winter, made an average daily gain of 0.70 Ib. 

 and required 0.14 acre of rape and only 273 Ibs. of concentrates for 100 

 Ibs. of gain. 



In the extreme northern states, rape is often grown in combination 

 with oats and peas or with only oats or barley. Where field peas thrive, 

 in this section, oats-peas-and-rape pasture is usually slightly superior to 

 rape alone. Pigs self -fed corn and tankage on oats-peas-and-rape pasture 

 in trials by Morrison and Bohstedt during 5 years at the Wisconsin Sta- 

 tion 135 gained no more rapidly than others on rape pasture, but each year 

 they required a little less concentrates for 100 Ibs. gain. On the average 

 the saving amounted to 17 Ibs. corn and 2 Ibs. tankage for each 100 Ibs. 

 gain. This usually more than covered the additional cost of growing 

 the mixture over seeding rape alone. Farther South, where field peas 

 do not thrive as well, rape is equal or superior to oats-peas-and-rape. 136 

 In 2 trials at the Wisconsin Station a combination of oats-and-rape was 

 slightly superior to rape alone, but on the other hand in trials at the 

 Ohio and Pennsylvania Stations 137 rape alone was best. 



993. Grasses and cereals for pasture. Among the permanent grasses, 

 bluegrass provides the best pasture thruout the northern states and forms 

 the chief part of native pasture, often in combination with white clover. 

 The cost per acre of bluegrass pasture is usually very low, for the 

 pasture is permanent and areas not suited to cultivation can be used for 

 the pasture. Bluegrass furnishes excellent early spring and late fall 

 pasture, being ready even before alfalfa or the clovers. However, it 

 makes little growth during midsummer, so other crops should be provided 



134 Ala. Bui. 168. 136 Evvard, Iowa Bui. 136; Grimes, Penn. Bui. 168. 



135 Unpublished data. 137 Robison, Ohio Bui. 343; Grimes, Penn. Bui. 168. 



