192 SWINE IN AMERICA 



what we knew, or thought we knew, of the philosophy of 

 gestation. The experiment proved to be a success from 

 the first. The sows went through their work in fine con- 

 dition, giving milk abundantly. The pigs came with 

 splendid vitality, thus reducing our losses from early 

 deaths fully 30 per cent below what they had previously 

 been. The hay is fed dry and thrown into the pen on 

 the feeding floor without any cutting or chaffing what- 

 ever. We have sometimes thought we would try the ex- 

 periment of cutting it into half-inch lengths and moisten- 

 ing it. Possibly it would take less hay in this way. The 

 sows keep in good flesh, fully as much so as we like." 



A Finney county (Kansas) farmer reports having 

 pastured 30 pigs on one acre of alfalfa from May ist to 

 September ist, when they weighed 100 pounds each and 

 were in fine condition for fattening. Another Kansas 

 farmer reports keeping 100 pigs from about the middle 

 of April to September on five acres of alfalfa pasture. A 

 little grain during the last two months would have gained 

 him many pounds of pork. Many alfalfa raising pig- 

 growers insist that their pigs can be maintained from 

 May to October on alfalfa for one-half what it would 

 cost for almost any other feed. 



The Utah station found that young shotes gained one- 

 third pound a day on alfalfa pasture without grain. But 

 the station found also that the gain was not so great in 

 older hogs. A Wisconsin dairyman reported that he 

 kept nine sows all winter and spring on alfalfa hay and 

 skim milk, without any grain, and raised from them 75 

 pigs, all healthy and vigorous. 



