122 HOW TO PEED YOUR HOGS 



It is entirely posible to raise pigs from birth to maturity, in truth, 

 to go through the entire cycle of swine husbandry, with corn and al- 

 falfa. Of course, this can be improved somewhat, but these two 

 are the great basal feeds, from the standpoint of economical and 

 physiological efficiency, and the man who wishes to make the most 

 of swine husbandry will see to it that these crops be grown in his lo- 

 cality, if it is possible. Of course, there are certain sections where 

 the corn may be displaced, and also the alfalfa, but, generally 

 speaking, if they grow to advantage, they are the ones to use. 



Of all the. crops that we have used in our experimental work at 

 the Iowa station, we have secured especially economic gains on 

 two: alfalfa and Dwarf Essex rape. Both stand out particularly 

 strong in balancing corn. We do not pass without of course salut- 

 ing red clover. 



Heavy Grazing 111 Advised. Heavy pasturing of alfalfa is 

 detrimental. We usually figure on pasturing the alfalfa only 

 about one-third to one-half of what it will stand, and then take off 

 the regular cuttings of hay therefrom. In other words, on pasture 

 that will yield from 4 to 7 tons per acre, we will run from 10 to 

 20 weanling pigs from late May or early June to the 1st of Novem- 

 ber, and then take our regular hay cuttings off the field, making 

 the cuttings when the young shoots begin to form at the crown of 

 the plants. 



Protein in Alfalfa. Alfalfa runs high in protein. A dry- 

 matter analysis (this refers to the alfalfa plant with all of the water 

 squeezed out) showed that on about April 24 one year the leaves 

 showed in every 100 pounds of this water-free material 38.8 per- 

 cent of protein. This is higher than oilmeal, and more than twice 

 as high as wheat middlings. Of course, the stems will run less 

 than this but, generally speaking, pigs know enough to eat the 

 11 tenderer" portions. Note in passing that the reason why we make 

 our regular cuttings is to stimulate new growth because it is the new 

 growth which runs highest in protein and minerals and lowest in 

 fibre things that are essential. To show just how the more rap- 

 idly-growing parts of alfalfa analyze or namely, higher in protein 

 and lower in fibre, we submit these figures : 



An analysis of the top half of alfalfa on May 26 showed protein 

 31 percent and fibre 14 percent in the dry matter. The lower half 

 of the same plants showed a little more than half as much protein, 

 or 18 percent, and more than twice as much fibre, or 29 percent, 

 and the pigs know somehow that the top half of the alfalfa is the 

 best. In truth, if one watches pigs in the alfalfa field he will see 

 them very often simply bite off the upper portion, because it is 

 tenderest and most palatable, and because it supplies their nutri- 

 tional needs to the greatest advantage. It would be flattering to 

 the horse to say that these pigs exhibit "horse-sense," whereas 

 they really show normal "hog-sense." 



