FORAGE CROPS THAT MAKE GOOD 127 



Swinemen everywhere may lay emphasis on red clover and de- 

 pend on it as the mainstay in their forage crop regime, more 

 especially where it does well, and where stands can be easily se- 

 cured, and where the rotation adopted is such as to devolp it to its 

 full extent as a necessary factor in the managerial plan of the farm. 



Bluegrass. Bluegrass is the standard pasture grass of a con- 

 siderable portion of the United States. It has been abused, how- 

 ever, on many an occasion, and some novices have thought it al- 

 most worthless as a swine pasture. While it is true that bluegrass 

 is a most disappointing pasture in July and August, when it browns 

 up and becomes dry and hard, yet it more than makes up for this 

 deficiency in the early spring, when it comes shooting forth in all 

 its tenderness and greenness ; any time in April and May it is a fine 

 pasture grass. Then again in the fall, following late rains in Aug- 

 ust and September, it comes forth, sending up new shoots, which 

 pigs take advantage of, and which the chemists' analysis and the 

 pigs' inclinations show to be we'll adapted to the balancing of the 

 corn ration. 



Analysis of Bluegrass. To emphasize the value of young, 

 tender bluegrass that comes early in April, a sample gathered on the 

 12th of that month with the young tender shoots, showed in the 

 dry matter 41.29 percent protein, with a crude fibre content of 

 13.22 percent. This is a good showing for young, tender bluegrass. 

 We have found that with such bluegrass pigs do approximately 

 as well as they do on alfalfa, but, unfortunately, this kind of 

 bluegrass lasts only a few weeks, and then it begins to get 

 worse and worse, running high in fibre, and low in protein, low in 

 fat, and also low in calcium and phosphorus, the two elements that 

 go to make up the bone. 



Contrast this excellent April analysis of 41 percent protein and 

 13 percent fibre in the dry matter with an analysis of the same 

 bluegrass a little later in the season, namely on June 24. At that 

 time we found that the protein content was about one-fifth of what 

 it was formerly, or 8.7 percent, and the fibre had more than doubled, 

 analyzing 30.04 percent, and the calcium had dropped down so 

 that about one-fifth as much was present as earlier in the season 

 or instead of y 2 of a pound in 100 pounds of dry matter it ran to 

 less than 1/10. Let us not forget that calcium forms some 40 per- 

 cent of the dry ash of bone, and is of the utmost importance in bal- 

 ancing the grain ration, because the grains are low in this bone- 

 building and stimulating material. Phosphorus also shows a big 

 decrease, being about 1/30 as much in June as in April per 100 

 pounds of dry matter of bluegrass. 



But as a fine, compact sod bluegrass deserves special credit, and 

 it is a fine place to carry young litters, putting the sows out so that 

 they can get sunshine and green feed. Coming early as it does, it 

 ranks alongside of winter rye, winter wheat and sweet clover (the 

 earliest of spring pastures) and, being a compact sod, it can be pas- 



