A PASTURE HANDBOOK 



83 



In a study of 53,000 hogs raised without regard to sanitation on 

 farms in Georgia and Florida, 92 percent of the livers and all the 

 kidneys were condemned as unfit for food because of kidney-worm 

 infestation. In the case of 525 hogs raised under the special plan, 

 slight kidney -worm lesions were found in the kidneys of 10 percent 

 and only 14 percent of the livers were unfit for food. All livers and 

 kidneys from hogs from 21 herds were entirely free of kidney worms. 



A hog wallow made of concrete and located in a convenient, shady, 

 place is a benefit in a hog yard, but a mud wallow made by the hogs 

 rooting a hole is a nuisance and should not be allowed to remain. 



Hogs suffer greatl}^ from heat and must be provided with shade of 

 some kind. This is best provided by trees, where a sufficient number 

 close enough together are available. A very satisfactory structure 

 for providing shade can be made by constructing a framework about 



Figure 24. — Pigs raised on pasture. Clean pastuies for raisins and fattening pigs save grain and protein 

 supplements, avoid roundworm infection and other troubles, save labor, and conserve soil fertility. 



4 feet in height, using posts, poles, or any available material, and 

 covering w^ith hay, straw, or weeds, to a depth of about 2 to 3 feet. 



PASTURES FOR POULTRY 



The proportion of different kmds of pasturage which may be used 

 to advantage in feeding poultry varies with the kind of poultry. 

 Geese can subsist readily on grass alone (fig. 25). Goslmgs may be 

 grown entirely on grass after they are from 2 to 3 weeks old, though 

 grain is required in fattening them. Ducks rank next in the advanta- 

 geous use of pasture and turkeys, gumeas, and chickens use the least. 



When on good range, such as bluegrass, and receiving also grain 

 supplemented with milk or a protein feed, such as meat meal, hens will 

 give good egg. production and produce eggs at a much lower cost than 

 on balanced rations without pasturage. Good pasture of immature 

 grass furnishes an abundant and cheap supply of vitamins and min- 

 erals and provides a high quality of proteui. The vitamuis required 

 for poultry, which are known to be present in considerable quantities 

 in good green grass are vitamin A (in the form of carotene), thiamin, 

 riboflavin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, vitamin K, and vitamin E. 



