BREEDS OF SWINE 467 



centrated feeds of all kinds are upon such a high level of prices that 

 the farmer can not afford to limit the feed of the hog to them alone. 

 Help must be sought outside the concentrated feeds. 



The supplementary feeds heretofore mentioned are almost all 

 good and should be used in hog-feeding operations, but the future of 

 profitable hog production in the South depends upon the use of 

 green or pasture crops. It is possible for the southern farmer to have 

 grazing crops practically the year through, and many of the best 

 farmers have them. The southern farmer has, in fact, a decided ad- 

 vantage over the northern farmer in this respect. We have seen 

 that a variety of feeds almost always produced more satisfactory re- 

 sults than one feed. Pastures and green crops can be used to fur- 

 nish variety better than any other feeds. The southern farmer has 

 grown so accustomed to placing his hogs in a small pen when the 

 fattening period arrives that he has almost forgotten that the hog 

 can make valuable use of many green crops if he be given the op- 

 portunity. (F. B. 411.) 



Keep the pasture short for young pigs, as fresh growth is the 

 most easily digested, and tall pastures, when wet, often make the 

 pigs have sore skins. Have two pastures and change from one to 

 the other, so that the pigs will always have clean feed. (Colo. Cir. 2.) 



Alfalfa Pasture. Many sections are admirably suited to grow T - 

 ing alfalfa. When the farmer is so situated that he can sell alfalfa 

 hay it may not be wise to keep the pasture grazed down with hogs, 

 but at certain times of the year the pasture can be grazed without 

 at all injuring the hay crop. Some farmers are so situated with ref- 

 erence to markets that it would be far more profitable to keep the 

 alfalfa pasture grazed down by hogs than to undertake to make hay 

 of it. It is one of the best pastures that can be secured, since it fur- 

 nishes a large amount of feed to the acre and the grazing season 

 extends over several months of the year. 



While the rape pasture in the Kansas test proved to be a good 

 feed to use along with the grain, the alfalfa pasture proved to be a 

 little more than twice as valuable. One acre of rape was equal to 

 753 pounds of grain, while 1 acre of alfalfa pasture was equal to 

 1,544 pounds of grain. The pastures were grazed only 98 days, 

 whereas the alfalfa pasture, in the South at least, can be grazed for 

 twice that length of time. When a price of $30 a ton is placed upon 

 the grain used, an acre of rape pasture prove'd to be worth $11.29, 

 while an acre of alfalfa pasture was worth $23.16. 



In the Missouri test the alfalfa was cut and carried to the hogs, 

 which were confined in a dry lot. There were 6 hogs in the lot. 

 They ate 463 pounds of green alfalfa in 102 days. (F. B. 411.) 



The number of hogs that may be pastured profitably on an 

 acre depends very largely on the amount of grain fed. Probably 

 from six to eight hogs, under ordinary conditions, would bo about 

 the right number. This would allow enough alfalfa to grow to make 

 three fair crops per year. The fields should be small rather than 

 large, so that the part nearest the water and sheds, will not be kept 



