FEEDS FOR SWINE 369 



ing corn during the last part of the finishing period. Peanuts can be 

 grazed during only a relatively short season, for after a time the nuts 

 sprout or rot if left in the ground, especially in wet weather. 



Gluten meal and gluten feed give satisfactory results when fed with 

 corn and some other supplement, such as skim milk, tankage, or lin- 

 seed meal. It is not advisable, however, to use these corn by-products 

 as the sole supj?lement to corn for pigs in the dry lot, for the pigs 

 then receive op y corn protein, which, as we have seen in Chapter IX, 

 is somewhat unbalanced in composition. 



Rice hran and rice polish are economical feeds for pigs in the rice- 

 growing districts of the South, 100 lbs. of rice polish being equal to 

 133 lbs. of corn, and 100 lbs. of rice bran equalling 112 lbs. of corn.^^ 



III. Forage Crops, Pasture, and Other Succulent Feed; Hay 



Value of forage crops and pasture. — Thru the use of suitable forage 

 and pasture crops, pork may be produced at a much lower cost than 

 where pigs are maintained in dry lots on expensive concentrates alone. 

 Spring pigs will thrive amazingly on good pasture supplemented by a 

 limited allowance of concentrates and if not finished by the close of the 

 pasture season will be in condition to make most economical gains in 

 the dry lot. Not only do pigs at pasture make cheaper gains, but the 

 succulent feed and the exercise they obtain aid in keeping them thrifty 

 and healthy. When pigs are fed in dry lots it is difficult to save the 

 manure unless they are confined closely, and thus much fertility is 

 wasted. With pigs at pasture the manure is uniformly distributed 

 on the fields. By using forage crops thruout the growing season and 

 legume hay during the winter the cost of maintaining brood sows may 

 be materially reduced, Tho pasturage is of prime value for pigs in 

 all sections of the country, it is especially important in the southern 

 states, where, by a well-selected rotation of pastures, green feed may 

 be furnished nearly the entire year. 



As Evvard of the Iowa Station ^^ writes : An ideal forage for hogs 

 should show: (1) adaptability to local soil and climate; (2) palatabil- 

 ity; (3) a heavy yield of digestible nutrients, being high in protein 

 and mineral matter, especially calcium and phosphorus, and low in 

 crude fiber; (4) succulence; (5) long pasturing season ; (6) ability to 

 endure grazing: (7) permanency; (8) reasonable cost and ease of 

 seeding ; (9) capability of furnishing quick pasture at any time during 

 the growing season. "These essentials are not found in any single 

 forage, but alfalfa, the clovers, and rape have most of them." 



Amount of grain to feed on pasture. — Owing to the high price of 



12 Dvoracliek, Arkansas Sta., information to the authors. 

 "Iowa Bui. 136. 



