370 



FEEDS AND FEEDING, ABRIDGED 



concentrates, it is a question of prime importance to find how much 

 of them should be fed to pigs on pasture. It is never profitable to 

 force young pigs to live on pasture alone, for even on the best alfalfa, 

 clover, or rape pasture they barely maintain their weight. Except 

 in districts of the West where alfalfa is abundant and grain unusually 

 high in price, it is usually most profitable to feed 2 lbs. or more of 



Fig. 104. — Alfalfa Excels as a Pasture for Pigs 



Where alfalfa thrives, it is the best permanent pasture for pigs, on account of 

 the rapid orains it will produce and the large number of pigs it will carry per 

 acre. (From The Field.)' 



corn daily per 100 lbs. of pigs than to feed less, even when the pigs 

 are on good pasture. Full-grown brood sows not suckling pigs will 

 fatten with less grain while on pasture than will growing pigs. 



Alfalfa pasture. — Wherever it thrives alfalfa is the best perma- 

 nent pasture crop for pigs, as these animals do not bloat. It provides 

 pasturage during a longer season than any other single crop, starting 

 early in the spring and remaining green and succulent in late sum- 

 mer when bluegrass has dried up and even clover grows hard and 

 woody. Since the heavy pasturing of alfalfa is injurious to the stand, 

 the number of pigs should be restricted and the plants allowed to grow 

 up, being cut for hay 2 or 3 times a year. In tests at the Iowa Sta- 

 tion by Evvard and Kennedy " in which pigs were fed corn and tank- 



i*Iowa Bui. 136. 



