206 One Thousand Questions in Agriculture 



Summer Pasture for Hogs. 



/ want to pasture hogs in the San Joaquin valley this spring and 

 summer. Have water for irrigation, but will not have time to get alfalfa 

 started suMcient to pasture. 



Sorghum can be planted with pumpkins or some root crop 

 between the rows. The root crop or the pumpkins could be used 

 in the later summer, while the sorghums could come between the 

 natural grasses of the early spring and the root crops. A strictly 

 pasturage scheme is to sow wheat or barley and turn the hogs on 

 this, so that they will eat within certain prescribed limits. In order 

 to do this, the field needs a shifting fence, so that the hogs can be 

 driven from one section to another — never letting the hogs eat too 

 closely, as they will kill off the stand. 



Size of a Silo. 



/ am planning to build a silo 8 feet high and lo feet across. Will 

 ensilage (corn, oats) keep well in a silo of those dimensions? 



The silo you are intending to build is too shallow, and would 

 hold only a very small amount of silage. There would be several 

 inches loss of silage before you could start feeding, and you would 

 have to feed at least two and probably three inches oflf per day in 

 order to keep the food from spoiling. Sixty inches of silage would 

 thus only last about twenty days. Also, the deeper a silo is, the 

 tighter the ensilage is packed and the more will be contained in a 

 cubic foot. The following table will give suggestions as to dimen- 



A cow can consume four tons of silage in 180 days and more 

 or less as you care to feed, so by figuring out how long you will 

 probably feed, you can see the size of silo to build at once. 



Soiling Crops in California. 



What are the dates for planting crops to be used for soiling in your 

 State? 



We are using Indian corn and sorghums of various kinds for 

 soiling to a certain extent. There is also some cutting ana carry- 

 ing of alfalfa, although most of the alfalfa is pastured. Dates of 

 planting depend upon the frost-free period; sometimes beginning in 

 April, and successive planting for later growth as water may be 

 available for irrigation. There are places where one can see stand- 

 ing corn and sorghum untouched by frost as late as December 1. 



