PASTURE AND SOILING CROPS 197 



inches apart, and in hills about 20 inches apart in the rows. Six 

 pigs, averaging a little over 100 pounds each, were turned into 

 the plot on October 3 and allowed to harvest the crop, which 

 lasted them three weeks. They were fed a light meal ration 

 while eating the tubers. The six pigs gained 197 pounds 

 in three weeks, and consumed only 189 pounds of meal. This 

 is a most extraordinary result, but it must be remembered that 

 the experiment lasted a very short time. The experiment in- 

 dicates possibilities for this crop. Pigs eat artichokes greedily. 



Pasture vs. Soiling. Some experiments at the Ontario 

 Agricultural College indicate that more rapid gains with a 

 smaller consumption of feed per pound of gain can be secured 

 by soiling pigs than by pasturing. This is especially true of 

 young pigs, and the writer's experience leads him to believe 

 that pigs should weigh at least 100 pounds before being turned 

 on pasture, to get best results. There is considerable extra 

 labor in cutting green crops and carrying them to the pigs under 

 the soiling system, which brings the two systems fairly close 

 together from the stand-point of economy. 



Amount of Grain on Pasture. Growing or fattening pigs 

 cannot be produced satisfactorily on pasture alone, but a grain 

 ration is necessary. The Montana Experiment Station found 

 that hogs fed a full grain ration on pasture gained, on an 

 average, 1.3*9 pounds per hog per day, and required 412 

 pounds of grain for 100 pounds of gain. Hogs fed a half 

 ration of grain, gained .98 pound per hog per day, and re- 

 quired 291 pounds of grain for 100 pounds of gain. Thus, 

 it will be seen that the hogs fed a full ration on pasture made 

 more rapid gains, but consumed much more grain for every 

 100 pounds of gain. 



The Ontario Agricultural College fed two lots of pigs five 

 weeks on clover and ten weeks on rape. One lot received a 

 full meal ration and the other a two-thirds meal ration. As 



