

SWINE 



527 



were fed exclusively on corn. By feed- 

 ing pasture-fed pigs corn exclusively for 

 a month, the pork was made much 

 firmer and the melting point of the lard 

 was raised a few degrees. 



In these experiments the melting point 

 of the fat in hogs pastured on peanuts 

 was 87.6° F., while on corn it was 114° F. 



Peas for pasture—Canada field peas 

 make an excellent pasture for hogs. 

 They may be used green, that is, just as 

 the vines are coming into blossom, or 

 pasturing may be deferred until the pods 

 are filled and the peas begin to harden. 

 In the latter case, the grain itself fur- 

 nishes an excellent fattening ration. 



At the Montana station, an acre of 

 peas produced at the rate of 35 bushels 

 per acre. Pigs turned onto pea pasture 

 when the peas were beginning to harden 

 consumed all the peas and a portion of 

 the vines as well, furnishing a fattening 

 ration for ten 150 to 200 pound hogs for 

 from 40 to 45 days. 



In Montana, and a number of western 

 states, climatic conditions permit of 

 pea harvesting by pigs even as late as 

 December. This is one of the easiest 

 fattening methods now practiced. In 

 order to make the best use of forage in 

 this condition, the station holds that 

 winter litters of pigs must be raised. 

 "Pigs from spring litters do not reach 

 a large consuming capacity soon enough 

 to take advantage of the early forage. 

 Both late fall and early spring litters 

 should be raised in order to get the most 

 out of the food and the market condi- 

 tions." In one experiment at the sta- 

 tion 10 pigs pastured on an acre of 

 nearly ripe peas gained 277 pounds in 

 47 days. 



At the Oregon station, when pork 

 was selling at $6 per hundredweight, pea 

 pasture had a value for pork production 

 of $59.56 per acre. With the peas, it 

 required 2.2 pounds of grain and 4.4 

 pounds of skim milk to produce a pound 

 of gain. In these experiments, Black- 

 eyed Marrow-fat were found superior 

 to the Canada field peas. 



Peas and oats when mixed in the 

 proportion of three parts peas to one 

 part oats and seeded at the rate of 2^4 

 bushels per acre, make an excellent for- 

 age crop for hogs. 



At the Michigan experiment sta- 

 tion, such pasture when the crop had 

 nearly reached maturity, and the peas 

 were just past cooking stage, maintained 

 2,340 pounds of live hogs and produced 



210 pounds of pork in 27 days. The 

 following year, 1 acre maintained 3,963 

 pounds of live hogs for 13 days and 

 produced I66M2 pounds of gain. The 

 vines in these experiments were heavy 

 in proportion to the grain. 



Purslane— Prof. Plumb fed purslane 

 to sows confined in pens. They were 

 fed 21 days and given a part grain ra- 

 tion in addition. The pigs made fairly 

 good gains on this material at a cost 

 of 2.2 cents per pound. The pigs did not 

 appear to relish the purslane. 



Rape for pasture— The Wisconsin 

 station was one of the first to point out 

 the value of rape for hogs. It has long 

 been used in England and Canada as a 

 soiling crop for both sheep and swine. 

 Good results have also been reported for 

 this crop when cut and fed green. It 

 is greatly relished by hogs as soon as 

 they learn to eat it. Hogs at the Wis- 

 consin station, four to 10 months old, 

 fed grain and hurdled on rape, have 

 made more rapid and cheaper gains than 

 hogs fed grain alone. An acre of rape fed 

 in connection with grain showed a feed- 

 ing value equivalent to about 40 bushels 

 of grain, estimating grain at about 60 

 pounds to the bushel. 



In another test at the same station, 

 an acre of rape proved equal in feeding 

 value to 3,318 pounds of corn and shorts 

 mixed, and in still another test, it proved 

 equivalent to 2,767 pounds of grain. 



On rape alone, without any grain 

 whatever, hogs did not make satisfactory 

 gains in one experiment reported along 

 this line; 36 pigs averaging 6.5 months 

 old lost a total of 60 pounds when fed 

 for two weeks on rape alone. 



As a pasture crop, rape at the Wiscon- 

 sin station proved a little better than 

 good clover pasture for hogs. It re- 

 quired on an average of two trials, 33.5 

 pounds less grain to make 100 pounds 

 of gain on rape than on clover. On 

 tb is basis, the rape pasture was about 

 7 per cent more valuable than clover. 

 That station recommends Dwarf Essex 

 rape, planted in drills 30 inches apart, 

 pasturing to begin when the plants are 

 from 4 to 12 inches high. The crop 

 does not cause scouring or bloating when 

 properly fed. 



At the Ontario agricultural college, 

 rape was fed to hogs in pens to deter- 

 mine its value in hog rations. In one 

 instance it was fed with corn and in 

 another with peas, barley and shorts. In 



