FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



both oases it constituted about one-third 

 of the ration. The tests show that 7 

 pounds of rape had a feeding value of 1 

 pound of grain. The average daily gain 

 when rape constituted a part of the ra- 

 tion was 1.4 pounds. On grain alone it 

 was 1.3 pounds. 



The Oregon station reports an experi- 

 ment in which 10 pigs, between four 

 and five months old, were pastured on 

 rape, without any other feed from 

 August 2 to October 1, and gained 164 

 pounds in weight. During all this time 

 they kept in a thriving, healthy condi- 

 tion. 



At the South Dakota station, rape had 

 a value of $7.04 per acre for swine fed 

 barley in addition. 



Professor Duggar of the Alabama sta- 

 tion, reports a gain of 452 pounds per 

 acre for hogs consuming at the same 

 time 2.7 pounds of grain per pound of 

 gain. In two tests it proved more valu- 

 able per acre than chufas, cowpeas or 

 peanuts by 25 to 50 per cent. 



These experiments show rape to have 

 a very high feeding value as a pasture 

 for swine, scarcely being equaled by any 

 other plant for this purpose, except al- 

 falfa. (See Alfalfa.) 



Sorghum and kafir corn — Both these 

 crops are exceedingly valuable pasture 

 crops for hogs and have been used ex- 

 tensively for this purpose throughout 

 the West and South. Kafir corn is es- 

 pecially valuable for the drier south- 

 western states. Sorghum is available 

 throughout most of the southern states 

 from July to November. When fed 

 with grain at the Alabama station 

 hogs gained 174 pounds per acre, con- 

 suming 3.7 pounds of grain per pound 

 of gain. This was, however, only 12 

 per cent less grain than was required 

 by hogs fed entirely on grain. The sor- 

 ghum was fed when partly headed out. 

 When the sorghum was cut and carried 

 to hogs, using it as a soiling crop, there 

 was much less waste of food, and an 

 acre went much farther. Sorghum 

 should be grazed any time between early 

 bloom and late maturity, for best results. 

 Grazing may, however, be begun as soon 

 as the plants have reached 10 to 12 

 inches in height and continued until 

 late fall. Kafir corn, on the other hand, 

 is of greater value after it is headed 

 out. 



Stubble field—After the harvesting of 

 wheat, oats, barley, peas, rye, etc, is 



over, hogs should be turned in the stub- 

 ble field to pick up the scattered gram. 



At the Oregon station, young pigs 

 were turned on barley, wheat and pea 

 stubble fields without other grain, ex- 

 cept a limited amount on stormy days. 

 In one month they made an average gain 

 of 22.8 pounds, 17.5 pounds of which 

 was credited to the grain picked up in 

 stubble, and which would have otherwise 

 gone to waste. 



The percentage increase secured at the 

 Montana station when 24 pigs, 230 

 lambs and 11 steers had the run of a 212- 

 acre field of oats, wheat, peas and barley 

 stubble, was 32.1 per cent for hogs, 19.2 

 for lambs, and 5.2 per cent for steers. 

 These results show considerable value 

 for stubble field from the standpoint of 

 hog feeding. 



It will be noted in the experiments 

 above, that hogs made better gains than 

 either sheep or steers on this kind of 

 pasturage. 



Soy bean pasturage— Soy beans were 

 pastured at the Arkansas station when 

 the pods were filled and some were 

 changing color. On this pasture, hogs 

 weighing 124 pounds each, at the begin- 

 ning of the experiment, gained but 22.75 

 pounds in 32 days; while on Spanish 

 peanuts, during the same test, the gains 

 were 73.5, and on chufas, 39.3 pounds. 

 The soy beans were clearly not equal 

 to either peanuts or chufas in this ex- 

 periment for pork production. The yield 

 of soy beans was about 27.2 bushels per 

 acre. The melting point of the fat of 

 hogs pastured on soy beans was 103.3°F., 

 while on corn it was 114° F. This is 

 not a very satisfactory pasture crop for 

 hogs, because the leaves soon drop after 

 maturing, leaving only woody stems. 



Vetches — This crop has been found an 

 excellent green food for hogs at the 

 Oregon station. Hogs seem very fond of 

 vetches and frequently leave their grain 

 to eat them. Less waste occurs when 

 the vetches are cut and fed to the hog. 

 The hogs were also successfully hurdled 

 on small portions of the vetch field at 

 a time. Vetches are strongly recom- 

 mended at that station, where clover 

 is unavailable for pasturage. This crop 

 succeeds throughout the eastern states 

 from June on and in the southern states 

 from March to May. It is usually ad- 

 visable to plant some grain, like oats, 

 with the crop, to hold up the vetches. 



