Management and Feed of Swine. 559 



tissues and organs of the body. It is of vast import that the pork 

 producer in every section of America can successfully and econom- 

 ically grow at least one of the leguminous forage and grain crops, 

 and therefore is not forced to purchase expensive nitrogenous feeds. 

 No one can study the requirements and possibilities of pork pro- 

 duction in this country without realizing that the leguminous plants 

 are destined to occupy a vastly more important position than they 

 hold at present. (866-'870) 



916. The legume roughages. — With the prices of feeding stuffs 

 ruling high, the swine feeder must make the largest possible use 

 of alfalfa, clover, vetch, cowpea, soybean, and other legume pasture 

 in summer, and in winter feed freely of specially cured hay from 

 the legumes in order to have healthy animals and to keep down the 

 cost of production. The finer parts of clover and alfalfa hay, 

 especially the first cutting of clover and the last cutting of alfalfa, 

 are often as valuable for feeding pigs as is the same weight of wheat 

 middlings. The southern planter has a specially choice list of 

 equally valuable legumes in the cowpea, soybean, velvet bean, pea- 

 nut, etc. Legume hay may be fed to pigs from slatted racks or from 

 open boxes with openings low on the sides from which the animals 

 can eat at will. In special cases it is best to soak the fine portions 

 of legume hay with the swill before feeding. The legume hays not 

 only furnish nitrogenous matter so essential to building all the red 

 meat tissues and organs of the body, but they also carry much lime, 

 which is needed in bone building. They are therefore doubly useful 

 in supplementing Indian corn and other cereals which are rather 

 poor in nitrogenous matter and lime. (895-904) 



917. Rape. — The rape plant is valuable for pigs of all ages and 

 conditions. The seed is inexpensive, the crop is easily grown under 

 a great variety of conditions, and the pigs do the harvesting. Rape 

 sown at any time from early spring until the middle of July will 

 furnish feed 8 to 10 weeks later or when the plants are 12 inches 

 high. A field of rape will support a drove of swine grazing thereon, 

 so that all the concentrates given will go to the production of gain. 

 The resourceful stockman who has pigs to feed will make large use 

 of the rape plant, in combination with the legumes, in order to re- 

 duce feed bills and increase profits. Wliite-haired pigs running in 

 rape when the dew is on sometimes suffer from a skin eruption. The 

 trouble is avoided by keeping them out of the field until the dew 

 rises. (895, 899) 



