DISPOSAL OF IRRIGATED CROPS THROUGH THE USE OP HOGS. 



21 



gain on hogs the first week after the hogs are taken off alfalfa pasture 

 than the same amount of corn will when fed to hogs that have been 

 on corn alone for several weeks. As will be seen from Table VIII, 

 these two variable factors were in direct opposition to each other; 

 that is, the larger the hogs the shorter the feeding period. As the 

 corn crop in 1915 was seriously affected by hail, the results of that 

 year are not included in the average shown in Table VIII, but they 

 are shown in the last column of the table as a matter of record. 



Table VIII. — Results of hogging corn without supplementary feed at the Scotts- 

 Muff Experiment Farm in 1912, 1913, 191k, and 1915. 



Items of comparison. 



1913 



3-year 

 average. 



101.5 



Number of hogs per acre 



Number of days 



Average initial weight pounds. 



Average final weight do. . . 



Total gain per acre do. . . 



Estimated yield of corn bushels. 



Gain per 100 pounds of corn pounds. 



Financial statement: 



Value of gains per acre 



Returns for 100 pounds of corn 



Cost per 100 pounds of gain (corn at 91.07 per 

 hundredweight) 



28 



16 



117 



139 



628 



56.1 



20.0 



24 

 28 

 91 

 133 



1,012 

 82.6 

 21.8 



24 



49 



63 



107 



1,048 



81.9 



22.6 



23 

 31 



90 

 126 



896 

 76.87 

 21.5 



12 



19 



75 



92 



212 



26.2 



14.5 



$42. 06 

 1.38 



$70. 84 

 1.53 



$73. 36 

 1.60 



$65. 72 

 1.50 



4.95 



$14. 84 

 1.00 



7.43 



A short hogging period is objectionable from an experimental 

 standpoint because there are more chances of error. For example, if 

 the hogs are gaunt at either the initial or final weighing, 20 hogs on 

 a corn plat for 1 week will give a larger error than 2 hogs on the same 

 plat for 10 weeks. The mean weight of three consecutive days' weigh- 

 ing will not entirely eliminate this error, especially if the hogs are 

 left on the corn plat too long and are gaunt at the final weighing. 

 Just how much each of these factors influenced the results shown in 

 Table VIII is uncertain. There is little doubt that the low returns 

 per bushel of corn in 1912 were due to the fact that the large sow 

 was in the lot. The low total gains and net returns per acre in 1912, 

 however, were due largely to the low yield of corn, it having been 

 estimated at 56.1 bushels per acre, as compared with 82.6 and 81.9 

 bushels, respectively, for the two succeeding years. In computing 

 the cost of 100 pounds of gain, a charge of $1.07 per hundredweight 

 was made for the corn. The results show that this method of utiliz- 

 ing corn has much to recommend it. 



CORN WITH SUPPLEMENTARY FEED. 



To secure information regarding the value of tankage and of 

 alfalfa pasture as supplements to corn when hogged off, an experi- 

 ment was conducted in duplicate in 1914 and 1915. Six lots of hogs 

 were used each year, as follows: Lots 1 and 2, hogged corn alone: 

 lots 3 and 4, hogged corn and had access to an alfalfa field ; and lots 



