﻿DRY-LAND PASTURE CROPS FOR HOGS. 11 



CORN. 



The quality of "corn pastured was rather poor, and the yield was 

 small. Six spring pigs weighing 442 pounds were placed on the 

 plat of corn on September 6. Twelve days were required to complete 

 the harvesting of the crop. The total gain made was only 54 pounds, 

 or 0.75 of a pound per pig per day. During this experiment the 

 hogs were supplied with alfalfa hay, but consumed only 8 pounds 

 during the 12 days. 



The check plat of corn yielded 8 bushels per acre. Using this yield 

 as a basis for estimating the grain produced on the pastured plat, 

 it required 8.3 pounds of corn to make a pound of gain. 



ALFALFA. 



A scarcity of fall pigs did not permit pasturing the entire acre 

 plats of alfalfa to the best advantage, so the plats were divided and 

 only half an acre was used in each case. For comparison the returns 

 are reduced to an acre basis. 



The broadcast plat was stocked at the rate of eight pigs to the 

 acre and the row plat at the r.ate of six pigs per acre. This difference 

 seemed advisable, as the longer grazing period given the row plat 

 in 1917 resulted in the killing out or damaging of the forage to a 

 greater degree than was experienced on the broadcast plat. This 

 damage seemed to be confined entirely to the continuously grazed 

 areas of the year before. 



The alfalfa was about 7 inches high when the grazing began, and 

 it seemed to be making a good growth. 



The initial weight oi the six hogs on the row plat was at the rate 

 of 532 pounds per acre, and the eight hogs on the broadcast plat had 

 an acre weight of 702 pounds. The animals remained on both plats 

 until the forage became unpalatable, owing to the coarseness of the 

 growth and the drought which hindered new growth. Both lots 

 were removed on July 9, after a pasture period of 63 days. The 

 lot on the row plat made an increase of 296 pounds per acre, or 0.78 

 of a pound per day per pig, while the lot on the broadcast plat gained 

 an acre total of 348 pounds, or an average daily gain of 0.69 of a 

 pound per pig. The ratio of corn fed to gain was 3.01 pounds of 

 corn to 1 pound of gain on the row plat, and 3.3 pounds of corn to 

 1 pound of gain on the broadcast plat. The row plat made a greater 

 daily gain per pig and did this on a lower corn ratio than the broad- 

 cast plat, but the latter made the greater gain per acre. 



Contrary to expectations, however, the forage on the row plat 

 seemed to suffer more from drought than did that on the broadcast 

 plat. The ground between the rows of alfalfa was packed hard by 

 tramping, and in many places the soil was deeply cracked. This 

 condition was absent on the broadcast plat. 



The unpastured halves of each plat were cut for hay and yielded 

 1,224 pounds per acre for the row plat and 1,800 pounds per acre 

 for the broadcast plat. The acre check plat seeded broadcast made 

 1,254 pounds per acre. 



BROME-GRASS. 



Owing to the small number of hogs available for the work, the 

 brome-grass pastures were reduced to half an acre each, as had been 

 done with the alfalfa plats. Each half acre of brome-grass was sup- 

 plied with four fall pigs on April 30. This was a week earlier than 



