﻿DRY-LAND PASTURE CROPS FOR HOGS. 15 



plat yielded 5.7 bushels of thrashpd grain. Taking this yield us 

 representative of that on the pastured plat, it required 2.01 pounds 

 of barley to produce a pound of gain. 



The yield of both barley plats was somewhat reduced by the hail- 

 storm of July 4. It appeared that the pastured plat was not as 

 severely damaged as the harvested one. 



The three crops added 552 pounds of gain to the initial weight of 

 the 15 pigs in a period of 74 clays. Corn fed during the periods on 

 rye and peas totaled 2,312 pounds. 



CORN. 



A comparatively large yield of corn was available for hogging-down 

 in 1920. The grain was nearly mature when six spring pigs were 

 given access to the plat on September 18. The pigs weighed 387 

 pounds on this date and were in good condition to make rapid gains. 

 A pasture period of 41 days was required to harvest the corn. During 

 this time the pigs put on a total of 248 pounds, an individual gain 

 of 1.01 pounds daily. As a supplement to the corn fed, the hogs 

 consumed 79 pounds of alfalfa hay fed in racks. 



The check plat of corn yielded 14.4 bushels of grain to the acre. 

 Assuming this yield to be representative of that on the pastured 



Elat, each pound of gain required 3.25 pounds of corn. When the 

 ogs were removed from the plat on October 29 they were not in a 

 finished condition. 



ALFALFA. 



Stands on both the row and broadcast seeded alfalfa plats had been 

 considerably reduced by the drought and pasturing of 1919. The late 

 spring did not permit turning the hogs into the alfalfa fields until May 

 28. At this time the alfalfa on each plat was about 10 inches high. 

 Though somewhat higher than usual for pasturing, the alfalfa having 

 had plenty of moisture was very succulent and readily eaten by the pigs. 



The stand on the row plat appeared to be less than on the broad- 

 cast plat. The row alfalfa was therefore allotted four animals while 

 the broadcast plat received six. 



As the season advanced the areas where the alfalfa had died out 

 became very weedy, and the plats had to be mowed to keep the weeds 

 from maturing. The pigs were removed on July 9, as it was evident 

 that further grazing would be injurious to the pasture and produce 

 expensive gains in weight. 



A total gain of 105 pounds was made by the four pigs on the row 

 alfalfa plat during the 42-day period. This averaged a daily gain of 

 0.63 of a pound for each animal. The lot of six pigs on the broadcast 

 plat made a gain of 142 pounds, or 0.56 of a pound a day each. Corn 

 totaling 302 pounds was fed to the pigs on the row plat, and 450 

 pounds of corn were consumed by the animals on the broadcast plat. 

 Gains were produced on the row plat at the rate of 2.88 pounds of 

 corn per pound of gain, while on the broadcast plat 3.17 pounds of 

 corn were required to produce a pound of gain. 



An acre of row alfalfa seeded in 1918 and cut for hay this season 

 yielded 2,260 pounds. The acre check plat of broadcast alfalfa cut for 

 hay yielded 1,146 pounds. 



BROME-GRASS. 



The brome-grass pastures suffered more severely during 1919 than 

 did the alfalfa. An estimate of the stand of each plat made previous 

 to starting the grazing season indicated a stand survival of but 60 per 



