﻿24 BULLETIN 1143, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



In order to make a direct comparison and so determine the value of 

 these pastures, it is planned to carry a lot of hogs in a feed pen without 

 pasture but receiving a full ration of corn during the pasture season. 



Regarding the five points about which the work was outlined, it is 

 believed that rather marked indications have been obtained regarding 

 the seasons during which each crop may give the best returns from 

 grazing, the comparative number of hogs which an acre of each crop 

 will carry, and the possibility of furnishing continuous grazing. To 

 date, no definite information has been obtained on the value of 

 manure resulting from pasturing or of the economic merits of pasturing 

 over harvesting the crops used. It is yet impossible to state the 

 influence that manure may have had on the rye and pea crops, 

 because the rye was grazed off or clipped before maturity and the 

 damage to the pea crop by hail offset any increase in growth that may 

 have been induced by manure. The effect of manure has not been 

 apparent at any time on the barley and corn crops. 



With the exception of 1921, as indicated in Table 1, the beginning 

 of the pasture season for rye does not vary widely from the average 

 date of May 16. The length of the grazing period will depend upon 

 the number of hogs used and the season, out the total gains made 

 have been comparatively uniform, no matter how many pigs were used 

 or how long they were on the pasture. The high pork returns have 

 not necessarily correlated with high grain returns from the check plat. 



The crop of peas suffered from hail three years out of five, which 

 factor influenced the returns received. Peas proved to be a very 

 palatable forage, but light yields even when the crop had not been 

 reduced by hail would seem to warrant at least 2 acres of peas to 1 

 of rye. 



Barley was severely checked by drought practically every year, and 

 comparatively low yields resulted. Small, yields of grain and the 

 apparent unpalatability of the barley resulted in generally poor gains. 



Alfalfa and brome-grass proved to be generally palatable forage, 

 and the dates of opening the pasture season on these crops were fairly 

 well established. The deviation was not far from May 11. The 

 length of the pasture period depended more upon the season and the 

 stand of the forage than upon the number of nogs used. It so hap- 

 pened that gains made were generally greater with the larger number 

 of pigs used and with the longer pasture periods. 



The perennial pastures made somewhat more profitable returns than 

 any one of the annual pastures, and in most cases the perennial pas- 

 ture gave more profitable returns per acre than the continuous annual 

 pastures. 



Considerable experimental work is yet needed to establish a system 

 of continuous grazing and, if possible, continue the season of green- 

 forage pasture beyond the period when field peas are available, thus 

 supplementing the barley pasture with green forage or eliminating 

 barley entirely. It would seem desirable to have green forage until 

 the time corn "is ready for harvesting. This would permit the use of 

 two crops of pigs a year and so increase the efficiency of hog produc- 

 tion as a factor toward the diversification of present dry-farming 

 practices. Experiments for the study of several crops in regard to 

 their ability to furnish green forage during the latter part of the sum- 

 mer have been outlined, and some of the work is already under way. 



WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1923 



