l82 PROFITABLE STOCK RAISING 



with relish by hogs all winter except when the 

 ground is covered with snow. But, frequently, 

 there is no winter supply of this pasture. In this 

 case rape should be planted in the corn field at the 

 time of the last cultivation, and by the time the 

 corn has been gathered from the field there will be 

 a fine heavy growth of green, juicy, nutritious feed 

 which will be pastured by hogs and sheep until 

 well into December. In some other field rye should 

 be sown late in August or early in September. This 

 will grow up sufficiently to cover the ground before 

 cold weather stops its growth, and it will remain 

 green and in good condition for pasturing all win- 

 ter, so that when the rape is used up or destroyed 

 by frost, the rye can be used until green feed 

 makes its appearance next spring. 



In the absence of conditions which favor winter 

 grazing, many farmers are using finely chopped 

 alfalfa or clover hay with excellent results. Al- 

 falfa meal, which can be purchased at almost any 

 feed store now, is particularly adapted to winter 

 feeding of hogs and it can be readily mixed with 

 chopped grain, or other feed. It furnishes a ration 

 of high protein content, and serves to add bulk to 

 the feed. This last is of greater importance than 

 many farmers have thought in adding to the health 

 and thrift of their hogs. An excessive concentrated 

 grain ration has been found less efficient than a 

 smaller quantity of grain fed in connection with 

 some bulkier feed, such as chopped hay or roots. 



On farms where the amount of land which can 

 be devoted to hog pasture is not large, greater 

 efficiency of the pasture can be secured by using 

 the lot system of grazing. This consists simply 

 in having the grazing land divided into two 

 or more portions, so that one may be grazed while 



