244 ELEMENTARY TREATISE ON STOCK FEEDS AND FEEDING 



grain is left about and this and whatever is undigested is eaten 

 by the hogs. By keeping the steers and hogs separated, the corn 

 is not trampled so badly, and the animals are more contented. The 

 more shotes put on the pasture the more grain must be fed. As 

 soon as a hog becomes fat another should replace it. This 

 method of feeding hogs is considered the cheapest in the corn 

 sections. All the gain from hogs so fattened is usually profit 

 because what the steers waste and void would ordinarily be lost. 

 Again the land is made richer by fattening cattle and hogs in this 

 way. Should more hogs be used than there is feed for, it is 

 necessary that some feed be supplied the hogs. 



Pasturing. — Pigs do well when pastured on clover, alfalfa, 

 cowpeas, rape, field peas, barley, rye, wheat, etc. When pigs root 

 they should be rung to prevent them from injuring the plants. 

 Experiments have shown that alfalfa is the best pasture crop 

 for pigs. Feeding corn on pasture is profitable when corn is 

 cheap and the crop is nitrogenous. On barley, rye, etc., a supple- 

 ment of tankage, dried blood, oil meal, or skim milk is desira- 

 ble. In the absence of corn, other grains as wheat, barley, 

 rye, etc., may be substituted. The Wisconsin Experiment Sta- 

 tion found rape superior to clover as a pasture crop for swine. 



Wet Meal Better Than Dry Meal. — The experiments generally 

 show that larger gains were made by feeding wet instead of dry 

 meal and that larger quantities were consumed of wet meal. 



Exercise. — Of course the young pigs require more exercise 

 than those that are mature. Exercise tends to keep away disease. 

 Pigs on pasture or in lots do better than those in pens. Ex- 

 ercise seems beneficial and experiments have been conducted to 

 prove this point. 



Water. — Fresh water should be supplied to pigs in convenient 

 and clean troughs or fountains. In winter the warming of it is 

 beneficial. 



Cleanliness. — In order to keep swine in good health the feeding 

 troughs should be kept clean. If dairy by-products, slop, or 

 refuse such as swill are fed, it is not long before the feeding pen 

 becomes filthy unless proper care is given to it. In pens the 

 pigs should be allowed fresh clean bedding and the pens should 



