142 SOUTHERN PORK PRODUCTION 



grazing at the same time. One hundred pounds of the 

 feed -.onsumed by hogs on velvet bean pasture will run 

 from 3 to 15, 7 to 45 and .4 to 5 pounds respectively of 

 digestible protein, carbohydrates and fats. The nutri- 

 tive ratio ranges between 1 : 3 and 1 : 3.5, which suggests 

 the use of velvet bean pasture with such feeds as chufas, 

 sweet potatoes, saccharine and non-saccharine sorghums. 



Red clover pasture. — This is a rather important 

 legume in all those sections where blue grass grows 

 well, requiring for growth the same soil and lime condi- 

 tions as this grass. It does not do so well on poor sandy 

 or white pine soils. The seeds are generally sown in the 

 fall farther south, and in the spring in the north, at the 

 rate of 15 or 20 pounds per acre, yielding pasture from 

 early in the spring until July. In those sections where 

 it thrives it acts not only as a pasture crop, but as a cover 

 and nitrogen-gathering crop as well. It is especially 

 valuable as a feed for brood sows and pigs, for it tends to 

 make good bone and develop a strong constitution. It 

 is almost a balanced ration in itself, having a nutritive 

 ratio of 1:6, and the remainder of the ration fed with it 

 should, therefore, be pretty well balanced. Corn and 

 wheat by-products with clover make an ideal ration. 



Cottonseed meal. — This valuable by-product of the 

 cottonseed industry is becoming of more and more value 

 each year as a feed for swine. In the past its consump- 

 tion has been limited by the dangers accompanying its 

 feeding, but as we better understand it we can safely feed 

 continually larger quantities. It is not adapted for con- 

 tinuous long feeding, and heavy feeding should never 

 exceed 60 days. It can, therefore, be used to advantage 



