Feeding and Management of Swine. 611 



conjunction with alfalfa may prove instrumental in turning many 

 sections into profitable centers of pork production. This becomes 

 all the more a certainty because consumers are learning to appre- 

 ciate the higher grades of pork. 



925. Peas. — Where this plant flourishes, farmers will find peas 

 an excellent feed for swine. Because of the large amount of pro- 

 tein they contain peas can be used with advantage in feeding 

 young pigs, shotes, and in the production of lean pork. Farmers 

 living north of the corn belt may find pork production stUl prof- 

 itable through the proper use of peas. For feeding swine, peas 

 should be ground, and, because of the high protein content and 

 the heavy character of the meal they make, they should always 

 be fed in conjunction with corn, barley, or other cereals. (860) 



926. Dairy by-products. — No materials are more generally use- 

 ful in all stages of swine feeding than skim milk and buttermilk. 

 They should be supplied only in limited quantity to brood sows 

 before farrowing; after farrowing the limit need scarcely be set. 

 As trials show, (869) the best returns are secured when not over 

 three pounds of milk are fed with each pound of meal in the 

 ration. Feeding trials have also shown (108) that skim milk 

 favors the development of muscle and builds the strongest bones. 

 Cooke's trials (871) indicate that sour milk has a high feeding 

 value with pigs. Buttermilk, when not diluted with washings 

 from the creamery, is as valuable as skim milk for pigs. As a 

 complementary feed corn meal stands first, since it is rich in car- 

 bohydrates, while the milk furnishes protein and ash, the bone 

 and muscle building elements. Breeders of pure-bred swine will 

 find dairy by-products of the highest utility in producing pigs of 

 model form and strong bone. (See Chapter VI. ) 



927. Clover hay. — An omnivorous feeder by nature, the pig 

 suffers seriously when forced to subsist upon the cereals alone. 

 Such feeds lack the bulk or volume essential to healthy, vigorous 

 digestive action. An excellent corrective for concentrated feeds 

 in winter is found in well-made clover hay. For pig feeding, 

 clover hay should be run through the feed- cutter and the chaff 

 well soaked by pouring scalding water over it. To the material 

 so softened add meal, and feed the mixture once a day to aU pigs 



