406 ALFALFA FARMING IN AMERICA. 
hogs on old blue grass pastures in winter or early 
spring. Alfalfa is in no sense like blue grass, Keep 
the hogs carefully shut out of it until it is at least a 
foot high in spring. 
Do not leave the hogs in pasture late in the fall, 
either, especially if you live east of the Missouri 
River. To pasture alfalfa late in the fall in all the 
eastern country will very greatly damage it if not 
destroy it. And never, on any account, let the hogs 
step foot on it in winter time. 
Alfalfa not a Balanced Food—Again, much dis- 
appointment comes from use of alfalfa in the wrong 
way. Hogs will not make much gain on alfalfa 
pasture alone. They will gaim about one-half a 
pound a day or less with only alfalfa and water. 
With a little corn every day in addition to the al- 
falfa hay they will gain two pounds or even two and 
one-half pounds daily. Nearly all the corn ‘‘sticks 
to the ribs’’ when hogs are fed on alfalfa pasture. 
It is unreasonable to expect hogs to fatten on al- 
falfa pasture alone, or even to expect them to make 
all their growth on alfalfa pasture. Alfalfa is ex- 
ceedingly rich in protein, but is deficient in fat and 
carbohydrates. Why can not the hogs make up on 
grass what the alfalfa lacks? Well, because a hog 
has too small a stomach, is not a ruminant, does not 
chew its cud. It wants a part of its ration in some 
condensed form. The alfalfa gives health and vigor 
and makes growth, but it needs the aid of corn. 
There is no other grain so good for feeding with 
