12 BULLETIN 68, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



necessary, however, as. for example, on sandy soils and pastures 

 with a close grass sod. 



Clover. — Of the legumes, red clover for well-drained soils and 

 alsike for wet lands are generally the most satisfactory. The clovers 

 make their maximum growth during the months of April, May, and 

 June. When the summer drought comes on, the quantity of forage 

 produced gradually decreases. If a clover pasture is utilized to its 

 fullest capacity during the spring and early summer, it is necessary 

 to provide additional green feed for the dry season. This may be 

 done by grazing the clover meadow during the summer after removing 

 a crop of hay. 



Alfalfa. — Alfalfa is not used so generally as clover for hog pasture 

 west of the Cascade Mountains. It has been tried in many localities 

 with varying degrees of success. It has given best satisfaction on 

 the sandy or loamy soils along the watercourses where the water table 

 is at least 4 feet below the surface. Alfalfa is highly successful in the 

 Umpqua and Rogue River Valleys on irrigated and subirrigated 

 land. Under conditions favorable to its growth, it produces an 

 abundance of feed from early spring until late in the fall. 



Bape in cultivated rows. — If grown in rows and kept well cultivated, 

 rape furnishes excellent green forage during the dry season when 

 clover pasture is cut short by the summer drought. In growing rape 

 in rows the land is prepared early and kept in good condition until 

 planting time. The best results are secured by making three plantings 

 on approximately April 1, 15, and 30. These three areas are then 

 pastured alternately, the hogs being changed from one to the other. 

 By thorough cultivation rape can be kept growing all summer. It is 

 usually large enough to pasture with light hogs in 6 to 8 weeks after 

 planting. Before brood sows and other grown hogs are turned on 

 the rape, it should be large enough so that they will feed upon the 

 leaves instead of biting off the stem or pulling up the plants. When 

 the fall rains come, rape makes a vigorous growth and can be used 

 until the ground is so wet that the soil is injured by the tramping of 

 the hogs. 



Rape and oats. — Summer pasture is also provided by sowing 1 

 bushel of oats and 4 pounds of rape seed per acre during the latter 

 part of April or early in May. If sown too early in the spring the 

 rains pack the soil so hard that the rape does poorly. Oats and rape 

 pasture is used from the time the growth is 5 or 6 inches high until 

 winter begins. When hogs are pastured on rape and oats they do 

 not work on the latter very much (unless the pasture is grazed closely) 

 until the oats are nearly ripe. In stripping the ripe grain from the 

 straw considerable is dropped on the ground and covered by the 

 tramping of the hogs. The grain that is covered in this way germi- 

 nates when the fall rains begin. Both the oats and rape then grow 

 vigorously and make excellent fall and winter pasture. 



