8 
BULLETIN 152, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
carried on alfalfa pasture alone. Before resorting to this, however, 
the farmer should make every possible effort to obtain enough grain 
for a light supplementary ration, or, failing in this, he can often 
use such a feed as potatoes, as is pointed out later. 
PASTURING ALFALFA SUPPLEMENTED WITH CORN. 
In practically all the experiments with hogs on alfalfa pasture 
which are considered in this bulletin, the hogs have received some 
supplementary feed. The feeds most commonly used by irrigation 
farmers for this purpose are corn, barley, and, in the Southwest, 
grain sorghums ; but wheat, shorts, and some other supplements have 
been fed in some instances. Where plenty of corn is available, it is 
P4548WI 
Pig. 2. — A lot of fall shotes on alfalfa pasture on the Scottsbluff Experiment Farm in 
June, 1913. The pasture was divided into two parts, which were grazed alternately. 
These five shotes grazed one-quarter acre of alfalfa to its carrying capacity for 61 days 
and gained at the rate of 1,500 pounds per acre during this period. The supple- 
mentary grain requirement was 275 pounds per 100 pounds of gain. 
used extensively, and the quantities fed vary widely. In most of the 
experiments here reported the daily ration has been about 2 pounds 
of corn per 100 jDOunds of live weight of pigs, or, in other words, a 
" 2 per cent " ration. Data on this subject have been secured at three 
of the Western Irrigation Agriculture experiment farms and in co- 
operation with farmers on three reclamation projects. These data 
are presented below. 
Experiments at the Scottsbluff Experiment Farm. — Data obtained 
at Scottsbluff from 1913 to 1916, inclusive, with 17 lots of pigs have 
been tabulated. In these experiments fall pigs were used during the 
spring periods, which usually extended through May and June, and 
