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#24 BULLETIN 1143, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
In order to make a direct comparison and so determine the value of 
these pastures, it is planned to carry a lot of hogs in a feed pen without 
pasture but receiving a full ration of corn during the pasture season. ~ 
Regarding the five points about which the work was outlined, it is 
believed that rather marked indications have been obtained regarding 
the seasons during which each crop may give the best returns from 
grazing, the comparative number of hogs which an acre of each crop 
will carry, and the possibility of furnishing continuous grazing. To 
date, no definite information has been obtained on the value of 
manure resulting from pasturing or of the economic merits of pasturing 
over harvesting the crops used. It is yet impossible to state the 
influence that manure may have had on the rye and pea crops, 
because the rye was grazed off or clipped before maturity and the 
damage to the pea crop by hail offset any increase in growth that may 
-have been induced by manure. The effect of manure has not been 
apparent at any time on the barley and corn crops. 
With the exception of 1921, as indicated in Table 1, the beginning - 
of the pasture season for rye does not vary widely from the average 
date of May 16. The length of the grazing period will depend upon 
the number of hogs used and the season, but the total gains made 
have been comparatively uniform, no matter how many pigs were used 
or how long they were on the pasture. The high pork returns have 
not necessarily correlated with high grain returns from the check plat. 
The crop of peas suffered from hail three years out of five, which 
factor influenced the returns received. Peas proved to be a very 
palatable forage, but light yields even when the crop had not been 
es by hail would seem to warrant at least 2 acres of peas to 1 
of rye.~ : 
Barley was severely checked by drought practically every year, and 
comparatively low yields resulted. Small yields of grain and the 
apparent unpalatability of the barley resulted in generally poor gains. 
Alfalfa and brome-grass proved to be generally palatable forage, 
and the dates of opening the pasture season on these crops were fairly 
well established. The deviation was not far from May il. The 
length of the pasture period depended more upon the season and the 
stand of the forage than upon the number of hogs used. It so hap- 
pened that gains made were generally greater with the larger number 
of pigs used and with the longer pasture periods. 
The perennial pastures made somewhat more profitable returns than 
any one of the annual pastures, and in most cases the perennial pas- 
ture gave more profitable returns per acre than the continuous annual 
pastures. ; 
Considerable experimental work is yet needed to establish a system 
of continuous grazing and, if possibie, continue the season of green- 
forage pasture beyond the period when field peas are available, thus 
supplementing the barley pasture with green forage or ee 
barley entirely. It would seem desirable to have green forage unti 
the time corn is ready for harvesting. This would permit the use of 
two crops of pigs a year and so increase the efficiency of hog produc- 
tion as a factor toward the diversification of ent dry-iarming 
practices. Experiments for the study of several crops in regard to 
their ability to furnish green forage during the latter part of thesum- 
mer have been outlined, and some of the work is already under way. 
WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1923 
