DRY-LAND PASTURE GROPS FOR HOGS. 9 
than the row plat and was harvested at the same time as the alfalfa 
plats. This brome-grass plat yielded 1,880 pounds of good quality 
hay. The row plat of brome-grass, though much of the forage grew 
tall and was not eaten, seemed to furnish a greater quantity of 
acceptable grazing around the crowns of the plants, and the hogs 
confined themselves to this plat almost exclusively after the first 
two weeks of the season. 
The gain of the fall pigs on alfalfa amounted to 232 pounds, or 
0.83 of a pound per pig per day. The brome-grass pigs gained 190 
pounds for the same period, or 0.68 of a pound per pig per day. The 
alfalfa pigs made their increase at the rate of 2.78 pounds of corn per 
pound of gain, while the brome-grass pigs required 3.2 pounds of 
corn for each pound of gain. . 
The comparison seemed to favor the alfalfa pasture, though 
actually most of the brome-grass grazing was done on the | acre of 
brome-grass in rows. 
The check plat of alfalfa seeded broadcast was cut on June 29 and 
yielded 1,850 pounds of hay per acre, while the broadcast plat of 
brome-grass returned 2,560 pounds of hay per acre. No check plats 
of these crops in rows were available. 
After removing the fall pigs from the pastures on July 11 the plats 
were restocked with spring pigs. Ten pigs were placed on each of the 
crops. The total hog weight for the 2 acres of alfalfa was 356 pounds 
and for the 2 acres of brome-grass 357 pounds. 
As but little growth was made on the broadcast alfalfa plat after 
it was mowed, the spring pigs confined themselves to the row plat 
entirely. The dry season enabled the animals to keep the new 
growth grazed off fairly close over the whole acre, but the tendency 
to continually pasture certain areas was the same as that experienced 
with the rye pasture. On August 8 one pig was removed from the 
experiment because of sickness, and from that time until the experi- 
ment closed on September 28 nine pigs were used. During the 79-day 
period a total of 249 pounds of gain was made. Thisaveraged about 
0.34 of a pound per day for each animal. The corn consumed was 
767 pounds, or 3.09 pounds of corn for each pound of gain. For 
the greatest and most economical gains the pasture season should 
have closed about three weeks earlier. : 
As was the case with the alfalfa, the row plat of brome-grass was 
pastured by the spring pigs in preference to the broadcast plat. 
The row plat of brome-grass was mowed on July 24 and yielded 
944 pounds of coarse hay. The subsequent new growth was pastured 
close by the 10 pigs for a period of 25 days, when they were removed. 
A gain of 32 pounds was made, or an average daily gain of 0.13 of a 
pound per pig. Shelled corn weighing 231 pounds was fed during 
this time, or a ratio of 7.22 pounds of corn for each pound of gain. 
A greater income from the pasture would have been secured if the 
oe had been removed a week earlier. 
he season’s observations. on alfalfa and brome-grass as hog pas- 
tures indicated that both crops were very palatable. It seems reason- 
able to suppose that placing a larger number of pigs on these crops. 
early in the season would bring more profitable returns than the sum- 
mer pasturing and also leave the pastures themselves in better shape. 
The row plats of each crop furnished a more continuous growth of 
palatable forage than the broadcast plats. 
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