DRY-LAND PASTURE CROPS FOR HOGS. 5 
RESULTS IN 1916. 
RYE. 
The first season when the pasturing work was conducted according 
to the outlined program was in 1916. Some difficulty in procuring 
suitable hogs was experienced. Ten Duroc-Jersey pigs having a 
total weight of 1,171 pounds * were purchased locally by the Montana 
Agricultural Experiment Station and placed on the plat of rye on 
May 6. At this date the rye was jointing and was generally some- 
what farther advanced than was considered most desirable for pas- 
turage. The crop grew too fast to be held in check by the pigs, and 
by May 21 they were confining their grazing to small areas where 
the rye had been closely pastured and new growth was continually 
appearing. ‘The unpastured rye was clipped with a mower to induce 
new growth over the whole plat. Timely showers started this 
growth, which was pastured until June 30, when the hogs were 
transferred to the plat of peas. 
A total gain of 339 pounds was made by the hogs during the 55 
days on rye pasture. While on the rye pasture a ration of corn 
weighing 2 pounds for each 100 pounds of hogs was fed. The total 
was 1,480 pounds of corn, or 4.37 pounds of corn for every pound of 
gain in weight of the animals. The average daily gain per pig was 
0.62 of a pound. 
The check plat of rye thrashed out 19.2 bushels of grain per acre. 
The results of the rye pasturing for the season indicated that the 
forage is much more palatable while young. When the crop begins to 
head the pigs will not eat it but will confine their grazing to areas 
that have been kept pastured closely and where a new growth of rye 
is continually appearing. If sufficient moisture is available, a new 
growth of forage may be induced by mowing the rye when it gets 
beyond the palatable stage. There seems to be little doubt that 
the pigs were held on the rye pasture too long for the best results. A 
2 per cent ration of corn proved to be about right as a grain supple- 
ment for the rye pasturage. : 
PEAS. 
From the rye pasture the pigs were moved directly to the acre of 
field peas. The crop at this time was well advanced toward maturity, 
the grain being in the hard-dough stage. As the crop appeared to be 
insufficient to carry the hogs until the barley was ripe, the 2 per cent 
ration of corn was continued. The peas with corn supplement carried 
the 10 pigs for a period of 20 days, the lot being removed on July 20. 
During this time a total gain of 270 pounds was made, and 636 
pounds of corn were fed as a supplement. This feeding ratio is 2.36 
pounds of corn for each pound of gain, while each animal made an 
average daily increase of 1.35 pounds in weight. The plat was 
completely bare of vegetation when the animals were removed. 
‘Peas on the check plat yielded 10.9 bushels per acre of grain of 
poor quality. 
The experience of this year indicated that an acreage of peas 
double that of rye could be used satisfactorily. This would permit 
3 After the grazing was well under way it was found that one of the animals had been bred before she 
was purchased. The actual weights of this animal while on rye, pes, and barley pastures have not been 
used in the calculations, but a weight equal to that of the average of the other nine pigs has been substituted 
for the actual weights of this animal. 
