28 The Colorado Experiment Station. 
of 1,467 of wheat. Of course, alfalfa hay does not in itself have 
any such great feed value, but the hog eating alfalfa hay digests 
a greater proportion of the grain eaten. 
The leaves only, are of value, the stems being too woody, and 
the hogs should be fed a; sufficient quantity so that they will get 
all they want when they have eaten the leaves. For this reason it 
does not pay to cut or grind alfalfa hay for hogs, as these methods 
compel the hog to eat the indigestible stems. In a test made by the 
writer, hogs fed whole alfalfa hay ate 515 pounds of grain for 
each 100 pounds of gain, while those fed finely cut alfalfa hay re¬ 
quired 538 pounds of grain for each 100 pounds of gain. 
Alfalfa for hay for hogs should be cut when the first few 
blooms appear, cured with as little exposure to the sun as possible, 
and handled in such a way as to preserve the leaves. In feeding 
tests made by the writer with hogs fattened on grain and alfalfa 
hay, a ton of early, green-cured alfalfa hay was equivalent to 868 
pounds of grain, and a ton of alfalfa hay cut late was equivalent 
to 333 pounds of grain. 
Pea Hay .—In the San Luis Valley peas are harvested and 
stacked after the vines are killed by frost. The unthreshed vines 
are fed to brood sows and growing pigs through the summer. It 
is an advantage to feed the vines with the peas, and as in the case 
of alfalfa hay, the pigs should be fed enough so that they will eat 
the leaves only. 
Sorghum Hay .—On the Plains, sorghum is thickly planted in 
rows, cut when the seeds are in the milk, and cured in large cocks. 
The green hay made by this method is a valuable feed to give in 
winter with grain. 
WATER EOR HOGS. 
Most Colorado hog feeds are rich in protein, and animals 
eating such feeds need a much larger amount of water than hogs 
fed on starchy feeds like corn. It is usually best! to mix ground 
grain with water to make a thick slop, but no matter how much 
slop is fed, hogs should have easy access at all times to clean, pure 
water, separate from the feed. 
It is dangerous to let hogs have access to irrigation ditches or 
streams, as these are great carriers of disease. A convenient way 
to water hogs is to mount a barrel on a small sled and attach a 
hog waterer. As many barrels and sleds can be used as are needed 
to maintain a full supply of water, and by this method the water 
can be placed in the pasture or feed lot where the hogs can reach 
it without travel. A hog should drink small quantities of water 
often, and not overload the digestive tract with large quantities, as 
he will when he has to travel a considerable distance for it. 
