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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 13, 1914)
nOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION Pasture For Hogs This is the first of a series of articles dealing with crops and $ systems of cropping for pork $ production, prepared by Mr. w- Byron Hunter, who is now state leader in charge of farm-man- $ agement-field studies and dem- $ -s onstratioiiB in the State of J Washington, and employed co- operatively by the United States Department of Agricul- 3 ture and the State College of 8 9 Washington. .. $$$$&$$ THIS bulletin deals specifically with orops and systems of cropping that may be used in economical pork production in the Pacific Northwest. Scattered here and there throughout the Northwest are men who are suc cessfully producing pork. They have been visited, and their methods, crops and feeding systems have been studied. This bulletin makes the practices of these successful men available to all. Owing to the rapid growth in popu lation of this section during the last .de cade, the demand for pork has in creased faster than the ' supply, and there is little reason why hog raising should not become a more important industry in the Pacific Northwest. Al though there have been some outbreaks of hog cholera, the Northwest has been remarkably free from this disease. The largrr cities have well-equipped pack- ing houses, and modern union stock , yaTds are in operation at Portland, Ore i gon. During recent years a large per ' centage of the hogs slaughtered in the cities of Portland, Tacoma, Seattle p.nd Spokane have been shipped from east of tho Rocky Mountains. In addition to this, enormous quantities of East ern bacon and lard are annually con fumed by the Pacific Coast cities. Management of Pastures. Si'iCe economical pork production de- pen n largely upon the consumption of a g ;at deal of cheaply grown feed, the pan ue should be so managed that the fon i produced will- be clean, tender and palatable. In practice, hog pas tures are generally managed in one of force ways: (1) Continuous close graz ing, (2) alternate pasturing of equal areas, and (3) pasturing the meadow. 'The method in most common use is to tnrn in all the hogs the pasture will support, leaving them in the field dur ing the entire season. Usually the pas ture is kept closely grazed. Too often it is overgrazed, the plants being crap ped so closely that the Stand is soon ffutned. The pasture thun becomes little 'better than a dry lot, and the hogs make unsatisfactory gains. When the feed in the pasture becomes scarce, dither the number of hogs per acre should be reduced or other furoge pro vided. Alternate Pasturing of Equal Areas. One of the most satisfactory ways of managing a pasture is to divide it into two or more fields of equsl area. These fields are then used alternately, the logs remaining in each about a week oi 10 days. In the case of clover and alfalfa the growth is allowed to be come 3 f-o 4 inches high be re the hogs are turned in to eat it off quickly. When the pasture consists of such crops as rape, kale and vetch, which will not stand close grazing, the growth is permitted to reach a .height of 8 :or 10 inches lefore the hogs are turned Changing the hogs from field to field gives the pasture a period o rest, dur ing which the plants recuperate and grw rapidly. When the stock is re turned to the field the forage is clean, tonder and palatable and large quan tifies are consumed. Owing to the rapid gnwth made while at rest, a pasture that is subdivided and ths areas grazed alternatolj is capable of carrying a much larger number oi hogs per acre, other conditions being equal, than one that is continuously pastured. Hogs usually graze a pasture some what unevenly, some areas being eaten off much more closely than others. To keep down the weeds and make the growth come on evenly, the pasture is clipped with a mower immediately after the hogs are removed. Hogs are in clind to root when the surface of the son the pasture, if under irrigation, is irrigated just after the hogs are changed from one pasture lot to the next This gives the surface of the ground time to dry before the forage is large enough to be grazed. Pasturing the Meadow. Many successful ho, raisers prefer to use such crops as clover and alfalfa for both pasture and bay at the same time, 'the number of hogs turned into the field .s to limited that the usual crops of hay are made. The chief ad vantages of this method are (1) the presence of an Abundance of feed, (2) the meadow is not grazed closely enough for the stand to be injured, (3) it it not necessary to subdivide the pasture into smaller areas for alternate pas turing, and (1) the changing of the hogs from one inelosure to another is obviated. When the number of animals pas tured is so limited that the usual -hay crops are made, the growth becomes so coarse and -woody that they do not consume as much forage as is desirable for economical gains, as the hogs relish the young shoots best. When the forage becomes too large to furnish desirable feed, an area near the watering place is eltpped with a mower. This should be large enough to furnish the desired amount of pasture. In a few days the clipped area produces a vigorous growth of new shoots, upon which the bags feed without materially disturbing the rest of the meadow. If the area first mowed is not sufficient to furnish the required feed, more of the meadow is clipped, as necessity may demand. To prevent the stand of these clipped areas from becoming injured by overgrazing, dif ferent portions of the meadow are used in this way from year to year. Grain Ration While on Pasture. While tho cost of -producing pork may be reduced materially by the use of such roughage as alfalfa hay, roots, or green-pasture forage, it is desirable to feed grain or other concentrated feed in addition. Mature, dry brood sows are sometimes maintained in - an ap parently satisfactory condition on good pasture alone. Young growing hogs, on the other hand, usually become ungain ly in shape, big bellied and thin in fle&h or stunted when compelled to sub sist on pastture alone. Hog growers differ quite widely re garding the quantity of grain that should be fed while on pasture. Same feed a full grain ration, i. e., all ' e grain the hog will consume. Others teed a medium ration, one that is equal to about 2 to 3 per cent of the live weight of the hog. Still others prefer a light grain ration, one that is equal rnly about 1 per cent of the live weight of the hog. Occasionally men are found who run yo'mg shotes on pas ture without otheT feed This is a mis take, for it almost invariably results in a stunted hog. No fixed and fast Tule can be laid down, for the supplemental grain ration which should be fed in conjunction with green pasture depends upon a number ef factors, the more im portant of which are .(1) the age nt which the hogs are to be marketed, (2) the price of grain, and (3) the plonti fulneas and quality of the pasture. Rations for Hogs of Various Conditions and Market Ages. If hogs are to be marketed when 7 to 9 months old, it is necessary to feed them about all the grain they will consume, in addition to the pasture, in order to make them reach the weight demanded by the market, 170 to 225 pounds. Hogs that are marketed when 10 to 12 months old are usually main tained on pasture alone during the graz ing season. If fed at all, the grain ra tion is very light. . This results in a slow daily gain, but a greater percentage of the growth is mndo from the cheaply grown forage. The added cost of main taining n hog nntil 10 to 12 months old however, usually more than equals the saving of the grain ration. Mature breeding stock that is not ex peoted to make any gain in weight re quires but little, if any, additional feed when on good pasture. Hogs that are thin in flesh and nearly grown may be expected to make small daily gains without other feed when on the bost of pasture. Pigs and small shotes usual ly become stunted when on pasture un less given a liberal quantity of addi tional feed. Young hogs should be becoming stunted. During the fattening period, hogs on pasture should be fed all the grain they will eat up dean three times a day. Tho Price of Grain. Owing to the fluctuation in the price of hogs and of grain, the supplemental grain ration is sometimes expensive. Under such circumstances there is great temptation to place the bogs upon an exclusive pasture Tation. This seldom pays, for it usually takes approximate ly as much concentrated feed in the end, and mueh more time, to lit far market hogs which have been on an exclusive pasture diet as is required for hogs fed liberally while on pasture. Under extreme circumstances mature breeding stock or bogs which are near ly grown may be carried on good pas ture until cheaper concentrated feed can be obtained. Quality and Abundance of Pasture, The composition of pasture forage is quit variable. Alfalfa, clover, vetch, peas, ete furnish feed that is much richer in protein than most other crops. Generally, therefore, hogs which are feeding upon leguminous pasture require slightly less concentrated feed than when grazing upon no leguminous pas ttnre, such as timothy, orchard grass, blue grass or the cereals. It frequently happens that a farmer has more hogs than his pasture is eapa bio of supporting. When such is the ease the pasture will go mueh farther if a full grain ration is fed. The more grain a bog consumes the less he will feed upon the pasture. In general, pigs and shotes should be kept in a thrifty, growing condition At all times. It never pays to allow them to cease growing and become stunted. Brood sows, likewise, must be kept in good flesh (not fat) if large litters of strong, healthy pigs are to be expected. In gathering the material for this bulletin it was quite generally observed, on the one hand, that the men who are enthusiastic pork producers feed a liberal supplemental grain ration to young, growing hogs when on pasture. On the other hand, those who think there is little profit in Taising hogs run them very largely on pasture without other feed during the grazing season. Hogging Off Crops. Turning hogs into a standing field if mature or nearly mature wheat, bar ley, peas or corn and allowing them to feed at will until the crop is eon sumed is called "hogging off" "hogging down" the crop. To soms this may appear to be a wasteful prac tice. Under good management, how ever, it is a very satisfactory and eco nomical method of utilizing limited areas of these crops. Advantages in Hogging off Crops. Some of the advantages in hogging off crops' are (1) tho cost of harvest ing and marketing ths erop is saved, (2) the labor of earing for hogs is greatly reduced, (3) ths vegetable mat ter in the soil is increased, () we drop pings of the animals are distributed quite evenly, and (5) ths hogs are given exercise. It costs from 15 to 25 cents per bushel to harvest and market wheat in the greater part ox ths wnesu dbii of the Pacific Northwest, the cost Yary- ing with ths yield, ths method of har vesting and thrashing and ths distance the wheat is hauled to market, in soms of tho more arid wheat-growing dis tricts of both Oregon- and Washington the yield of wheat is frequently as low as 6 to & bushels per acre. Ths cost ef harvesting and marketing such crops runs from 35 to 40 cents per bushel Ths cost of harvesting and marketing bar ley is approximately the sams as that of wheat When the hogs are so man aged that the erop is thoroughly elsaasd op, hogging off tho erop practically saves the cost of harvesting and mar keting. In the case of light-yielding crops this saving is considerable. Most of the crops that are soitabls for hogging off are utilised daring ths hnainst season of the year, L s., at a time when it is very desirable that ths hogs require as little attention as pos sible. If turned into a mature Cold at wheat, pears or corn and provided witn water, shade and salt, the hogs require very little other attsntion. Most of the arable lands of ths Pa cific Northwest would be materially benefited by the Addition of more or ganic matter. When ths erop is hogged off, the straw, pea vines or cornstalks, as the. ease may be, are left on ths ground. By cutting this material thor oughly in the fall of the year with a sharp disk harrow and plowing it under, the soil is enriched in vegetable matter. This, in turn, greatly reduees the ten dency of the soil to wash. In hoceine off the crop, the drop pings of the animals are scattered suits evenly over the liela. READ EVERY WORD!! Mr. Rancher! Mr. Merchant! Mr.Cattlenan! Mr.Hopgrower! Mr.Fnritgrower! Do you protect the amount of Dollars on your Bank Checks against the CHECK RAISER? 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Address. crrouad is Wbt u a&mo. f or uu rea fed that they grow rapidly instead oi
