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About The gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 10, 1914)
HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION Pasture and Grain Crops for Hogs in Pacific Northwest Contributed by Byron Hunter of the Board of Plant Industry, United States Department of Agriculture. 53$J$.$SS$$j,(g This is the last of a series of articles dealing with crops 0 and systems of cropping for pork production, prepared by (S Mr. Byron Hunter, who is now B state leader in charge of farm g management-field studies and I6 demonstrations in the State of 3 Washington, and employed eo 3 operativcly by the United States Department of Agricul- ture and the State College of (S Washington. $ Q Q I N EICH, mellow land that retains moisture well artichokes usually yield bottor than potatoes. But on land that dries out quickly the yield is not very satisfactory. The hogs are turned in late in the fall, about the time that alfalfa or clover pasture is failing. Some allow the hogs to work on tho tubers at will from the last of October until May 1. Others prefer to use artichokes only in the late fall and early spring, the' hogs being removed from the field during the winter, when the ground is so wet that their rooting will puddle the soil. The hogs are returned to the field as oon as the ground has settled in the early spring. Used in this way arti chokes fill in two periods, the late fall and early spring, when green feed is scarce. As with the root crops, hogs must also receive a grain ration of some kind when feeding upon artichokes if rapid gains are desired. When the ground is frozen hard other feed must be provided. Many hog raisers use headed or bundle wheat to carry dry brood sows and young shotes through the winter. When feeding upon the unthrashed grain the hogs get considerable rough age in chewing the heads. They are also compelled to eat more slowly and to masticato their food better than when feeding upon thrashed grain. When the grain is fed in the straw tho thrashing bill is saved and the bogs are kept busy during much of the time. Unthrashed wheat and artichokes oi roots of some kind make a good combination for wintering hogs. In some localities field peas are tacked and the unthrashed vines fed to hogs during the late fall, winter and early spring. Mature pea grain is a concentrated feed, very rich in pro tain. For this reason hogs should re eoivo other feed in addition to the peas to dilute the ration. Any of the root crops, artichokes or potatoes are excellent for this purpose. Unthrashed Barley. In using unthrashed bearded barley for winter feed for hogs, a large quan tity is thrown into the feed lot at a time in order that the beards and ker r nels may become wet and soften. If fod dry, tho kernels are too hard to be eaten readily. Arid and Semiarid Districts, The arid and semiarid districts may arbitrarily be designated as that por tion of the wheat belt whose normal precipitation is insufficient to grow al falfa successfully. In much of this re gion, however, alfalfa can bo grown profitably for hog pasture by keeping the stand very thin and cultivating it thoroughly in the late fall and early spring. If sown rather thinly in rows about 24 to 36 inches apart and culti vated occasionally during the Bpring and summer, alfalfa will make profit able hog pasture over a very wide ter ritory now considered too dry for that crop. Wheat is used for hog pasture as lollows: (1) As soon as the surface of the ground is dry in the spring, about April 1, the hogs are turned into the main crop of winter wheat that is grown for market. Some prefer to oso the winter wheat until it begins to joint; that is, for about a month or six weeks. Others use it until the hogs begin to chew the heads of wheat, and still others harvest with the hogs in the field. (2) Spring wheat sown the last of February or early in March is gen erally largo enough for pasture, 3 to i inches high, by May L By pastur ing it rather closely it will stay green until about July 1. (3) Summer pasture is provided by sowing either spring or winter wheat about May 1. Land that is sown at this date is plowed during the late lau, in the winter, or very early in the spring. To destroy weeds and re tain moisture it is kept thoroughly cultivated from early spring until the wheat is sown. The pasture is ready for use in about six weeks from date of planting. If grazed closely, it should remain green until in August. The common beardless barley is also sown in the early spring and early in May for spring and summer pas ture. Barley comes more quickly and makes more feed than wheat. The hogs also like it better than wheat up to the time it has headed out. Corn and Sorgham. Field cern and several varieties of sorghum are grown in a limited way in the dry portion of the wheat belt for hog pasture. The principal va rieties of sorghum aro kafir, Jerusa lem corn, milo and Amber sorehum. Just which of these is most satisfac tory when grown as a grazing crop or to cut and feed green has not been fully determined. On account of the succulency and high sugar content of its Stems as well as its habit of suck ering after being cut or eaten down, Amber sorghum is probably the best of the varieties named above. The variety grown is locally known as tarly Amber sorghum. Field observa tions seem to indicate that Amber sorghum is best adapted to the ex tremely dry districts where the alti tude is rather low, and corn to the higher districts. These crops need to be further tested in limited areas to determine which are most profitable. Corn and sorghum are grown in much the same way. To be successful, the preparation of the seed bed must re ceive special attention. Perhaps the most satisfactory way to prepare the land for these crops is to plow dur ing the lata fall or winter and then cultivate thoroughly from early spring until planting time. Sorghum is plant ed a trifle later than corn, in rows 3 to 3J feet with a grain drill. The seed is dropped 10 to IS inches apart in the row. To firm the soil and cause the seed to germinate quickly, a corrugated roller or subsurface pack er is run just behind the drill. The cultivation is the same as . that of corn. The crop is either cut and fed green or the hogs are turned into the field when the sorghum or corn is 14 to 18 inches high. The former method gives by far the most feed. Corn and sorghum are generally used in a 2-year rotation with wheat or barley, the land being in sorghum or corn for summer green feed one year and in barley or wheat to pasture or hog off the next. Gleaning Stubble Fields. If the farm is fenced hog tight, the hogs have the run of the stubble field from the time the grain is har vested until the land is plowed the following spring. The volunteer grain makes the earliest green feed in the spring. Whether or not wheat and peas shall be used from the time they are available in the early summer until the autumn rains have softened the barley sufficiently to be hogged down will depend upon the number of hogs kept on the farm. Where only enough hogs are kept to glean the stubble field, peas and wheat are used only until the grain is thrashed and the stubble field is open. Where more than enough hogs are kept to clean up the Btubble field, wheat and peas can be profitably hogged off until the barley is in condition to use. Somewhat limited observations indi cate that field peas in the dry parts of the wheat belt seldom have nodules on their roots. The yield also is usual ly light. The lack of nodules, the light yields, and the high price of seed make the production of peas questionable. It is probable that they may be grown profitably in rows as a cultivated crop. At the experimental farm at Moro, Oregon, peas are plant ed in double rows 7 inches apart with 35-inch spaces botwf-en the double rows. The peas are planted in this way with a grain drill by stopping up a part of the feed cups. The peas sup port each other and stand up better when planted in this way. They then receive shallow cultivation between the rows until the vines lop oyer. The feeds that may be used eco nomically to carry hogs through the winter are standing barley and head ed wheat. Field peas may also be stacked and fed without thrashing. Crops for the Irrigated Valleys. Much of the irrigated land along the Columbia Eiver, on tho one ex treme, is less than 40 feet above the level of the sea. Some of the irrfc gated mountain valleys, on the othet hand, hive an elevation of 3,500 to 4,000 feet. At the low altitudes pa ture is available much earlier In the spring and later in the autumn than at teh higher altitudes. In the moun tain valleys all of the grain fed hi raised, while in the lower distrieti most of the grain consumed is pu chased from the nearby wheat farm In the lower districts corn is success fully grown. In the higher valley! corn has not proved a success. Pasture Crops. Alfalfa is most generally used tut hog pasture under irrigation. There are many who prefer clover, however, especially in the mountain valleys, be cause it Btarts growth earlier in spring and is less injured by fall frost than alfalfa. -The two crops are sometimes grown together. It is claimed that a mixture of the two will carry nearly one third" mors hogs per acre than either grown alone. m b-bp SEPTEMBER 24-25-26, 1914 EXCURSION FARES WiH u4 Wwidtrfil ForiwiMtEullinf rniEwisslten. 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